As noted in the syllabus, I assess several dimensions of student writing in lower division classes:
Macro-organization. There
are several critical elements to a well-organized paper,
and the introduction and thesis statement are especially
important. These are the sentences that most help your
audience to follow your paper's logic and to see how
different paragraphs fit into the larger purpose of the
paper.
Your essay should start with an opening paragraph that
introduces the main topic/question of the paper,
summarizes the main topics that will be discussed, and
that ends with an elegantly crafted thesis statement that
summarizes your paper's central argument. The primary
purpose of the introduction is to explain what the paper's
ideas will be and why the essay's topic is interesting. Be
careful to avoid vague, grandiose assertions in the
opening paragraph (e.g.: "Since the beginning of our
existence, humans have sought..."), and use this valuable
space instead to emphasize exactly what your paper is
about. Pro tip: Most good introductions are written after
a solid draft of the paper has been written. Keep in
mind that the introduction is not the place for detailed
evidence and quotations for arguments that will come late
in the paper.
The thesis sentence. The most important part of the introduction is the thesis statement. This sentence is the main argument that your paper will advance and defend throughout the entire essay. Typically, the thesis statement comes at the end of the opening paragraph, and usually it is just a single sentence (However, it can be more than one sentence if that is necessary to sum of a complex argument elegantly). The thesis argument is what organizes the rest of the essay. There should not be major topics that appear midway through a paper that are not mentioned in the introduction. If you are responding to an instructor-given topic, the thesis needs to summarize your full answer to the prompt. If you are writing a research paper, then the thesis should be the answer to your paper's main research question.
It can be challenging to write a good thesis statement, let alone a tightly focused introduction, that will not need to be modified several times as you get more deeply into the body of your paper. You will find that you can often improve your papers if you take the time to rewrite your introduction after you have competed one or two full drafts. Many professional writers start projects with just a thesis statement, setting aside the paper's introduction until they are completely done with the rest of the paper.
The order and length of paragraphs. Well-written
papers use effective topic sentences to introduce the
reader to logically sequenced, clearly stated
arguments. Each paragraph should have an obvious point to
it that is addressed there; it is confusing to the reader
when the same idea appears at multiple places in an essay
with other topics in between. Your paragraphs should not
be so long or complex that the reader forgets what the
point of a paragraph is in the middle of it. Typically in
student papers, paragraphs should not run more than about
a half a page or so (if a paragraph must must be longer
than three-fourths of a page, make sure to add
organizational phrases so that the reader does not forget
the paragraph's main point).
Topic sentences. Each paragraph needs to begin with an effective topic sentence. Topic sentences should: (1) explain how the material in that paragraph advances the paper's thesis argument, and (2) summarize the main point/s of the paragraph. The topic sentence needs to cover all of the main ideas in a paragraph; if a new big idea comes into your head mid-paragraph, either rewrite the topic sentence or save that idea for a separate paragraph. Frequently, the organizational logic of the arguments in a draft version of a paper can be improved by altering the sequence of some paragraphs. Once you are sure about the ordering of paragraphs, make sure each of your topic sentences is worded in a way that makes your essay's main ideas flow smoothly from one paragraph to the next, especially when shifting between major sections in an essay.
‘A’ organization papers use a clear thesis statement that responds to the entire research question. They have effective topic sentences to organize the entire body of the paper (each paragraph) around a coherent, sustained argument. ‘A’ essays remain focused from start to finish. Within paragraphs and through the paper as a whole, ‘A’ papers structure arguments in a logical and progressive order, avoiding unrelated tangents as well as long, unwieldy paragraphs that combine several distinct arguments or ideas.
‘B’ papers present a clear argument but also have a number of paragraphs that either do not clearly and logically link back to the author's thesis statement or that fail to systematically group ideas into a tightly-focused argument that stays on topic. ‘B’ essays stay focused on the paper's argument most of the time but occasionally wander or present arguments that are not clearly linked to the paper's main point.
Many or most paragraphs in a ‘C’ paper begin with sentences that fail to carefully explain how these paragraphs link back to the essay's main argument. At a minimum, ‘C’ papers provide a reader with at least some sense of organization by grouping sentences around identifiable topics rather than haphazardly putting unrelated materials together. These papers typically have problems within paragraphs that make the writing hard follow, which is what happens when sentences are not ordered in the most logical sequence or present dissimilar ideas with no transitions between them.
‘D’ papers pay little or no attention to the logical development of ideas, such that the author's argument is extremely difficult to follow from one section of the essay to the next.
Writing clarity.
Unless specifically instructed otherwise, papers written
for my courses should be aimed toward an audience of
individuals in a professional work setting who are well
educated but who also do not have a close familiarity with
the themes and research that you are presenting.
Your prose should be as clear, elegant, and professional as possible. Aim for the tone and style that you find in most of the assigned readings, which means avoiding the first person unless you are describing work or actions you have undertaken. Also, avoid contractions and overly conversational writing. However, your main objective should be to clearly state your point, not to sound like an erudite academic (i.e., do not use two sophisticated words when one simple word could convey the same idea). If you are uncertain that a word means what you think it means and is appropriate for the context where you plan to use it, rephrase your writing.
Make sure to leave time to proofread your essay to catch
any instances of awkward, imprecise wording, or grammar
glitches that may force your reader to reread sentences to
understand what you are saying. You should rewrite any
sentence that does not say exactly what you want it to say
rather than hoping that your reader will probably get the
gist of what you are communicating.
As you proofread, take the time to review how ideas within each paragraphs fit together and flow smoothly from one topic to the next. Help your reader follow your logic by using effective transitions between sentences that deal with different issue. Also, in the same way that it is important to pay attention to the ordering of paragraphs, make sure that the sequence of sentences within paragraphs allows your reader to follow what you you are saying without needing to reread the paragraph.
‘A’ papers are polished works in all aspects, showing that their authors have taken great care to make their writing as smoothly flowing and focused as possible. ‘A’ papers demonstrate that a student not only has proofread carefully the entire essay to remove all grammar problems, awkward working, and spelling glitches but also has reread each sentence to make sure that information is presented eloquently and in a way that is stylistically appropriate for the intellectual task at hand. ‘A’ papers judiciously select words to communicate ideas precisely, they use transitions to logically and smoothly connect ideas within paragraphs, and they provide internal structure to help the reader tackle long paragraphs. Finally, ‘A’ papers not only incorporate many short quotes and evidence drawn from the readings (see next section) but also smoothly integrate these quotes and data.
‘B’ papers communicate most ideas clearly but show some degree of carelessness with respect to sentence transitions, grammar, word choice, elegant phrasing, and syntax (the ordering of words in a sentence); all arguments in ‘B’ papers are readily understandable, but these papers have a number of instances on each page where ideas could have been presented in a more straightforward and elegant manner.
‘C’ papers read as though the student author has rushed the writing with minimal attention to detail. Many or even most paragraphs have obvious, even if minor, issues. In a professional work setting, the author of the work would be told that her/his writing is not ready to be viewed by a paying client without significant revision. These essays typically often use poor sentence transitions, contain many examples of awkward or inappropriate phrasing and word choice, or have obvious syntax glitches that careful proofreading should have caught. Many ‘C’ papers include instances where the writing is overly informal with respect to elegance in phrasing, use of the first person, or swearing. Conversely, ‘C’ papers may error in the other direction, using overly sophisticated words in ways that are awkward or that do not fit the context in which they are being used.
‘D’ papers are written in such a way that it is extremely difficult to tell what the author is trying to say. These essays have numerous basic problems in grammar, word choice, and syntax, demonstrating that the essay falls short of the minimal standards that must be met for a student to receive full credit in a college course that has a major writing component.
The content and analysis of your papers must apply the
most appropriate evidence data, and concepts covered in
seminars and all assigned readings. Unless specifically
instructed otherwise, do not include long blocks of quoted
material; the main purpose of essay assignments is for you
to show your understanding, interpretation and
analysis of course material. Your essay will earn a ‘C-’
or lower grade for content in instances where it is
unclear that you have completed the course's assigned
readings that are relevant to your paper topic.
Content
‘A’ content papers show a mastery of the course materials by judiciously reviewing and analyzing all of the pertinent reading assignments and seminar materials. ‘A’ papers carefully support their arguments with the best available evidence, including data, short quotations, and concrete examples drawn from the readings.
‘B’ content papers show strong evidence that the student author has closely reviewed the pertinent seminar and reading materials. While ‘B’ papers draw considerable evidence from reading assignments, they are less consistent than ‘A’ papers in supporting arguments with the best available evidence. In ‘B’ content papers, one or more major arguments would have been stronger if the author had made better use of short quotes, concrete examples, and/or data.
‘C’ content papers demonstrate a basic understanding of the key course materials relating to the topic on which the student is writing. These papers make at least passing references to most of the assigned readings related to the writing topic; however, many or most of the author's relevant points are underdeveloped. In ‘C’ content papers, many arguments would have been stronger if the author had made better use of carefully selected short quotes, concrete examples, and/or data.
‘D’ content papers inaccurately represent major facts and concepts or reproduce long tracts of reading materials that have only vague links to the essay's topic. In both cases, it is unclear whether or not the student author understands major class concepts as should be the case if the student has completed the minimum course requirements.
Analysis
Papers receiving an ‘A’ provide original, compelling arguments and analysis that demonstrate a mastery of theoretical concepts such that the student clearly is able to apply appropriate concepts and creative evidence to issues beyond the specific examples what we have discussed directly in class.
‘B’ papers typically exhibit no problems with facts but have moderate levels of original interpretation and analysis with regard to theoretical concepts; these papers go beyond what we have discussed in class but contain few or no arguments that are not directly replicated from assigned reading materials.
‘C’ papers accurately
reproduce in the author's own words the main arguments
covered in our seminars but otherwise demonstrate limited
contemplation on the part of the student author. Most
major arguments in ‘C’ papers are conceptually
underdeveloped.
‘D’ papers indicate that a student does not understand and/or cannot explain major class concepts in their own words that have been addressed at length in seminars and/or assigned readings.
Proofing. Before submitting any paper, please make sure to read through your work aloud to catch and fix places where the wording, phrasing, or sentence structure is awkward. Pay extra attention to making sure that you are using commas correctly; mistakes that involve commas can make your writing very hard to read. Be aware that running the electronic spell check is not sufficient to catch many common grammar, syntax, and spelling errors.
If you struggle with grammar, see my handout on this topic. If you have questions about specific grammar issues, you should see Purdue University's Online Writing Lab (OWL). You may find their handout on "general strategies" for proofreading especially useful. .
Citation. Without
exception, instances of plagiarism (cases where a student
attempts to gain academic credit by submitting an essay in
which a significant portion of the writing has been copied
or paraphrased from any other author, the internet, or
another student) will be reported and punished according
to university policy.
You also need to make sure that you are citing when and how you are supposed to, and failing to do so will harm your assignment grade. Unless specifically instructed otherwise, all essays submitted in my courses must have full and properly-formatted citation. All evidence or ideas drawn from sources other than your own brain, even if they are from a single source that I have assigned, must be properly cited. If you are using parenthetical citation (i.e. the full citations for your sources are not listed in footnotes or endnotes), you must include a bibliography at the end of your paper. If you use material from lectures, you should cite this material (Setzler lecture, October 11, 2001). Keep in mind that whenever possible, you should cite material from specific pages in your assigned texts rather than citing class lectures. For more specific information on when you must provide citations and how you should format your citations and bibliography, please see my web page on citation requirements.