| Score | Grade |
|---|---|
| 30 pts | 100% |
| 29 pts | 97% |
| 28 pts | 93% |
| 27 pts | 90% |
| 26 pts | 87% |
| 25 pts | 83% |
| 24 pts | 80% |
| 23 pts | 77% |
| 22 pts | 73% |
| 21 pts | 70% |
| 20 pts | 67% |
| 19 pts | 63% |
| 18 pts | 60% |
| 17 pts | 57% |
| 16 pts | 53% |
| 15 pts | 50% |
| 14 pts | 47% |
Overview
The final essay is expected to be cumulative. Not only should it answer the question prompt, but it should also demonstrate your understanding of the major themes, events, and figures discussed throughout the course in the process of answering that question.
Essay Question
How did the relationship between state, society, and religion change in Europe as a result of the Reformation? The essay should make an argument that answers the question and tell the story of how this transformation took place. Remember, this is a cumulative essay. Be sure to incorporate material from across the course in your argument.
Minimum Criteria
Note that this minimum criteria is just a baseline. Doing the minimum will likely result in a C grade. To achieve a higher grade, you should aim to exceed these criteria in various ways, such as providing deeper analysis, incorporating a wider range of sources, and demonstrating original thought. View the essay rubric below for more details on grading.
- Minimum word count: 2000 words.
- Cite at least 5 different primary sources.
- Cite at least 3 different secondary sources.
- All sources should derive from the course readings and materials.
- All sources should be properly cited as footnotes (no bibliography needed) using Chicago Manual of Style format. See here for a quick guide.
- All citations must also include the page number or website URL where the information can be found.
Essay Rubric
| Criteria | 5 pts. | 4 pts. | 3 pts | 2 pts | 1 pt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Content | Essay demonstrates a mastery of the class content | Essay demonstrates a good understanding of the class content | Essay demonstrates a basic understanding of the content | Essay demonstrates a limited understanding of the content | Essay demonstrates little to no understanding of the content |
| Organization | Essay is well organized and clearly planned out. Contains strong topic sentences that align closely with the content. | Essay is mostly organized and easy to follow. Topic sentences and content mostly align | Essay is somewhat organized and/or somewhat difficult to follow | Essay is poorly organized and difficult to follow | Essay is not organized and very difficult to follow |
| Writing | Essay is written exceptionally well and clearly articulated. No errors in grammar or spelling. | Essay is written well. It is fairly clear. Contains very few errors in grammar or spelling | Essay is written with a few errors in grammar and spelling. There are times when clarity is an issue. | Essay is written with several errors in grammar and spelling. Clarity of the message is an issue. | Essay is written with many errors in grammar and spelling and the message is lost frequently. |
| Citations and Use of Evidence | Essay contains proper citations and references. Each body paragraph contains at least one citation. Use of evidence is compelling toward the argument. | Essay contains proper citations and references, but not all body paragraphs contain citations, or vice versa. Or the evidence is not compelling for every paragraph. | Essay contains citations, but they follow an inconsistent pattern. Not all body paragraphs contain citations and/or evidence is consistently not compelling. | Essay contains very few citations and references. They do not follow discernible pattern | Essay does not include any citations or references. |
| Argument & Persuasion | Essay contains a strong and substantive argument in the introduction that synthesizes class material and is persuasively substantiated. | Essay contains a strong and substantive argument in the introduction that synthesized the class material, but it is not persuasively substantiated throughout the essay. | Essay contains a weak argument in the introduction or the argument is primarily summary, but it is substantiated throughout the essay | Essay contains a weak argument and is not substantiated throughout the essay. | Essay lacks a discernible argument |
| Meets Requirements | Essay meets all requirements of the assignment | N/A | N/A | N/A | Essay does not meet all requirements of the assignment. |