ABSTRACT

This chapter defines proposals as written statements that are meant to persuade someone to do something. An infinite number of matters can be dealt with in proposals, such as requesting funds for travel to a conference, purchasing equipment, changing design of a course, modifying general education curriculum, or establishing a research center or laboratory. Basic Elements of Academic Proposals are: Introduction; Body of text; Conclusion; Budget, when money is involved; Collection of documents supporting the proposal. Persuasion is the art of overcoming resistance and doubt in the minds of the target audience. Advertising is built on this principle, and a proposal can be viewed, without too much of a stretch of the imagination, as a kind of advertisement attempting to 'sell' somebody on something. There is a human equation at work in evaluating proposals and making decisions about whether to accept or reject them, one based on factors such as friendships, moods, antipathies, grudges, and jealousies.