Eng111 AMS Topic Proposal

Outlining Your AMS Essay’s Path

While learning how to summarize, respond, critically analyze and identify the problems in individual sources, you have examined throughout the course so far, you have noticed that one of the qualities of good academic prose is engaging different voices and allowing these voices in turn to engage you in a dialog. You need to spend time “listening” to what other published authors have said, before you enter their conversation.

This assignment asks you to share your way of joining the conversation on adult learning. You will write a short proposal and persuade an academic audience that you have arrived at a point, where you can bring your own ideas into the conversation the other authors have already established. Your goal is to identify and problematize an issue with adult learning and discuss briefly:

. What is the problem with college learning?

Why is this issue significant or problematic for an academic audience?

Why does it occur?

• How does it affect learning?
• Who shares a stake? ( Besides college and professors, is there anyone else who is expected to join the conversation)
• What are the consequences if we do not engage in a dialog about ways of dealing with the problem?
• What different perspectives or ways of looking at this issue are represented in the readings you have done?

Since you are entering into an academic conversation, the depth and complexity of this issue must be notable. Your purpose for this assignment is to zoom in on an idea that you noticed was illuminated in the context of multiple readings you have done throughout the first half of the semester. Communicate that idea via a proposal of about one page in length to a group of English Faculty.  Give your reader an idea of your essay’s path.

• What is not acceptable: A simple pro/con issue would not be a worthwhile topic for an academic conversation.