Extended Inquiry Project Proposal Being in a group can bring a person many different things.

It can bring about new friendships, romantic relationships, and people with whom to network with in their career field. A group can provide hours of enjoyment through outings and fun activities. But besides the obvious friendships and group activities, becoming part of a physical gathering of people as a club or group gives the opportunity for a person to find a sense of belonging. It allows them to feel supported, to have shoulders to cry on and voices to answer those nagging questions about life and their own situation. For many people, having a group like that is the closest family they have. That is why I am researching the PRIDE spectrum club at UNC Charlotte for my EIP. While I have a wonderful support system of my own, I have many questions about myself and about situations involving the LGBTQIA community. The PRIDE club is the perfect place to look in to those questions and to hopefully find some friends who have asked the same things. This brings me to the main question for my EIP. How do LGBTQIA clubs foster a sense of acceptance, unity, and support for its members while facing stereotypes and ignorance? This is the whole point to the PRIDE club. But how is this accomplished? And why do members join? I want to know if they feel the club is affective or have joined just to have fun. What challenges do members face though? Are there stereotypes within the club that have to be battled alongside outside ideas? There are some words that some members find offensive, while others use these personally and toward others. How does this help or hinder the clubs purpose if at all? Are stereotypes about inner groups addressed, are they left alone to perpetuate, or are they an issue at all? This is an important question, because it is difficult for members to feel totally accepted in society when members of their own broad group have issues with them as well. It will be

Comment [B1]: Jonie, Make sure that youve got your name and an appropriate header in the upper right hand corner of the page.

Comment [B2]: I think this is a strong opening. Its both formal and engaging.

Comment [B3]: I think this is a really strong overall question/angle. Its not too specific, nor is it too general. I also think it lends itself well to lots of observation and note-taking.

interesting to see how welcoming the PRIDE club is to every type of person, though I image they are quite accepting. Removing stigmas and ignorance from within the group, clubs and organizations like PRIDE are designed to make members feel accepted and to spread that acceptance around. How do members of PRIDE accept new members? What types of activities do they host or participate in that encourages acceptance and inner peace? Is personal growth and curiosity something encouraged? I want to discover how the atmosphere of the group encourages or discourages individuality and representation. Seeing how much time is spent on spreading the message of PRIDE to others versus cultivating and encouraging members one-on-one will be interesting to see as well. But perhaps spreading the message of PRIDE produces acceptance, self-esteem, and pride in its members on its own. What do members think about outreach? Is there anxiety involved or excitement? How do allies feel about being a part of PRIDE, and how does including ally members encourage others? I would like to find out how heavy the push to bring in ally members is, so I can gain a better picture on the clubs acceptance of itself and of people outside of the immediate group. Overall, I want to analyze how a club like PRIDE handles the uniqueness of its members, how positive of an influence it is, and how it goes about combating stereotypes and promoting awareness to benefit the lives of LQBTQIA members, their friends and family, and the community. This seems like it will be an enjoyable but educational topic. It might be challenging to interview a large enough variety of people to answer some of my questions thoroughly. But research on the benefits and techniques of groups like PRIDE should be relatively easy to find. No matter what I find in my research however, Ill be happy and proud to be among a gang of people whose aim is to simply spread acceptance, love, and inner peace.
Comment [B5]: While I like this closing, try to avoid any statements that might lead your reader to believe that you already have personal biases that might affect your research. Comment [B4]: Strong questions and writing in this paragraph.

Jonie, Nice work. I think this proposal is well-written and well-organized, and all your inquiry questions lend themselves to meaningful observations and interviews. My only real concern is that you make sure you distance yourself as you move forward in your research, and in your writing. Remember that a large portion of this assignment is based on the assumption that youre acting as an objective observer/interviewer. There are some portions here where it becomes quite obvious that you already have biases and opinions concerning this group, and in revision I highly suggest removing or rewording these sections. Also, of course, as you move into research dont let these opinions cloud your findings. Strong work, overall.