DUE September 25, 2023 (11:59pm, EST)
(100 POINTS)
Directions:
Flat Basset
- All essays MUST be typed into a KSU Google Docs document. (KSU Google Drive is located in Flashline.) You may not write the essay offline (such as with MS Word) and upload it. I want to see how the essay develops, to help me analyze your writing process. This means that I will be checking the essay document’s version history. You can do this, too:
- Click on File
- Select Version history
- Select See version history
- The essay must be formatted in APA documentation style. (See Thinking to Write Lesson W1: Formatting & Documentation.)
- Be sure to put your last name and the assignment in the document label (upper left corner), for example: Smith’s Essay One, or Jones’ Essay Two
- (See Thinking to Write Lesson W1: Formatting & Documentation and Using KSU Google Drive Docs.)
- You are also encouraged to save a copy of the paper (download it) to your personal computer.
- Be sure to share the essay with me (clrobins@kent.edu), allowing me permission to edit it. (See Using KSU Google Drive Docs.)
- If you want confirmation that I have access to the essay, make sure that I receive email notification (and thus a link to the essay) when you share it. (See Using KSU Google Drive Docs.)
Essay Two Directions
Compose a complete essay that is 1000-2000 words (3-7 pages) long¹ in response to one of the below listed topics. Be sure to emphasize what YOU think in this essay, as well as how/why you agree or disagree with the works that you cite. Limit use of “I” and do not use “we” or “you” (and their variants) at all.
TOPICS:
- Consider Malala Yousafzai’s biography, written when she won the Nobel Peace Prize. Consider her agenda (fighting for girls’ rights to an education in various countries) and how it is or is not similar to education rights in the United States. Are there any similarities; if so, what are they? What are the differences? Do people in the United States have complete rights to an education? Why or why not? (There’s no right or wrong answer to this collection of questions, but be sure to clearly explain your opinion, and to even provide examples to illustrate your points.) In order to develop your focus into as deep a discussion as possible, make use (quote and/or paraphrase) “Malala Yousafzai: Biography” (Malala Yousafzai), as well as at least three additional resources (articles or videos) found in Reading to Think Lesson R4: Special Topic—The Right to Learn. This response should consider fact-checking and bias of the pieces you are citing.²
- Consider how language impacts identity: as a human being, as a person of a particular national origin, as a robot, . . . . There’s a saying—we are what we eat—and regardless of whether or not this saying has any merit, does language create who/what we are? Why or why not? (There’s no right or wrong answer to this collection of questions, but be sure to clearly explain your opinion, and to even provide examples to illustrate your points.) In order to develop your focus into as deep a discussion as possible, make use (quote and/or paraphrase) of “Mother Tongue” (Amy Tan), as well as at least three additional resources (articles or videos) found in Reading to Think Lesson R5: Special Topic—Language and Expression. This response should consider fact-checking and bias of the pieces you are citing.²
- What is the significance of art? Is it important? Why or why not? There’s no right or wrong answer here, but be sure to clearly explain your opinion, and to even provide examples to illustrate your points. Make use (quote or paraphrase) of “In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens” (Alice Walker), as well as at least three additional resources (articles or videos) found in Reading to Think Lesson R6: Special Topic—Art, Monuments, and Memory to develop as deep a discussion as possible. You may also use examples of art and/or monuments—and you should provide information about these works in your References—but they will not count as resources.²
NOTES
¹ One page is roughly 315 words (Times Roman, 12pt. font, 1 inch margins).
² You may use additional materials, but if a work is found outside the lesson pages, you must seek my permission to use it.
Grading Rubric
A paper may fall between the below described levels of quality—it may, for example, have a clearly stated central claim (thesis) but lack sufficient support, or it may be tightly organized and well supported, but full of grammatical and/or mechanical errors. In such instances, the paper will be evaluated in terms of its strongest qualities as set against its weakest qualities. Feedback will always be provided.
A Level Work
The paper demonstrates a full understanding and respect for the directions and stays on the chosen topic. The paper is properly formatted (APA Style) and was obviously composed using KSU Google Docs. The paper’s thesis (main point) is clearly stated. The paper is tightly organized, well developed, and coherent. The paper is well supported by reasoning and documented sources (cited quotes, facts, and/or paraphrases). The paper has a professional tone, avoiding second person (“you” or “we”) completely and using first person singular (“I”) sparingly. The paper is virtually free of grammatical and mechanical errors.
B Level Work
The paper demonstrates a full understanding and respect for the directions and stays on the chosen topic. The paper is properly formatted (APA Style) and was obviously composed using KSU Google Docs. The paper’s thesis (main point) is clearly stated. The paper is mostly organized, sufficiently developed, and mostly coherent. The paper is sufficiently supported by reasoning and documented sources (cited quotes, facts, and/or paraphrases). The paper has a mostly professional tone, avoiding second person (“you” or “we”) completely and using first person singular (“I”) minimally. The paper is mostly free of grammatical and mechanical errors.
C Level Work
The paper demonstrates some understanding and respect for the directions and stays on the chosen topic. The paper demonstrates an attempt to be properly formatted (APA Style) and was obviously composed using KSU Google Docs. The paper’s thesis (main point) is stated, but not very clearly. The paper is somewhat organized, loosely developed, and vaguely coherent. The paper is marginally supported by reasoning and documented sources (cited quotes, facts, and/or paraphrases). The paper has a barely professional tone, failing to avoid second person (“you” or “we”) completely and using first person singular (“I”) too much. The paper is mostly free of grammatical and mechanical errors.
D Level Work
The paper does not demonstrate a full understanding or respect for the directions, and/or the paper fails to stay on the chosen topic. The paper does not demonstrate an attempt to be properly formatted (APA Style), and it is not clear that it was composed using KSU Google Docs. The paper’s thesis (main point) may or may not be stated, but if it is stated, it has not been done so very clearly. The paper is barely organized, under- developed, and/or barely coherent. The paper is weakly supported by reasoning and documented sources (cited quotes, facts, and/or paraphrases). The paper has an unprofessional tone, significantly failing to avoid second person (“you” or “we”) completely and using first person singular (“I”) too much. The paper contains several grammatical and mechanical errors.
F Level Work
The paper does not demonstrate a full understanding or respect for the directions, and/or the paper fails to stay on the chosen topic. The paper does not demonstrate an attempt to be properly formatted (APA Style) and was obviously not composed using KSU Google Docs. The paper’s thesis (main point) may or may not be stated, but if it is stated, it has not been done so very clearly. The paper is unorganized, under- developed, and/or incoherent. The paper is weakly supported by reasoning and documented sources (cited quotes, facts, and/or paraphrases), if supported at all. The paper has an unprofessional tone, significantly failing to avoid second person (“you” or “we”) completely and using first person singular (“I”) too much. The paper is cluttered by grammatical and mechanical errors.
Sample Point Deductions:
Submitted late: 3% grade point subtraction
Vague or missing thesis statement: 5% grade point subtraction
Unprofessional tone: 5% grade point subtraction
Improperly formatted: 5% grade point subtraction
Unprofessional use and citation of references: 5% grade point subtraction
Sentence coherence: 5-10% grade point subtraction
Weak essay organization and/or essay unity: 10% grade point subtraction
Not composed using KSU Google Docs: 10% grade point subtraction
1% of a 50 point essay = 0.5 point
1% of a 100 point essay = 1 point
1% of a 200 point essay = 2 points
Sample Point Additions:
Excellent thesis statement (clear and well written): 3% grade point addition
Professional tone: 5% grade point addition
Professionally cited references: 5% grade point addition
Well stated and supported points: 5-10% grade point addition
Very strong essay organization and/or essay unity: 10% grade point addition
Example
An essay worth 100 points that is: not be properly formatted (-5 points), submitted three days late (-3 points), has a very weak thesis (-5 points), has numerous incoherent sentences (-10 points), but has very strong organization and/or unity (+10 points) would likely earn a grade of 87/100 points (B+).
Rule
No grade for submitted work ever goes above an A; likewise, no graded work ever goes below an F; however, if an assignment is never submitted, or if it is submitted too late to be graded, it will receive ZERO points.
