| 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% |
Directions
Each student will write two (2) essays, for the first two units. The essays will relate to the research question you chose for your research paper. The essays should follow a typical essay format including an introduction, conclusion, and body paragraphs. They should include a thesis statement that clearly articulates the main argument of the essay. That means the essay should not regurgitate all the information discussed in class, but instead should engage with it critically indicating what you think based on the evidence. You will also need to incorporate outside research (see below). For more information on writing essays, see the section on Writing Essays on this website.
Minimum criteria
- Length: 1,000-1,500 words (around 4-6 pages), double-spaced, 12-point font, 1-inch margins
- Sources:
- 3 secondary sources from the course readings.
- 2 outside secondary sources. (Articles from JSTOR, Project MUSE, or other academic databases are preferred.)
- 2 primary sources from the course readings.
- 1 outside primary sources. (Alpha History and the Fordham Internet Sourcebook is a good place to find primary sources.)
- Citations: Use Chicago-style citations, either footnotes or in-text citations. See this page for information on Chicago-style citations.
- Remember to cite all information that is not common knowledge, including ideas, arguments, and direct quotes. Even if you paraphrase, you must still cite the source.
- Thesis: A clear, well-developed, and insightful thesis statement that addresses the prompt.
- Structure: A clear introduction, body paragraphs that support the thesis, and a conclusion that summarizes the main points.
Things not to do.
- Do not use Wikipedia or other encyclopedias as sources.
- Do not use AI-generated content as sources or text.
- Do not excessively quote from sources. Instead, paraphrase and summarize the main points. If you do quote directly, it should be only a few words.
- Do not use sources that are not scholarly or peer-reviewed. Avoid blogs, opinion pieces, and non-academic websites.
Unit 1 Essay Topics
- Based on your research paper question, write an essay that answers the question as it relates to unit 1.
Unit 2 Essay Topics
- Based on your research paper question, write an essay that answers the question as it relates to unit 2.
Note
You will have the opportunity to rewrite your essays after you receive your grade. If you choose to take advantage of this opportunity, the revised essay is due one week after grades are posted.
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. |