Assignments

Book Review5%
Peer-editing guidelines for book review
Poem Analysis10%
Peer-editing guidelines for poem analysis
Criticism Analysis30%
Peer-editing guidelines for criticism analysis
Midterm Exam15%
Final Exam30%
Presentation5%
Participation5%

Paper Grading Standards

A Confident, persuasive written expression
An original approach to the work in question
A strong thesis statement that is arguable and interesting
A clear, well-organized argument
Engagement with its audience in a manner that commands attention
Consistently good use of evidence in support of contentions and in accordance with MLA format
Nearly flawless mechanics (format, spelling, grammar)
 
B Clear written expression with a few minor breakdowns
A somewhat original approach to the work in question
A strong thesis statement that is arguable and interesting
A well-organized argument that signals its structure to readers by way of effective transitional sentences
Good use of evidence to support your contentions and in accordance with MLA format
Only a few mechanical flaws
 
C Satisfaction of the basic demands of the assignment
Generally clarity though with a few breakdowns
A thesis statement that is arguable and interesting
A well-organized argument
Use of evidence in support of contentions and in accordance with MLA format, though not consistently
Several mechanical flaws, but not so many that they confuse the meaning of your paper
 
D Falling short of the basic demands of the assignment
Numerous breakdowns impairing the clarity of the argument
A thesis statement that is either not arguable or is uninteresting
An argument that has minimal organization
Use of evidence to support contentions that is wildly inconsistent and/or not in accordance with the MLA format
Numerous mechanical flaws interfering with paper clarity
 
F Failure to satisfy the basic demands of the assignment
Unclear writing style
Lack of a thesis statement
No clear argument—seemingly random arrangement of ideas
Mechanical flaws throughout the paper
No use of evidence to support the argument or plagiarized work