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These guidelines are intended to help you as you write your papers for this class. Please feel free to speak with me if you have any questions about them. Also, if you have questions about your work I would be happy to talk with you during office hours or by appointment. Remember that your grade will be affected if you submit your paper after it is due; see the course information page for details.
One quick note: I will often know what you are trying to say in your papers (we may have even discussed your thesis and other parts of your paper during office hours), and I will often think that your argument is an excellent one. However, when I evaluate your written work, my goal is to focus exclusively on the paper you have submitted to fulfill the assignment. It may help to think about the process this way: when I evaluate your written work, I am reading your paper, not your mind. What counts are the words on the page.
An "A" Paper
The "A" paper not only fulfills the assignment, but it does so in a fresh
and mature way. The paper is exciting to read and accommodates itself
well to its intended audience. The paper's exigence, whether explicit or
implied, is clearly significant. Arguments are well-crafted, thoughtfully
presented, and used persuasively. The writer demonstrates an awareness of
other points of view and responds with facility when necessary. The
organization of the paper gives the reader a sense of the necessary flow
of the case and an overall sense of coherence. Paragraphs are fully
developed and follow naturally from what precedes them; the introduction
brings the reader into the case and the conclusion reinforces the reader's
confidence in the writer's control of the paper. The style is appropriate
to the writer's audience and purpose; stylistic variety is used for
emphasis; the prose is clear, apt, free of
errors and occasionally memorable. Citations are used effectively where
appropriate and are formatted correctly.
A "B" Paper
The "B" paper follows and fulfills the assignment. It has a clear
exigence for its intended audience, and appropriately addresses that
audience. Often, this is the kind of paper that revision could have made
into an "A" paper. The arguments may be on the obvious or predictable
side, though the writer does not consistently settle for the obvious. The
reasoning is better than adequate; it is thoughtful, with some awareness
of other points of view. The introduction and conclusion are clear, but
perhaps not as forceful or appropriate to the case or audience as they
could be. Paragraphs follow well and are appropriately divided. The
expression demonstrates attention to sentence-level concerns. Not only is
sentence structure correct, but subordination, emphasis, sentence length,
and stylistic variation are generally used effectively. Some sentences
could be improved, but it would be surprising to find serious sentence
errors--comma splice, fragments, or fused sentences--in a "B" paper.
A "C" Paper
For a paper in the "C" range, the assignment has been followed, but in a
somewhat predictable way. The
thesis may be too broad or too general, or the writer may not have
expressed a clear exigence for the paper's intended audience. Though an
effort has been made to support the case with arguments, the arguments may
be
obvious or predictable; the paper may even lack some pertinent
information. The reasoning may be predictable and/or occasionally flawed.
There is some awareness of the intended audience as well as other points
of view, but that awareness may be limited. There is an implicit sense of
organization in this paper, but several paragraphs and/or sentences within
paragraphs may be misplaced to the extend that the organizational
structure is recognizable but disjointed. Sentence structure is generally
correct, although there may be a lack of elements such as subordination,
sentence variety, and stylistic devices to achieve emphasis. Comma
splices, unintentional fragments, fused sentences, subject/verb
disagreements, and other mechanical errors may bring an otherwise fine
paper into the low "C" or even "D" range.
A "D" Paper
The "D" paper demonstrates a poor sense of audience and a limited sense of
purpose. The purpose, exigence, or thesis may not be discerned without
significant work on the part of the reader. Necessary arguments or
evidence may be out of order and/or missing; irrelevant arguments may
instead be present. The reasoning will necessarily be flawed. The
organization of the paper may be difficult to discern. The introduction
may be unclear or nonexistent, paragraphs may not be well developed or
arranged, and transitions between paragraphs and/or ideas may be confusing
or missing. There may be numerous errors in grammar, spelling, and
punctuation. Lack of proofreading may turn an otherwise adequate paper
into a "D" paper, regardless of the quality of reasoning present in the
paper.
An "E" Paper
In this paper, there may be no evidence of serious engagement with a
controversial issue or there may be no evidence of audience awareness or
exigence. The case or supporting arguments may be seriously flawed and
unable to withstand even casual scrutiny by the writer's classmates. If a
paper contains a well-reasoned case but is marred by so many errors in
mechanics or organization that it is hard to make sense of the essay, it
may also be in the "E" range.
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