• This is an Internet-based class.  The main portion of the course syllabus is found on the class website at:  http://www.mscok.edu/rmorrell/1433InternetSyllabus.htm
  That is the syllabus you are currently reading.  It can also be accessed through the class's Blackboard page on Murray's home page.

• Assignments and exams will be submitted by e-mail. Click on the "Getting Started" information in this syllabus's  "Table of Contents" for specific information on how to get started in the course.

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     Learning Resources  

Required text:

The World's History, 3rd edition, Vol. 2, by Howard Spodek.  Upper Saddle River, N. J.: Prentice Hall, 2006.

E-mail addresses:  Each student will be required to use their MSC-provided e-mail address for submitting assignments and for receiving class assignments and correspondence. 

Check Morrell’s MSC Home page often  for additions or revisions to this Syllabus.   http://www.mscok.edu/rmorrell.htm

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Self-Directed Study and Extra Credit Work  

  Work that may be done for extra-credit or to supplement class work:

  1.      Thousands of reference books, monographs (books focused on one historic topic or era),
         historiographic journal articles on microfiche, and reprint pamphlets related to text topics are
         available in the MSC Library for additional information on text and /or chapter assignments 
         and for written extra-credit reviews (with prior approval from the instructor).  Go to
         http://www.mscok.edu/ and click on "Library" to access MSC's on-line catalog and
         numerous reference sources. [Or to:  http://www.ahec.osrhe.edu/Library/library.html  to
         access AHEC's library resources.]  
        There are over 300 professional history journals on-line. Contact the librarians if
        you  need assistance in accessing  on-line articles in professional history journals. 
  
       See the "Format for Written Reviews" in Appendix B. of this syllabus for information on how
       to write and submit extra-credit work. You can submit as much extra-credit work as you
       have time and inclination to submit.

2.    There are "Recommended Reading" and  "Additional Sources"  at the end of each chapter
       that can be read and submitted as book reviews for extra credit.  Prior approval from the
       instructor is not required for any book reviews from books on these lists.

3.     Films and videotapes on the History Channel, O.E.T.A. public television , The
      Learning Channel, Discovery Channel, A&E, and other channels may also be viewed and
      reported upon for extra credit (with prior approval from the instructor).

      The MSC Library also has a large collection of history-related feature length films that may be
      viewed, including several historic silent films such as the Birth of A Nation  and the Battleship
     Potemkin.  See Murray's On-Line catalog for listings http://library.mscok.edu/ .
    
4.    In addition, there are reference works and monographs in the MSC Library, the Ardmore
      Higher Education Center library, and the public libraries that students may use for
     supplemental learning.  

5.  There are literally of hundreds history-related Internet sites that can provide information.  Some
     of it is even accurate but always check two or three other sources, just to see if they agree.
  
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Exams and Chapter Assignments

• Exams: There will be four unit exams.  They will all be "take-home" essay exams that will be e-mailed to the student, and returned to the instructor by e-mail. Consult  "Assignments" on Blackboard for the dates unit exams will be e-mailed and for their due dates.

• Chapter Assignments:  There will be chapter assignments for each chapter. Those assignments, and the dates they are due, can also be found on "Assignments" on Blackboard.

Assignment Schedule:

 

January 14, 2010-Chapter 12 Assignments/Pre-Course Assessment.

Do the assignments below. Read the instructions in the syllabus on how to access and submit assignments.  The Pre-Course Assessment exam will be e-mailed to you today.  Follow the instructions on the assignment for submitting it to Turnitin.com.     http://wps.prenhall.com/hss_spodek_worldhist_3/31/8140/2083903.cw/index.html

1. Pretest,

2. Map Labeling,

3. In Search Of...Web Tracker.  On the Web Tracker, select three of the topics, read about them, and then write a journal-type entry about each one, saying what you learned and/or  how you liked that site.  Send those comments to me in a single e-mail. 

 

January 21, 2010-Chapter 12 assignments due/Pre-Course Assessment due/Ch.
                           13 Assignments.
 http://wps.prenhall.com/hss_spodek_worldhist_3/31/8140/2083983.cw/index.html

1. The Historical Record...Web Documents

2. Map Labeling,

3. Chapter Review.

January 28, 2010-Chapter 13 assignments due/Ch. 14 assignments.

http://wps.prenhall.com/hss_spodek_worldhist_3/31/8140/2084059.cw/index.html

 

1. The Historical Record...Web Documents

2. Chapter Review,

3. In Search Of...People/Events.  On the People/Events, select three of the topics, read about them, and then write a journal-type entry about each one, saying what you learned and/or  how you liked that site.  Send those comments to me in a single e-mail. 

4. In Search Of...Web Tracker.  On the Web Tracker, select three of the topics, read about them, and then write a journal-type entry about each one, saying what you learned and/or  how you liked that site.  Send those comments to me in a single e-mail. 
    

February 4, 2010-Chapter 14 assignments due/Ch. 15 assignments.

http://wps.prenhall.com/hss_spodek_worldhist_3/31/8141/2084141.cw/index.html

1. Pretest

2. Map Labeling

3. Interactive Maps...The African Slave Trade interactive map  Click on the link and answer the questions.

4. World History Documents CD-ROM---15.3 Olaudah Equiano, The Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, The African  The CD-ROM that came with your text has this article.  If you purchased a used textbook that did not still have the CD-ROM, look up Olaudah Equiano online and read the information.  There are several online sources that include his story.  After reading his account, click on the link above to view and answer the questions.

February 8, 2010-Unit I Exam e-mailed today.

 

February 11, 2010-Chapter 15 assignments due.

 

February 15, 2010-Unit I Exam due today/ Ch. 16 assignments.

http://wps.prenhall.com/hss_spodek_worldhist_3/31/8141/2084222.cw/index.html

1. Pretest.

2. The Historical Record...Electronic Documents.  Click on the the link.  Click on the article title to read the document.  Answer the questions and click on the "Submit" button.

3. Map Labeling.

 

February 22, 2010-Ch. 16 assignments due/Ch. 17 assignments.

http://wps.prenhall.com/hss_spodek_worldhist_3/31/8141/2084303.cw/index.html

1. Pretest.

2. The Historical Record...Web Documents  Click on the the link.  Click on the article title to read the document.  Answer the questions and click on the "Submit" button.

3. Interactive Maps.

 

March 1, 2010-Chapter 17 assignments due/Ch. 18 assignments.

http://wps.prenhall.com/hss_spodek_worldhist_3/31/8142/2084378.cw/index.html

1. Pretest

2. Map Labeling.

3. World History Documents CD-ROM, 20.1 to 21.8.  Select two of the articles and answer the questions.  Send them to me.  If you do not have the CD-ROM, I'll have several of the articles and questions listed in "Course Documents" on Blackboard.

 

March 2, 2010-Unit II Exam e-mailed today.

 

March 8, 2010-Ch. 18 assignments due.

 

March 9, 2010-Unit II Exam due/Ch. 19 assignments.

http://wps.prenhall.com/hss_spodek_worldhist_3/31/8142/2084460.cw/index.html

1. In Search Of...People/Events and Web Tracker.  On both the Web Tracker and the People/Events,  select three of the topics, read about them, and then write a journal-type entry about each one [that is six reading altogether], saying what you learned and/or  how you liked that site.  Send those comments to me in a single e-mail. 

2. Chapter Review.

 

March 15-19, 2010  Spring Break

 

March 23, 2010-Chapter 19 assignments due/Ch. 20 assignments.

http://wps.prenhall.com/hss_spodek_worldhist_3/31/8142/2084540.cw/index.html

1. Pretest.

2. World History Documents CD-ROM, 23.4 to 25.6.  Select two of the articles and answer the questions.  Send them to me.  If you do not have the CD-ROM, I'll have several of the articles and questions listed in "Course Documents" on Blackboard.

3. Chapter Review.

 

March 30, 2010-Chapter 20 assignments due/Ch. 21 assignments.

http://wps.prenhall.com/hss_spodek_worldhist_3/31/8143/2084616.cw/index.html

1. Map Labeling.

2. Pretest.

3. In Search Of...People/Events.  On the People/Events, select three of the topics, read about them, and then write a journal-type entry about each one, saying what you learned and/or  how you liked that site.  Send those comments to me in a single e-mail. 

 

April 5, 2010-Ch. 21 assignments due/Ch. 22 assignments.

http://wps.prenhall.com/hss_spodek_worldhist_3/31/8143/2084692.cw/index.html

1. The Historical Record...Web Documents and Electronic Documents  On both the Web Documents and the Electronic Documents, click on the the link.  Click on the article title to read the document.  Answer the questions and click on the "Submit" button.  You do both assignments.   

2. Map Labeling.

3. Chapter Review.

 

April 7, 2010-Unit III Exam e-mailed today.

 

April 12, 2010-Chapter 22 assignments due.

 

April 14, 2010-Unit III Exam due/Ch. 23 assignments.

http://wps.prenhall.com/hss_spodek_worldhist_3/31/8143/2084772.cw/index.html

1. Pretest.

2. Map Labeling.

3. In Search Of...People/Events.  On the People/Events, select three of the topics, read about them, and then write a journal-type entry about each one, saying what you learned and/or  how you liked that site.  Send those comments to me in a single e-mail. 

 

April 20, 2010-Chapter 23 assignments due/Ch. 24 assignments.

http://wps.prenhall.com/hss_spodek_worldhist_3/31/8143/2084849.cw/index.html

1. Pretest.

2. Map Labeling.

3. Chapter Review.

 

April 26, 2010-Unit IV Exam e-mailed today.

 

April 27, 2010-Ch. 24 assignments due.

 

April 30, 2010-All extra-credit work due today.

 

May 3, 2010-Post-Course Assessment Exam e-mailed today/Unit IV Exam due.

 

May 7, 2010-Post-Course Assessment Exam due today/End of Course.

On-Line Grade Book

Grades for this course are recorded in an on-line grade book on Blackboard.  Check your grades frequently to make sure you have no missing assignments.  Grades are posted to the gradebook two or three times a week. 

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Attendance Policy

Since this is an Internet course with no classroom instruction, normal classroom attendance rules will not apply.  Instead:

•  Students have an assignment schedule they must follow.  There are deadlines for chapter assignments and for the unit exams. Students who submit a unit exam or a chapter assignment past the due date can only receive "partial credit,"  a maximum of 70% credit on that assignment.

• Work submitted more than a week late will not be accepted and students will receive a zero on that assignment.  

• Students who fall more than two weeks behind on submitting assignments may be administratively dropped from the course.  

• Students who because of work, family obligations, or other factors beyond their control, find they are not going to make normal progress in the course should contact me and inform me of their problem, so that arrangements can be made for them to delay completion of the course. You must have talked with me personally, or have e-mailed me and received a personal response from me acknowledging I have received your e-mail, and that I am giving you permission to submit assignments past their due date. 

•  It is the student's responsibility to notify me as soon as they are having difficulties that will require an assignment to be submitted late or by some alternate method.  Notification of "problems" after the assignment deadline is not acceptable.

• No attendance verification forms for Financial Aid will be signed until all work currently due is turned in and graded.  No one except myself is authorized to sign your attendance verification form without my express permission.  

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E-mails and phone messages  

Students enrolled in this course  who have any question about what they are supposed to do or where to find information, should feel free to contact me at  my office, or at home:

• MSC e-mail address  rmorrell@mscok.edu

• My home e-mail address rexmorrell@tishomingo.com

• My office phone:  Murray (580) 371-2371, ext. 253

• My home phone is: (580) 371-3358. 

• My MSC fax number is (580) 371-9844.

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Grading Policy  

Examinations:

  The unit exams will be worth 100 points each.  The student's semester grade will be based on their accumulated score on these exams, the chapter assignments, and from any extra-credit projects.  Examinations will be essay (see Appendix A. for information on how to write essay exams and on how essay exams will be graded.)  Exams overdue automatically receive a grade of zero.  Exams can be submitted late [up to one week] but can not receive a grade higher than 70%.  Late exams will have to be e-mailed to me so that I can submit them to Turnitin.

Chapter Assignments:

Chapter home work assignments are assigned for each chapter.  The chapter assignments schedule is found at: http://wps.prenhall.com/hss_spodek_worldhist_3   See "Getting Started" in the "Table of Contents" on how to access the assignments.

Addressing assignments correctly:

Chapter assignments [particularly your chapter assignments], exams, and other assigned or extra-credit work must be submitted with your correct MSC student e-mail address included on the assignment.  This allows all mail from you to be sorted automatically to your individual student folder on my computer.  That system makes sure that I see and that you get credit for all the work you submit. Failure to include your correct MSC student e-mail address on your assignments will result in your grade on the assignment being reduced thirty percent.

Cheating or Plagiarizing:

Because of the unique nature of  an Internet class a great deal of trust is placed in the student to do their assignments and exams themselves. On chapter assignments students may copy textbook or other sources in their homework. On unit exams and extra-credit work nothing may be copied or paraphrased from any source.  Everything must be in your own words.   Students suspected of cheating or plagiarizing will be requested to provide information on the sources they consulted in writing the assignment or exam. A student's failure or refusal to provide those sources upon request will result in a "zero" on that assignment or exam. A student caught cheating or plagiarizing will automatically receive a zero on the work involved and, if the circumstances seem to warrant it, may be dismissed from the course with a failing grade.

To avoid such circumstances, read and follow precisely the rules below on every assignment and exam.

The facts, dates, people, and events  found in your text, or any other
reference books, such as encyclopedias, or on Internet sites, are 
regarded as part of the public domain, and can be utilized in your writing 
without references, but: 

1.  Nothing may be copied verbatim from the text or any other source.  Those facts and ideas  you have learned from those sources must be expressed in your own words.  If you can explain those facts or ideas in your own words it means you understand it.  The essay or review must be in your own words.
    

2. Nothing can be closely paraphrased from your text or any other source.
    [Facts and information from your text and other sources may be used
    in your essays but you cannot, by substituting your own words, use the
    thesis (the argument) or the organizational structure of another author's writing in
    your essay without clearly acknowledging your source.]  Any quote of more than one sentence, or excessive quoting, should be avoided in any writing.  The safest route is to avoid quotes.  The better things to do is read the information, think about it, make sure you understand it, and write your essay without referring back to your source.  After you have finished the first draft of your essay, go back and check your original source only to verify factual accuracy.  

In the academic world plagiarism is a serious offence.  To help the student learn how to write without plagiarism, Murray State College subscribes to www.turnitin.com, an international Internet search and database company designed to detect plagiarism.  In this course, all unit exams  and extra-credit writing will be submitted by the student to www.turnitin.com and graded with Turnitin's Grade Mark program. 

 [I set up Turnitin for my classes so that students who turn in their exams before the deadline, can view Turnitin's originality report on their exam. If Turnitin indicates that there are portions of the exam that are identical to what other students have already submitted, the student can then  revise their essay prior to the due date and re-submit it, with no penalty.  Because with this system you have the opportunity to revise your exam before it is graded , there is no excuse for having plagiarized work.]

Students will be able to view the online copy of their graded exam. Usually, it will take me at least a week for submitted work to be graded.  A week before the first unit exam I'll send you copy of the exam and tell you how to submit it to www.Turnitin.com.  A copy of the exam will also be available at "Unit Exams" on the class Blackboard page.

Since what information is acceptable to use and what is not acceptable can be very confusing to students,  Turnitin.com   has provided a very good resource on that topic at: http://www.turnitin.com/research_site/e_home.html   I encourage you to read that information carefully.  It will improve your knowledge and your writing skills, and perhaps keep you from making a serious mistake that could lower your grade or result in you being dismissed from the course.

Retests and Make-Up Tests:

Since students enrolled in an Internet class do not have the same classroom instruction on how to write essay exams that students enrolled in traditional in-class courses receive, students who score below 70% on their first unit exam may be requested/allowed to re-write that exam incorporating the suggestions for improvement that the instructor has made. If they fail to re-write the exam within a week after the exam was returned,

or fail to improve their grade on the retest, they will retain their original grade for that exam.  Students who fail to turn in an exam on time may under rare special circumstances be allowed to turn in exam up to a week late.  Normally, the highest possible grade on make-up exams is "70."  Students who have received a zero on an essay because of plagiarism may request to re-write it for partial credit.  Depending on the circumstances, they may or may not be allowed to do so, "but it doesn't hurt to ask."

 

  Spelling:

  Society, particularly employers, expects a college-educated person to have a reasonable spelling competency.  Internet students, using a computer to submit their assignments, have an opportunity to correct spelling and grammatical errors. Students with more than ten misspellings on any assignment will receive a zero on  that assignment.  Assignments with a number of spelling and/or grammatical errors will receive a lower grade.   There are a number of Internet sites that have on-line grammar handbooks. See:  http://www.tc.umn.edu/~jewel001/grammar/    or   http://www.pittstate.edu/wac/bewriter.html#grammar

  Grading System:

Grades in this course will not be based on any sort of class average or curve. 

A score of:      90-100%=A

                       80-89%=B

                       70-79%=C

                       60-69%=D

                      Below 60%=F

Since the final is not comprehensive, no unit exam scores will be dropped.  In addition to the required work mentioned above, the student may do several types of extra-credit work.  Extra-credit work is described in more detail in "Extra-Credit Work.".

Other Grades:  

 Each class and each semester is unique.  The instructor may make the decision to add other assignments or alter existing assignments.  Any such changes will be made in a timely manner allowing students ample time to complete the assignment.  The points possible on those assignments and how they will be calculated on the semester grade will be announced at the time the assignment is made.  

Every student is required to be familiar with the information listed above.  

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  Extra-Credit Work

   Students may do any of the following work to aid their grades.  Extra-Credit work is not the same as bonus points.  In this course, extra-credit work increases the the number of points upon which the final grade is based.  Usually this outside work has the effect of boosting the student's average but, of course, badly done extra-credit work could do just the opposite.  All extra-credit work must be approved  by the instructor for submittal.  Please contact the instructor for further information.

  Outside Reading:

  At the end of each chapter in your text is a "Bibliography" chosen to enrich your knowledge of the material covered in that chapter.  Any of the titles on these lists are acceptable to read and turn in for extra credit using the format suggested in Appendix B. of this Grading Policy.  Those which are not available in the MSC Library or the Ardmore Higher Education Center (AHEC) Library can be obtained through Inter-Library Loan.  Check with your college or community librarian.  Other monographs  and articles which deal with the time period covered in this course may be reported on but the student must have prior approval from the instructor.  

Books-A non-fiction book review (minimum book length of 250 pages) is worth a possible one hundred points.  One book of historical fiction may be reviewed for fifty points.  Monographs dealing with world history may be found in the history section and biography sections of the MSC Library and in the AHEC Library. 

Articles-Reports on professional journal articles mentioned in the chapters' "Bibliography" or other journal articles dealing with the topics and time periods covered in this course may be written for 40 points each.  The report format for journal articles may be found in Appendix B. of the grading policy.  Check with the instructor for prior approval on any professional journal articles not listed in the text.. 

Electronic Media-video tapes that deal with topics included in this course are available in the Learning Resources Center in the MSC Library, the Ardmore Higher Education Library, and a number of television channels.  Electronic media reports are worth 35 points each.  The report format for electronic media may be found in Appendix B. of the grading policy.  Obtain approval from the instructor to review individual titles.  

 

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Grading Policy
Appendix A:

  The Components of a History Essay  

I. Introduction-The introductory paragraph to a history essay should include three elements:

            A.        A time/place setting sentence or two defining the context-who, when, where, etc.

            B.         Statement of the thesis-state the theme or position you are taking in this essay.  A good approach is to rephrase the question into a statement, e.g., "What were the causes for the decline of the British  Empire"  "The causes for the decline of the British Empire were..."

            C.        Include in the introduction a list, in sentence form, of the major categories of evidence (or main points) to be used in support of the thesis.  

  II. Body of the Essay- The body of the essay consists of the paragraphs that explain or elaborate on the major categories of evidence (the main points) needed to support the thesis.

            A.        There should be at least one paragraph for each support category (point).
             B.         Every point mentioned in the introduction needs to be discussed in the
                         body of the essay.
            C.         These supporting paragraphs need to be written in some sort of logical
                         sequence. In history always write chronologically (from the earliest to
                         the most recent time period) if possible.
            D.         The supporting paragraphs need to be linked together in one cohesive
                         body. To accomplish this there needs to be topic/transition sentences
                         from one support paragraph to the next. These topic/transition
                         sentences need to be connected thoughts that logically and smoothly
                         lead the reader from one point to the next.  

 III. Conclusion of the Essay- When all the supporting evidence has been presented, the writer should conclude the essay with a concluding paragraph that includes these three elements:

            A.        A restatement of the thesis for the reader.
            B.        A summary of the supporting evidence (main points).
            C.        An explanation of the significance of the topic.

There is nothing magical about a good history essay. It is a logical, orderly approach for providing information to a reader. Anyone who understands the procedure with a little practice can be a competent essay writer.  

                       Adapted from - Virginia Wilson et al. "No Solo Venture: Essay Writing in History."  Perspectives, American Historical Association Newsletter, Vol. 28, No. 2, February 1990, pp. 18-19.  

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  Practical Hints for Writing an In-class Essay Exam

[As this is an internet class you won't be writing any in-class essay exams but this advice can be applied for essay-writing assignments in other courses.  You might want practice writing a timed essay using these techniques on the exams you write for this class. Of course, on a take-home exam, unlike an in-class essay exam, you can go back and revise it before submitting it to Turnitin.]

1.         Read quickly through the entire test-
                        -This will help you gauge the amount of time to spend on each question.
                        -Answer the questions you are most familiar with first.
                        -This prevents running out of time with "easy" questions still unanswered.

2.         Make sure you understand the question.  If you do not, ask the instructor for clarification.

3.         Think of the main points you need to make to answer that question.
                       -Time period and place
                       - Main characters and events
                       -Causes
                        -Results

4.         Quickly jot them down in outline form.  (Don't spend too much time on this outline; just
            get down the main points so they won't slip your mind later.)

5.         Develop your essay in three parts.

           A.        Introduction-Lay out or explain your discussion topic for the reader.

           B.                 Main body-
                       -Logically progress from one point to the next in your argument or discussion. 
                      - Keep in mind the main points you want to make and don't be distracted into
                         putting down time-consuming trivia.  
                      -Also, as you write, keep in mind the transitions you need to make from one point
                        to the next and structure your essay so that you make them smoothly.
                      -Write chronologically whenever possible.

          C.                 Conclusion-Pull together your arguments into several general statement
                       which arrive at a conclusion consistent with the line of argument you have
                      developed in the body of your essay.

  Other Helpful Hints:

            -Write simply and carefully-there is no substitute for clear, orderly writing.

            -Avoid padding-never mistake quantity for quality.
-Pace yourself/relax occasionally- the faster you drive yourself, the easier it is to
 make mistakes.  Use the clock to time yourself and set a pace as a distance
 runner does.  Occasionally, take time out to relax.  You cannot do your best
 when your fingers are cramped and your back is tired from bending over the
 paper. 

                                                                    -Adapted from an Unknown Author.

 

The following is the guide provided to Murray State College history instructors on how to grade essay exams.  It might be useful to you know the criteria they use to grade your essays.

 

A Guide to Assigning Grades to Written Assignments

Social Science Department-Murray State College *

These grading standards establish three major criteria for evaluating written assignments:

Content-65%

Organization-20%

Mechanics and Grammar-15%

Of course, not every essay will fit neatly into one grade category; an essay may, for instance, have some characteristics of a "B" essay and some of  a "C" essay.

"A+ to A-" Essays:

Content:

The "A" essay has not only discussed the assigned topic, but has done so in a fresh and mature manner.

It has discussed the topic effectively.

It shows substantial insight into the issue.

It is likely to move the audience to act as the writer desires.

The evidence is detailed.

The sources of information have been used creatively and cited appropriately.

The reasoning is valid.

Beyond that, the paper is thoughtful, showing hard work, good judgment, and sensitivity to the complexities of the situation or issue.

Organization:

The organization is effective for the audience and purpose.

The Introduction contains time/place setting information, the thesis, and the main points that will be discussed.

Segments, whether sections or paragraphs, are fully developed and follow logically from what precedes them.

The Conclusion re-states the thesis, main points, and explains the historical significance of the topic discussed.

Mechanics and Grammar:

The prose is not only clear and readable but also occasionally apt and memorable.

It contains few grammatical, spelling, punctuation or syntax errors, none of which seriously undermines the effectiveness of the essay for educated readers.

"B + to B-" Essays

Content:

The assignment has not just been followed but fulfilled.

In taking its stand, the paper shows a clear sense of audience and purpose. It shows more awareness of the implications of what it is saying and of its assumptions about the audience than the "C" essay does.

The writer has not settled for the most obvious evidence.

The "B" essay is characterized by thoroughness.

The reasoning is more than adequate. Not only does it make no mistakes, but also it shows thoughtfulness and some awareness of complexities and other points of view.

Organization:

The "B" essay has an effective introduction and conclusion.

The order of information is logical, and the reader can follow it because of well-chosen transitions.

Paragraph divisions are logical, and the paragraphs use enough specific detail to make their point tellingly.

Mechanics and Grammar:

The writing is competent, more ambitious than that of the "C" essay, less felicitous than that of the "A" essay.

Not only is sentence structure correct, but it also uses subordination, emphasis, sentence length and variety, and modifiers effectively.

It would be surprising to find serious sentence errors—comma splices, fragments, or fused sentences—in a "B" essay. Word choice is idiomatic, vocabulary precise.

Punctuation, grammar, and spelling conform to the conventions of edited American English.

"C+ to C-" Essays

Content:

The assignment has been followed. The essay develops its points with a sense of audience.

The information and degree of persuasion in a "C" essay is appropriate.

There is evidence and though the evidence is perhaps obvious and easily accessible, it has been gathered honestly and used responsibly.

The "C" essay may exhibit some minor imperfections or inconsistencies in mapping out the arguments, but there are no major flaws in its reasoning.

Organization:

The organization is clear.

The reader could easily outline the presentation.

Paragraphs have adequate development and are divided appropriately.

Transitions may be mechanical, but they foster coherence.

Mechanics and Grammar:

The language is competent.

Sentence structure is generally correct, although it may show limited competence with such elements as subordination, emphasis, sentence variety, sentence length, and modifiers.

It relies instead on simple and compound sentences.

The essay is generally free of comma splices, unintentional fragments, and fused sentences.

Word choice is correct though limited.

It may contain errors in spelling, mechanics, and grammar.

"D+ to D-" Essays

Content:

A "D" essay attempts to follow the assignment, even if the choice of topic or situation is poor, whether too broad, too narrow, or inappropriate.

A "D" essay often shows a poor sense of audience and purpose. For example, it may over or under-estimate the audience’s prior knowledge or assumptions. Or it may correctly assess the situation, but add little of substance to it.

Necessary evidence may be missing; irrelevant evidence present, or the interpretation or evaluation of that evidence may be inadequate.

The reasoning may be seriously flawed, resting on an insufficient understanding of the situation or the audience.

It may rely too heavily on evidence from published sources without adding original analysis.

Organization:

Organization may be significantly flawed in any of the following ways:

Relevant segments may be missing;

Topic sentences may be absent or inappropriate to the content of the paragraph;

Paragraphs are not well developed, divided or arranged;

Transitions are missing or incorrect;

Introductions or conclusions are missing or incomplete.

Mechanics and Grammar:

A "D" essay may have numerous and consistent errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation.

The syntax or diction in some sentences may be so flawed that they are incomprehensible.

Lack of proofreading can turn an otherwise adequate essay into a "D" essay.

"F+ to 0" Essays

Content:

The "F" essay may have not answered the assignment topic, even if it is correctly and coherently written.

(Many instructors require that such essays be rewritten before assigning a grade.)

It relates to the assignment but has no clear purpose, or goes off in several directions.

It may be plagiarized—either it is someone else’s essay or it has used sources improperly or without documentation.

Organization:

It is missing essential elements of the essay: Introduction, Body, or Conclusion.

It falls seriously short of the minimum length requirements.

Mechanics and Grammar:

It is plagued by more than one of the organizational deficiencies of the "D" essay.

Numerous and consistent errors of grammar, spelling, punctuation, diction, or syntax seriously hinder communication.
 

*The language and content of this guide have been adapted with considerable modification in format from "Essay Grading Rubrics" http://www.brooklyn.liu.edu/wac/faculty.html 

Which was adapted from: Diane Enerson, R. Neill Johnson, Susannah Milner and Kathryn Plank, The Penn State Teacher II: Learning to Teach; Teaching to Learn. (University Park, PA: Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, Penn State University, 1997).

 

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Grading Policy
Appendix B:

  Format for Written Reviews

  General instructions:

  Reviews will be accepted on unlisted items only if the student has obtained prior approval from the instructor to review that particular item.  Reviews have to be typewritten.  Single space bibliographical data but double-space the report itself.  Label the various portions of the review-Bibliography, thesis, scope, summary of content, evaluation.

 

1.  Bibliographical information:

 Books-When reviewing a book, list the author or editor, the complete title, the
 place of publication, the copyright date and/or the date published.

Articles-When reviewing an article, list the author, the title of the article, the title
of the journal you found the article in, the volume number of the journal, the
date of the journal's publication, and the article's number of pages (e.g., pp.27-43).

Electronic media-When reviewing any form of electronic media: list the type of media, list the title, list the narrator if they have been identified, list the date the source was produced, list the company, group or individual that produced it, list the playing time for the various forms of recorded media, list the address for Internet sources. 

2.  Thesis

Books, articles, or electronic media-In four or five sentences explain the point the author is trying to make, his argument, his line of reasoning.

 3.  Scope

Books, articles, or electronic media-In two or three sentences tell what this book or article or electronic media is about.  What is its topic? e.g., "This book was a history of the Jewish wars mentioned in the Old Testament "  or "This tape describes the recent work done on decoding the written Mayan language."

4.  Summary of Content

  The length of your summary of content will vary according to the length of source ranging from maybe a page for a half-hour tape to no more than ten pages for book reviews.

5.  Evaluation

Books, articles or electronic media-Write a paragraph of your opinion of this book, article, or tape.  Explain why you evaluate it as you do.  It is permissible to quote reviews of your source if you acknowledge that it is a quote.

NOTE: Students may send or bring by rough drafts of their reviews to be examined and critiqued by me before they submit their final versions.    

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