Submit your revised draft by 11:59 PM on Saturday, August 13, following the instructions below. Project 4 is the final exam. There is no grace period on this project.

1. Be sure that the file for your project includes your cover memo and then your report. The cover memo should be the first page, and the report begins on the second page.
2. Go to our course in Canvas, and choose Assignments from the left sidebar.
3. Go to the "Genre Analysis Report" assignment in Canvas.
4. Click the big Submit Assignment button on the upper right. You’ll see this File Upload form:
   
5. Click the Choose File button, and navigate to your file. It must be a *.doc, *.docx, or *.pdf file.
6. Click the Submit Assignment button, and your work will be uploaded and turned in.

After you spend some time thinking about the kind of writing you want to learn about in more detail, you will write a short, informal proposal that tells me what you propose to study. I will review and approve your proposal (or suggest some changes). Here are the details on what you need to do.

When Is the Proposal Due?

You will post your proposal in Assignments sections of Canvas by 11:59 PM Tuesday, August 2. There is a two-day grace period. Your proposal is worth 15 points of your overall grade for Project 4.

What Do You Write?

Write a short proposal that explains the genre (or kind) of writing that you will focus on for your analysis report. You can return to Chapter 11 of Markel for additional help. Address the following points in your proposal:

1. Background/Introduction
   Give some background on your genre, your experiences with it to date, what you already know, etc. Then clearly state, "I would like to study this genre for the following reasons: . . . ." What are your motivations for doing work in this area?

2. Areas to be Studied
   What are the key points you will explore/research? What are some questions you will ask and try to answer with this project? What do you intend to do with this project?

3. Methods of Research
   What is your research strategy? What exactly are you planning to do to try to find answers to your questions?

4. Timetable
   What are your target dates for various stages of completion? You have five weeks for this project, so set some deadlines for yourself to ensure you are ready to share your rough draft on April 26 and turn in your project on May 9, as your final exam. Create your schedule to finish by the due date, and remember that there is no grace period on the final exam, since I must turn in course grades.

5. Qualifications
   What makes you qualified to do this research? What skills do you bring to the table that will help you deal with this topic effectively?

6. Request for Approval
   Ask for approval; ask for guidance, articulate your biggest concerns at this point; ask for suggestions about next right steps; provide contact information.

How Do I Turn It In?

1. Go to Assignments in Canvas, and choose the Genre Analysis Proposal activity.
2. Click the big Submit Assignment button on the upper right. You’ll see this File Upload form:
   
3. Click the Choose File button, and navigate to your file. It must be a *.doc, *.docx, or *.pdf file.
4. Click the Submit Assignment button, and your progress report will be turned in.

What Happens After You Turn In Your Proposal?

I will read all the proposals and give you feedback on your plan ASAP. Keep working on your project as if you have approval.

As you begin work on your Genre Analysis Project, you can use these examples to guide your work.

Limited Access

I am limiting access to these examples since they were written by students in previous classes I taught. You will have to log into Google Drive, using your VT.EDU email address to access these files:

• Creating a Business Plan
• Grant Proposal Writing
• Internal Software Documentation

Students’ names have been removed from the examples and replaced with majors (e.g., “A CS Major”). Be sure to indicate your name on your report rather than your major.

Future Examples

I am hoping to use some of your reports as examples for classes in the future. I will ask for your permission during the last week of class.