Prompt: The Prof. Crane Foundation for Interdisciplinary Inquiry solicits proposals for research projects developed by new and emerging interdisciplinary scholars. The Foundation offers stipends of up to $50,000 Crane dollars, and will consider proposals for both research projects and creative projects that generate new knowledge on important topics. In order to apply, applicants should submit a 6 – 7 page (double spaced) proposal that includes the following sections: (be creative, you can use the fund to do a creative project)
Introduction: In this opening paragraph of your proposal, you should give a brief description of the research question that you are asking, why it is important, and how you plan to address it.
Tip: “Your introduction is like a movie trailer for your entire project. At the end of this single paragraph, we need to know the problem at the core of your project, what you plan to do, why we should care about it, and how this project will help you achieve your academic and professional goals, such as a senior thesis or gaining needed research experience. Yes, that is a tall order, but remember – it is a movie trailer, not the movie itself. You will have the rest of the proposal to fill in the critical details, but by the end the introduction, we will need to know what specifically you will be doing in your project.”[1]
Background and Significance: This section needs to do two things. It needs to describe some of what is already known about the problem you are researching (“Background”) and it needs to state why this project is important (“Significance”).
Tips: The research you undertake in the library workshops will help you write the Background section. When you describe what is already known about your question, you will need to provide citations (references) for this information. These sources will be included in your annotated bibliography. For the Significance section, make an argument for why we should care about this project. Why is this project worth doing? Convince us!
Methods: This section should include a discussion and justification of the specific methods of inquiry you will be using. How are you going to generate knowledge regarding the question(s) you posed? How are you going to attempt to answer your research question? Will you conduct interviews, surveys, observations, ethnography, or experiments? Will you undertake archival research? Will you create literature, film, or other forms of art? Be specific, and make sure you include a justification for why the method(s) you choose are appropriate for your proposed project.
Intended Audience: This section should include a discussion of the intended audience for your findings and a description of how and where you will share your results. Will you publish a scholarly article in a specific journal? Create a documentary film to be screened at a specific location? Hold a series of workshops or performances in specific locations? (The Prof. Crane Foundation welcomes scholarly articles but is also interested in developing other innovative and effective modes of publication, performance, and intervention.)
Annotated Bibliography: This section should list and briefly summarize the sources mentioned in your “Background” section, as well as any other sources referenced in your proposal. Your annotated bibliography should include a minimum of three scholarly articles. By “scholarly articles” I mean original research articles, NOT Gale Encyclopedia articles (though you can definitely include Gale articles in your bibliography, just not as one of your three scholarly articles.) You do not need to have read these articles in their entirety, but you should be able to describe the problems and questions they pose, the methods they use to address them, and any key arguments they might make that are relevant to your topic.
