Rubric for Unit 3 (Synthesis of Perspectives)

An “A” Paper:

· Contains an effective (specific and complex) thesis statement that answers the paper’s focus question by assessing the current state of expert knowledge on a specific issue.

· Has body paragraphs that make original, arguable claims about the source material and adequately supports those claims with textual evidence. This evidence should take the form of quotations, paraphrases, and summaries, and should:

o appropriately use attributive and introductory tags;

o incorporate language that signals relationships between sources and ideas (“but,” “on the other hand,” “similarly,” etc.); and

o analyze/compare/contrast sources rather than simply summarizing them.

· Has a vocabulary, grammar, and tone appropriate for a general academic audience.

· Effectively incorporates ideas from at least six sources (three of which are scholarly) that represent multiple viewpoints.

· Meets the minimum length requirement (four full pages).

· Has a relevant title.

· Cites sources in correct MLA format, both in the paper’s body and on the Works Cited page.

· Contains almost no errors of spelling, grammar, mechanics, punctuation, etc.

A “B” Paper:

· Contains a strong thesis statement that answers the paper’s focus question by assessing the current state of expert knowledge on a specific issue.

· Has body paragraphs that make original, mostly arguable claims about the source material and adequately supports those claims with textual evidence. This evidence should meet all the “A” criteria.

· Has some lapses in vocabulary, etc.

· Incorporates ideas from at least six sources (at least three of which are scholarly) that represent multiple viewpoints.

· Meets the minimum length requirement (four full pages).

· Has a relevant title

· Cites sources in correct MLA format (in-text and on WC page).

· Contains few errors of spelling, grammar, etc.

A “C” Paper:

· Contains a thesis statement that attempts to answer the paper’s focus question, but may be overly general, vague, or simplistic.

· Has some original claims in body paragraphs that are generally well supported by attempting to meet the “A” criteria with perhaps a few lapses.

· May have serious or frequent lapses in vocabulary, etc.

· Uses ideas from at least six sources (at least three of which are scholarly).

· Meets the minimum length requirement (four full pages).

· Has a relevant title.

· Cites sources in correct MLA format (in-text and on WC page).

· Contains some errors of spelling, etc.; at times, these errors can be distracting.

A “D” Paper:

· Has no apparent thesis or a thesis that doesn’t match the paper.

· Includes few or no original claims about source material, or includes claims about the issue rather than expert opinion on the issue, or includes claims without sufficient evidence to support those claims.

· Largely fails to employ vocabulary, etc. appropriate for a general academic audience.

· Uses ideas from six or fewer sources, or has a discrepancy between sources in the paper and on the WC page, or does not have enough scholarly sources.

· Does not meet the minimum length requirement (four pages).

· Has no title or a title irrelevant to the paper’s content (e.g. “Unit 3 Paper”).

· Cites sources incorrectly, either in the paper or on the WC page.

· Contains distracting or damaging errors of spelling, etc.

An “F” Paper:

· Fails to meet minimum requirements, or

· Plagiarizes.