Grading Guidelines
"A" Paper:
- Teaches the reader something new.
- Has an original idea or synthesis of ideas that takes course material beyond
lecture/discussion. * Has a clear and specific thesis that takes risks and
is abundantly and effectively supported.
- Shows why the issues it raises are important.
- Supports argument with appropriate support from text and effectively uses
quotations.
- Uses clear, effective prose with precise diction, distinctive voice and
a consistent point of view.
- Is persuasive because it anticipates arguments that can be made against
the thesis.
- Has a general impression of seamlessness.
- Is free of typos, grammatical problems, and errors in punctuation.
"B" Paper:
- Is generally clear and persuasive for the reader.
- Is basically organized well and has a clearly defined thesis; thesis, however,
may be too broad.
- Generally uses textual support well but support may sometimes be inappropriate
or sparse.
- Is a capable reproduction of ideas covered in class.
- Makes a specific point about the text although the complexities and implications
of the essay's position may not be fully worked out (i.e. hasn't answered
the "so what?" question).
- Contains readable prose that communicates ideas capably with few grammatical
or presentation problems.
"C" Paper:
- Is sometimes confusing to the reader.
- Has an extremely superficial or nearly invisible thesis.
- Does not offer an argument about the text; may string together related ideas
but without referring to a larger point.
- Is a paper with potentially productive ideas that are hampered by organizational
problems.
- Contains little textual support; quotations may be used ineffectively or
are not put in proper form.
- Has plenty of plot summary.
- Is plagued by choppy or imprecise prose that hampers communication of ideas.
"D" or "F" paper:
- Frustrates the reader.
- Contains ideas which are incoherent or irrelevant to the assignment.
- Is an organizational disaster: no thesis, no relevant textual support, no
continuity in the presentation of ideas.
- Consists of poor prose with typos, abundant grammatical, syntactical, spelling
errors, etc.