Name___________________________________________ Date______
English 1213: Paper Proposal EXAMPLE
You must answer all questions, write a paragraph, and provide an outline to get full credit for this assignment.
1.
What is the problem or issue to be solved? 2. What is necessary background information the audience might need to understand the problem? a. The issue of childhood obesity and how bad it is. b. The specific goals and mission of the GSUSA – especially those that would create a conflict between it and the selling of cookies. c. The number of cookies sold each year and how these sales help fund the GSUSA d. The nutritional information about the cookies to show that they are not healthy. 3. Write thesis that states the problem as a claim and also includes the solution. The Girl Scouts of the USA needs to create a more healthy fundraiser than selling cookies in order to resolve a conflict between its stated mission and goals of creating better and healthier lives for girls and the current epidemic of childhood obesity facing American kids. 4. What are the causes and effects of the problem? Why did it happen? For whom is this a problem? The better you, the writer, understand the problem and all its implications, the better solution you will find. a. Though Girl Scout cookies did not cause the childhood obesity epidemic in America, the issue of junk food and highly fattening/sweet foods have contributed. If the GSUSA is partaking in selling these kinds of foods, then it is helping this epidemic. b. The GSUSA does promotes more active lifestyles, which counters another cause of obesity – not enough exercise. But the staggering amount of cookie sales each year is a contradiction, and simply saying parents should moderate how much kids eats does not justify the GSUSA selling some of the most popular cookies in America. c. This is a problem for all aspects of society: kids, parents, schools, health professionals, and the GSUSA. However, for this paper, the focus is on how this GSUSA activity impacts kids. Not only does it supply them with unhealthy treats that will contribute to obesity, but it also discourages other efforts to change eating habits by making cookie sales such a big part of the GSUSA activities. 5. List two sources that would provide supporting evidence for the problem section of your essay. Format these as work cited entries following MLA rules. a. “Girl Scout Cookies Nutrition Facts: 2010-2011 Season.” Girl Scout Cookies. Girl Scouts of the USA, 2011. Web. 14 Jul. 2011. b. Theiss, Evelyn. "Girl Scout Cookies Have Evolved, but You Should Still Read the Nutrition Label." The Plain Dealer. Cleveland.com, 22 Mar. 2011. Web. 14 Jul. 2011. 6. What are the options to solving the problem? What are the various ways to solve the problem? a. Girl Scouts can make the cookies healthier. They have made some efforts, like removing trans-fats, but the cookies are still high in other fats and sugars. Some are even made using cottonseed oil, which is very unhealthy, and palm oil, which has health and environmental problems. b. To make healthier cookies that are still delicious, the Girl Scouts could partner with a company like Kashi who is in the business of making healthy treats. It currently partners with Keebler in making cookies, so this would not be a new way of doing business. c. Girl Scouts can sale other items. They can try fruit, seeds, trees, candles, etc. 7. Each solution must be examined for its feasibility. What are the advantages and disadvantages? Use logical thinking in your discussion. Consider all sides and look for repercussions. What could go wrong; what might not work; what might not be supported? a. The cookies are an established fundraiser that rakes in more than $700 million a year. That’s hard to fight, and some people would be resistant to change since this is such a tradition. b. It is unlikely that any new item will make as much money as the cookies do, so any new fundraisers should be phased in as the cookies are phased out. c. Not all items will be as geographically adaptable as the cookies are. It may fall more to individual districts of Girl Scout troops to decide what to sell rather than a national campaign. 8. List two sources that would provide supporting evidence for the solutions section of your essay. Format these as work cited entries following MLA rules. a. "Girl Scout Fundraising Alternatives." Go Green Fundraising. Go Green Fundraising, 2008. Web. 14 July 2011. b. "Sweet Deals: School Fundraising Can Be Healthy and Profitable, Says CSPI." Center for Science in the Public Interest. Center for Science in the Public Interest, 14 Feb. 2007. Web. 14 July 2011. 9. After the analysis which solution is the most feasible and why did you choose it? In this conclusion the value of the chosen solution is rationalized. The most feasible solution is to make the cookies healthier and slowly phase out cookie sales as the primary fundraising effort. This way, the tradition of Girl Scout cookies would continue, but not on such a scope as before where millions of boxes are sold. And with truly healthier choices, what is sold will not contribute to bad dietary habits and send a much clearer and ethical message from the Girl Scouts that totally aligns with its stated missions and goals. 10. Write a short paragraph that explains the following: a. Your intended audience: I could write this to a variety of audiences, but to have a chance of making real change, I probably should target a general audience that is not narrowed only to Girl Scout administration, which would have a hard time giving up such a lucrative fundraiser. Instead, members of society with a stake in creating healthier lifestyles for our children would be a better audience because they would have financial and moral leverage – they are the ones buying the cookies and sending their girls to Girl Scouts. b. Your reasons for choosing this topic (how does it connect to your own life). I grew up when people didn’t talk about diets or really had serious concerns about fat and oils. Most of my mom’s favorite cook books where those sold by churches or city organizations and generally relied on hamburger, Velveeta, and Campbell’s soup as common ingredients. I wish more national attention had been directed at helping kids become healthier and eat better. I wish there had been a more proactive movement to educate parents on how to help their obese kids (or to prevent the problem from arising). I am overweight, but I have an 8 year old niece, and I struggle to help her make better eating choices without making her anorexic and afraid to eat or even put on a pound or two. When family has to fight school cafeterias, TV ads, and even the Girl Scouts to help their kids make good choices and maintain a healthy diet, it’s sometimes too much. Though the Girl Scouts are not to blame, it does promote and contribute the problem. This is hypocritical in light of its mission and sends a mixed message to kids that undermines other efforts to make changes. I hope drawing people’s attention to the problem will help shed light on how many traditions we have in America that contribute to the problem. It’s not just one alone, but a whole list of them that work together. This is one way to start making a change.
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