Read the chapter in Writing that Works on “Writing Proposals” (Chapter 12 in the 13th edition). You’ll be using this reading for this assignment, so read attentively, especially the section on internal proposals.
As our readings (and your research) will have shown you
by now, microfinance is a central topic of debate and growth in the business community. How do you think this new field should be represented in a business-oriented academic curriculum? Your assignment is to compose an internal proposal to the chair of your department that suggests how and where microfinance should be addressed within the training you’ve received in your major. Use your reading of the chapter on “writing proposals” to guide your writing. (NOTE: THIS IS AN EXERCISE ONLY AND MUST NOT ACTUALLY BE SENT TO YOUR CHAIR!!)
To give justification to your position for writing, pretend that you are leader of a student group comprising undergraduate majors and that you write representing their academic concerns. You will use the readings you’ve done on microfinance to substantiate the relevance of microfinance to your academic training. You will use what you have learned and expressed in the “Executive Summary” assignment to EXPLAIN what microfinance/microlending is/are. The only further piece of research I’m requiring is that you consult the curriculum of at least two leading business schools to see where and how microfinance is covered. Are there undergraduate courses on it, or just grad courses? Has the
topic been covered in courses with a broader rubric, or are schools beginning to offer courses exclusively on microfinance? Go to US News and World Report to find the top-ranked US business schools so that you can learn what’s happening in their course offerings: Spend some time familiarizing yourself with how and where microfinance/microlending are covered, and develop an informed position on how St. John’s should incorporate it into the curriculum, or how it should be incorporated differently than it currently is.
Remember that a works cited is in order here, as it was in your previous
assignment. (Note: if you are not a business major, you may either think about how your discipline could cover this topic, or you may “pretend” you are a business major and complete the assignment that way.) This proposal should be 1 1/2 to 2 pages long single-spaced, and you should use the examples in your text as models. You’ll need to explain how and why St. John’s needs improvement in this area without sounding negative or overly critical, since you’re addressing yourself to the department chair. You’ll then need to justify the recommendation you’re making. This requires careful organization, phrasing, clarity, and research: all of the things we’ve been working on. The goal of the proposal is to EXPLAIN and PERSUADE.
