1) The Proposal (due no later than 10/11): The proposal outlines the main idea, the point, and explains the kind of evidence and theory you plan to use to support it. It should be 1-2 pages long, typed, double-spaced. It should be organized, clear, and concise, and reflect the logic of your idea. It must have a clear thesis sentence, usually as the last sentence of the first paragraph.
Your paper should not just be a book report or a summary of others' work. It should have one main POINT, or argument. To qualify as a point, the main idea of your paper must be:
(1) debatable ("the sky is blue" is not debateable; “1950s Science Fiction movies reflected the Cold War” is debateable.)
(2) supportable with evidence from your own and others' research.
So the proposal should not just list a topic area and some information (e.g., "this paper will be about rock videos and will use evidence collected from journal articles.") It should make a distinct argument, e.g., "This paper will draw on published scholarship and use literary and historical analysis of four popular movies from the time to argue that 1950s SciFi movies reflected the Cold War.” It must have a sentence that starts "This paper will argue . . . " and it may not contain the phrase "This paper will be about . . . "
Also, the proposal should explain what scholarly literature, theories, methods, and evidence you will use to support your argument.
Making a scholarly point or argument is not exactly the same as expressing an opinion. We all have lots of opinions that come from our preferences, experiences, values, and so forth. In scholarship, however, the point is not to express your opinion, but to offer a reasoned, logical, well-supported argument that addresses counterarguments and provides substantial evidence. Everyone has opinions, but scholarly arguments are something presented by experts, by people who have done the work of mastering an area of thought and who present the results of their expertise. Your goal over the course of semester is to become an expert on the topic you are researching.