DUE August 26 (11:59pm, EST)
100 Points
General Directions:
- To follow these General Directions with relative ease, be sure to review Thinking to Write Lesson W1: Formatting for APA Style with Google Docs.
- 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.
- The essay must be formatted in APA documentation style.
- 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.
- You are also encouraged to save a copy of the paper.
- Be sure to share the essay with me (clrobins@kent.edu), allowing me permission to edit it.
- In order to receive 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.
Essay One Directions:
Choose ONE of the below topics. This essay should be 500-1500 words (2-4 pages) long.¹ This is an opinion essay.² While in-text citations and a references page are not required for this assignment, please provide complete titles and authors/directors involved in works you discuss.
- Which is better: reading, listening or viewing? Why? Discuss your experiences as a reader of books, magazines, newspapers and other forms of print. Discuss your experiences as a listener of podcasts, music, and other forms of audio media. Discuss your experiences as a viewer of films, television shows, and other forms of visual media. If you wish to work video games into this discussion, consider how much of your playing involves viewing, listening, and/or reading.
- Consider a movie, television show, music work, or video game, that has been adapted from a novel or short story. Which, in your opinion, is better—the printed original work or the work that has been adapted into a non-print medium? Many printed works have been adapted into more than one medium (for example, The Lord of the Rings trilogy has been adapted into films and video games.) Discuss what you like and do not like, as well as why.
NOTES
¹ One page is roughly 315 words (Times Roman, 12pt. font, 1 inch margins).
² It is permitted (and only logical) to use “I” quite frequently in this essay.
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. 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. 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. 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. 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. The paper is cluttered by grammatical and mechanical errors.
Sample Point Deductions:
Submitted late: 3% grade point subtraction for each day late
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 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 (-9 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 81 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.
