Degree Type
Thesis
Date of Award
2004
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
English
Abstract
Little is known about the persuasiveness of NCHRP transportation proposals and the differences between what the writer perceives as persuasive and what the reviewers see as persuasive in proposal selection meetings. The NCHRP proposal process can provide great insight into persuasion and proposal writing from a rhetorical point of view. This qualitative study uses a rhetorical approach using Aristotle's three appeals of ethos, pathos, and logos to examine persuasive elements of transportation research proposals from both the writers' and reviewers' points of view. To examine persuasion in NCHRP proposals, three NCHRP proposal writers were interviewed and two NCHRP review sessions were observed. The notes and transcriptions were coded according to the Aristotelian appeals. Within these appeals, similar topics discussed by interviewees and the review panels were identified and compared to examine the perceptions of persuasion in the NCHRP proposal. Although there are many instances where the writers and reviewers agree, there are some gaps between the writers' perceptions of what is persuasive in the proposal and what the NCHRP panels discussed. This study also provides insight into researching proposal writing as a genre.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.31274/rtd-180813-5114
Publisher
Digital Repository @ Iowa State University, http://lib.dr.iastate.edu
Copyright Owner
Brett William Hansen
Copyright Date
2004
Language
en
Date Available
2014-02-19
File Format
application/pdf
File Size
64 pages
Recommended Citation
Hansen, Brett W., "A rhetorical look at proposal writing and reviewing in transportation engineering" (2004). Retrospective Theses and Dissertations. 282.
https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/rtd/282
