Genre

Purpose and organization of a Policy Memo

A policy memo provides busy policymakers with information they need to make decisions. It aims to: [1]

• Break down complex issues into essential facts

• Evaluate alternative courses of action

• Provide recommendations for action

Policy memos should focus on a policy recommendation. In general, they should be organized as follows: [2]

1. Statement of topic with a brief (no more than one sentence) statement of the central policy recommendation
2. Brief overview of issue area
3. Overview of the array of possible policy(ies) or policy discussions
4. Pros and cons of possible policy(ies) or policy discussions
5. Recommended policy
6. Arguments about why this policy should be adopted.

A good policy memo [3] focuses the reader’s attention at all times and starts off with a clear statement of the topic with a brief summary of the recommended policy position. The memo is neither a list of unconnected points nor a piece of advocacy that argues for only one side of an issue without acknowledging its limitations or liabilities. Qualify your thesis or recommendations when necessary, but stick to essential information or arguments that grow out of your introduction and that lead inevitably to your conclusions.

__________
[1] Defining the genre and laying out its purpose
[2] Clear overview of how the genre is typically organized
[3] Best practices for the genre, including specific tips and things to avoid

Adapted from Gen Ed 1008: Power and Identity in the Middle East| Spring 2020
Professor Melani Cammett

from FINAL ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS

STEP 1: PROPOSAL AND ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Begin to research your topic and include the following in your proposal [1]:

• A preliminary description of your topic, and why it is significant
• A brief description of the historical context of your topic
• A brief description of the scholarly context of your topic (what has been discussed by scholars?)
• An existing or past intervention related to your topic
• How a biosocial perspective will help you reach an original analysis of your topic

Your annotated bibliography [2] should follow this format (for 5 references from outside the course):

• Full name of source
• What type of source each source is
• Why you chose it (i.e., why do you think this specific piece of literature is appropriate?) What questions you intend to use the source to answer

Example of a source [3] for your annotated bibliography:

Alexander, Michelle. The New Jim Crow. New York: The New Press, 2012. Book. This book is important to my paper because it describes racial discrimination in the justice system and provides statistics on the disproportionate incarceration of African American men. As my thesis is that mass incarceration is a public health issue, this book helps me argue that these health impacts will affect one group of Americans more than any other.

__________
[1] “Proposal” might mean different (and more or less specific) things in different disciplinary contexts. This list of what to include makes sure that students are focused on the content of the proposal—which in the case of this research paper is what they should be focused on—rather than on the form.
[2] While annotated bibliographies might be familiar to many students, the prompt offers clear guidance about format.  
[3] Guidance includes an example modeling what an entry for an annotated bibliography might look like in this particular course for this particular assignment.

Adapted from Gen Ed 1093: Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Cares? Reimagining Global Health | Fall 2020