DescriptionPolicy paper
This assignment has several components, but all build up to a major project conducted by
individual students.
Pick a topic that is relevant to tourism and hospitality policy in Canada. You should describe a
real situation or place, identify the stakeholders and how they are affected, offer a critique of
the current policy situation, and make recommendations on changes that government could
make to improve the situation.
Outline and Draft advocacy letter
The assignment (outline and draft advocacy letter) should be a 4 page submission (double
spaced, outline 2 pages (see Part 1 below) and advocacy letter 2 pages (see Part 2 below)).
Part 1: Outline of your paper
Each student will write a 2-page outline for their policy report (double spaced, Times New
Roman 12). This can be in bullet point form, and should answer the following questions.
1. What is the broad policy topic you are interested in?
2. Why is it important? Why does it matter?
3. What specific example are you interested in researching? What do you know about this
place/example? Why is it a good choice to study?
4. Who are the main stakeholders affected?
5. What are some questions or ideas you think you can address in your paper?
Part 2: Draft advocacy letter
The purpose is to encourage students to prepare for sending a letter to a political figure, and
provide feedback and ideas to improve their letter.
Students must prepare a letter to send to a politician, civil servant, or similar, at a relevant
organization to advocate for policy change. The expectation is that this is the same topic and
issue as covered in the Final Report. The purpose of the letter is to persuade them to a point of
view regarding a policy suggestion.
Once complete students should consider the feedback received, make changes to the letter, and
email it to the person they have identified. Proof that the letter was sent will be required as an
appendix in your final paper (see below).
The letter should be around 2 pages (3 max), double spaced, and should:
•
•
Be addressed to someone specific
Explain why they are receiving this letter o Identify how they are the right person to be
contacting o E.g. “I am a student in policy class… I am sending you this letter because of your
role/influence/involvement with…. I hope to persuade you/inform you about…”
•
•
Explain what the issue is
Explain why the issue is important
1
•
•
Explain what the current policy situation is, and why it needs improving
Explain your
suggestion (to keep/remove/change/introduce policy etc.)
Explain what you think would happen if your idea was implemented, and why it will be beneficial
•
Back up your ideas with research and other examples, provide references and links o Use
footnotes with hyperlinks to original sources (APA style not necessary)
•
Request a response
2
HTT509: Policy
Paper Outline
Asher Ghaffar, PhD (ABD)
March 6, 2023
Agenda
Outline of your policy paper (purpose/problem)
Brainstorming a research question
Topic, purpose, problem statement activity
Think/pair/share
Other resources
By the end of this session, your will
Learning
Objectives
• Brainstorm relevant policy issues related to
tourism and hospitality policy in Canada
• Create a working topic, problem, and
purpose statement
• Revise your outline around a restricted and
precise problem that aligns with a
stakeholder audience(s)
“If you can find a problem that you alone want
the solution, you have achieved something
substantial…If you can pose a problem that the
others recognize not just as your problem, but as
their problem as well, a problem whose solution
will change their thinking in ways they think
significant then it is excellent.”
The Craft of Research by Wayne C. Booth,
Gregory G. Colomb, Joseph M. Williams
Generate ideas
• What areas of hospitality and tourism are you most interested in
researching?
• What policy issues are relevant in this/these areas? (Review lecture
topics and notes)
• Who do they impact? Who can remedy the problem?
• What research exists on the topic?
• Generate a list of 2-3 potential topics
• Which one interests you the most?
• Which one might have the most significant impact?
• Generate 2-3 potential research questions on each topic…
• Hint: consider the next two assignments (advocacy letter and
report)
Note-taking handout
My research question:
Articles (They say)
Integrating with my
research (I say)
Summary of source 1
What key points are related
to my topic?
What are my ideas about
this research?
How does it relate to my
own research question?
Paraphrase of source 2
How does it relate to my
research question?
Why the
outline?
Provides you with a map
for your research
Helps you to see how
subtopics relate to the
research problem
Prepares you for the next
assignment(s)
Developing an outline
Introduction
Context for paper
Research question(s)
Paragraph A
Body
Topic Sentence A
Paragraph B
Topic Sentence B
Conclusion
What is the broad policy topic you are interested in?
Outline
structure
2-pages
bullet point
Why is it important? Why does it matter?
What specific example are you interested in
researching?
What do you know about this place/example?
Why is it a good choice to study?
Who are the main stakeholders affected?
What are some questions or ideas you think you can
address in your paper?
(Liang, 2023)
Problem vs. rhetorical problem
Topic idea: Perceived racial microaggressions on campus
• Is this a real problem that student face (research) → yes →
• Martis (2022) states that there is lack of a culture of reporting of racial microaggression on campus.
Problem: Lack of reporting/awareness of racial microaggressions on campus
How to reframe this into a rhetorical problem = i.e., a problem that stakeholders can potentially address?
Topic, purpose, problem statement: I am studying the lack of reporting/awareness of racial
microaggressions on campus in order to determine the reasons why students do not report such incidents
for an improved understanding of how university leaders can better support students.
• Policy? Lack of resources?
• More research needed to restrict
Characteristics of a strong problem
Limits the scope of the paper and focuses it on a
specific idea
Unifies the different ideas in the thesis through linking
words (e.g. although, as a result, because, etc.)
Uses precise language and avoids vague language,
generalities, or qualifiers (e.g. interesting)
Opens up a debate
(Adapted from Granger, 2004, as cited in McCrimmon, 1980)
Pollution is serious problem
Is it
restricted?
Increasing smog in the Toronto area is
largely due to under-occupied cars commuting
from the suburbs.
(Adapted by Granger, 2004 from McCrimmon, 1980)
Topic, Purpose, Problem Statement
Group Activity
Think/pair/share
• Get together in pairs to
discuss your topic,
purpose problem
statement
Evaluate
• Is it restricted?
• Is it precise?
• Is it unified
• Is it arguable?
Receive feedback
• How can it be further
restricted, and/or precise?
• Are there more than one
issues/problems?
• Does the student take a
position that you can
disagree with?
• Does the student
anticipate a stakeholder
audience(s)?
Topic, Purpose, Problem Statement
Questions?
16
Writing Specialist at TRSM
One-to-one writing support:
• Understanding an assignment
• Building academic vocabulary and English language skills
• Generating ideas for an assignment
• Structuring a paper
• Revising for sentence-level issues
• Citation styles, referencing
• and more…
Draft extended to March 13, Peer review
extended to Mar 17 and Mar 20
March 13
Top tips!
Be addressed to
someone specific
Explain why you’ve
sent them the letter
Explain the
issue and why
it’s important
Explain
current
policy,
and why
it needs
improving
Explain why you’ve
sent them the letter
https://tiac-aitc.ca/Tourism_Recovery.html
Explain
suggestions
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