The following rubric demonstrates how various aspects of your writing
contribute to your grade. This document, in conjunction with the Paper Epectations! handout, should ma"e eplicit what "ind of wor" you must complete to perform well in this class. A few points to "eep in mind# $rading is in many ways subjective, but it is not arbitrary. Thought%Thesis%Argument! is obviously the most important, and this is re&ected in its being weighted at '(). *o not simply present the arguments others have o+ered and state whether or not you agree. ,ou should develop your own response to the arguments that have already been o+ered. ,ou should move the debate forward. -ay something original. The four criteria are not unrelated# e.g. if your paper is poorly organi.ed it/s unli"ely to demonstrate compelling argumentation in support of an insightful thesis. -trong 0or" 1eeds *evelopment 2nsatisfactory Thought% Thesis% Argument '() Eplicit insightful thesis3 careful original argumentation3 compelling reasoning with solid evidence. Thesis somewhat unclear or uninteresting3 ecessive summary3 some logical missteps. 4bscure or no thesis3 little to no argument3 lots of unsupported opinion3 no original insight. 5larity 6 4rgani.ati on 7() 8ogical ordering of ideas3 easy to follow train of thought3 transparent reasoning3 each paragraph epresses a single idea clearly. 9deas presented in somewhat confusing order3 logic of paper as a whole not obvious3 somewhat bloated paragraphs. 8ittle or no logical ordering of ideas3 stream of consciousness3 no purpose evident in paragraphs3 not readily understandable. -ources 6 5itation 7() Refers to relevant sources appropriately3 thorough tetual support3 cites in every instance3 :uotations are used economically and fully interpreted. 2sually refers to sources when appropriate, ade:uate tetual support3 cites in every instance3 some unnecessary direct :uotations, some lac"ing interpretation. 9nade:uate reference to sources, sources not cited3 little or no tetual support3 gratuitous direct :uotation3 sources not well incorporated into paper. ;echanics% *iction% 8anguage <() Almost &awless grammar, spelling and word choice3 great &uency3 natural transitions3 meaning is transparent3 precise language. $rammar, spelling, word choice need attention3 sentences lac"ing clarity3 somewhat wordy3 some synta errors. These problems begin to impede understanding. ;any grammar, spelling, word choice problems3 many sentences unclear or unintelligible3 wordy3 numerous synta errors. Problems prevent understanding.