English 497 Project 3

Purpose

Write a short (3-5 page, double-spaced) review of your classmate's proposal.

Rhetorical Context. You should assume that the proposal has been submitted to the agency described in the cover memo. For the purposes of this assignment, you will take the role of a referee who has been asked by the agency to evaluate the proposal and recommend for or against its funding. So you will write the review to the agency, but you should assume that the author will also see it and possibly use it as the basis for a revision. To serve both of these audiences, the review must be both objective and diplomatic.

The writer--your classmate--has put a lot of time into the proposal and is trusting you to be honest and helpful in your comments.

Contents

The review should contain the following components:

1. a BRIEF recap of the purpose and contents of the proposal (e.g., problem, methods, and results).

2. a recommendation: fund, fund with revision, revise and resubmit, or reject.

3. an overview of the rationale for the recommendation.

4. a list of problems/suggestions for improving the proposal.

Obviously, given the range of disciplines represented in this class, you are probably not an expert in the topic area. To help you evaluate the proposal, you may draw on the writer's analysis of the field as well as your response as an intelligent, sensitive reader. The goal here is to give you practice reading closely and writing up an evaluation objectively, constructively, and tactfully.

Evaluation Criteria

Does the evaluation have all the necessary components?

Is the evaluation thorough? Is there evidence that you gave it a close reading and considered various criteria for acceptance?

Does the evaluation offer constructive criticism, stated tactfully?

Is the evaluation clearly written and organized?

Due Dates