Remember, we are not actually doing the work - just proposing to do the work

Remember, we are not actually doing the work - just proposing to do the work.  In other words, we do not need to come up with any answers for this proposal - just the questions.

Title

Should aim to include all or most of the key words that pertain to your proposed research.  An easy way to think about a title is to answer Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How.  For example, if you are proposing an investigation on Wiccan practices in Houston, the following would be a great title:

Understanding the Process of Body Modification in the Practices of Religion in the Wiccan Communities from Houston, Texas through a Cultural Anthropological Perspective

Who                =         Wiccan communities

Where            =         Houston, Texas

What, How   =         Cultural Anthropology

When             =         See above

Why               =         For an Understanding

Research Objectives

This section, which should be one or two paragraphs, will outline what research question you wish to examine - it is basically the WHY portion of your proposal.  Explain the issue you will be looking at and the questions you will address in your research.

Clarify the purpose for your research, focusing mainly on the research question rather than on the people you wish to study.

Personal Rationale: This paragraph discusses why you are interested in this problem, what courses and/or experiences you have had (or wish to have) that prepare you to undertake this research, and what you think you will gain, in terms of personal growth, from this experience.

Methodology

This section should answer the questions of where, who, how, and when:

1)         Where will your investigation take place? Describe the place/places you would like to conduct research and offer important information regarding its geography, population

            (if relevant), and social composition.

2)        What "community" will you be working with? What efforts will you make to contact the people and get to know them, and/or do you have previous experience working with or spending time in this community? Discuss the community's distinctiveness and its social or geographic boundaries.

3)        What methods will you use to investigate the problem you have posed? Discuss your research procedures in down-to-earth, precise terms, mentioning the specific anthropological methods that you plan to employ: participant observation; interviews; life histories; surveys (data that can be tabulated); kinship charts; archival work; maps; photographs; film; and any other strategies for collecting information.

Then answer the following questions:

Why are these methods most appropriate?

   What possible constraints or problems may you encounter?

      If you are conducting interviews, will these interviews be audio-taped or not?

      What criteria will you use in selecting interviewees or survey participants, and how many do you plan to talk to?
      If you are doing participant observation, how frequently will you be able to participate and record your observations?

      How do you plan to organize your field data: will you keep a field log?

4)        What schedule do you plan to follow to accomplish all of your goals? This is a crucial step in presenting a research proposal.  Estimate how long it would take to do the actual fieldwork and analyses.  Do not forget to include travel time to community or site.

Conclusions

In your conclusion you want to emphasize why someone or some institution should give you the chance to do the work (and get the money to do it!!).  So, you want to tell them about the positive implications of what your work will accomplish.  Most likely, for any anthropological research the answers are:

            To bring greater understanding about how we ___________ ______

            To fill a gap in the knowledge about _________ ________ or _______

            To solve a mystery surrounding ___________ __________

You can see there is a pattern here....remember have some fun with this proposal.  You can explore the bottom of the ocean, time-travel, or live with another culture across the globe.  Someday, you might be doing this for a living!!! Be inspired, be curious, but have fun too!!

Example Research Topics/Questions:

The death rituals of a contemporary or past society

The religious beliefs or practices of a particular society

Rituals of food consumption

Clothing styles of modern or past societies and their impact on culture