An academic research proposal plays a key role in presenting ones thesis or dissertation work. It is primarily composed to acquaint the supervising committee with one’s research idea, theoretical positioning and basic plan of action to be implemented in the project and thereby elicit their approval for the work.
Sample Academic Research Proposal
Academic Research Proposal presented to: Prof Jacob Venn, University of Pennsylvania.
Research Topic: Resistence in Music.
Rationale: The topic has been chosen to trace and capture the resistence and spirit of protest as reflected in the music of the times over the years. Music has always been since time immemorial, instrumental in giving voice to otherwise unarticulated or suppressed angst, resistence, anger and protest of the common man. The research intends to probe into such music that have with the passage of time come to be known as a testimonial of its times, and delves into its underlying feelings to trace the politics involved in such anti-establishment revolutionary music.
Review: The research draws from Sophie Kristeva’s work on the given topic in her path-breaking book Music as a form of Protest and yet attempts to go beyond it in not just presenting a documentary detailed collage of facts but tries to gauge the form of politics that goes into such usage of music and interprets it more as an ideologue than a mere choice.
Research Outline: The research work takes up texts from the popular culture and attempts to read into its impact in its times and the causes that goaded men to use music to articulate their resistence. The project takes into account popular music like that of Pink Floyd, Jazz, Blues, Dylan and the present day metal rock bands and tries to feel the pulse of the anti-establishment revolutionary spirit captured in their music.
Proposal by: Ryan Radcliff, Junior Research Scholar, University of Pennsylvania.
Date: April 6, 2012
