First paragraph. 15 pts.
Cogency of overall approach. 25 pts.
Factual accuracy and chronological development. 20 pts.
Use of student-selected source: 20 pts.
Quality of writing (organization, clarity, observance of writing rules). 20 pts.
1. In grading these papers, I give great weight to the first paragraph. In any essay, the first paragraph is critical. It must contain your most significant conclusions about the subject under discussion. It should not take more than a half page but should include sufficient specific references to enable the reader to use it as a road map through your essay. It is likely that you will re-write the first paragraph after finishing the main body of the essay because it is often the case that a writer gains a full sense of her or his argument or main points only after working through the issues.
2. Double space and staple the sheets together. No hard covers, please.
3. Essays should be a minimum of 5 typed, double-spaced pages.
4. Confine quoted material, which can be informally or formally cited, to no more than 10% of your wordage. Be precise in references to people, organizations, legislative acts, court decisions, and so forth. Make sure the essay contains frequent references to chronology and that it develops in a clear chronological fashion.
5. In writing your essay, make every effort to incorporate insights and information from your outside sources. Refer specifically to the books and articles upon which you draw, whether you quote them or merely refer to them. Always make the identity of the author clear. (“As Woodly Darrow argues. . .”; or, “Contrary to the view of Freida Burpp. . .”). You may use the internet for scholarly sources for your essay. You may also, if you wish, use footnotes and include other bibliographical information.
For example, if a student wrote an essay on
a. Slavery or the film “The Gangs of New York,” you may cite the Wikipedia articles as follows:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_in_the_United_States
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gangs_of_New_York
b. the historical film about WWI pioneer fighter pilots, “Flyboy,” you may cite the Wikipedia article as follows: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flyboys_%28film%29
