SCM 450: Women and Public Discourse
Essay Assignments, version 2
***Please note that I have made slight changes to the assignment. Those changes are highlighted in yellow below. All of the changes are for clarification only.
Purpose:
- To test understanding of course concepts
- To gain a deeper understanding of the rhetorical texts through written exploration
- To improve written competencies
Assignment:
1. On the week before essays are due, I will post the essay topics on the course web site. It is your responsibility to retrieve that topic and ask any clarifying questions (in class, office hours, or by email) before you begin writing.
2. Essay specifics:
- Papers should be 4-5 pages in length. Please adhere to page restrictions and use typical page formatting (size 12 Times New Romanfont, 1-inch margins, double-spaced).
- Make sure that you advance a clear argument and that your essay is developed around that argument.
- You will be expected to use textual support and textbook/readings to develop your argument. Use APA or MLA guidelines to cite those sources. To avoid plagiarism, be sure to properly cite the material that you quote and construct a bibliography/references page.
- Assume a general audience for your essay. In other words, you should define and explain rhetorical concepts before applying them to the texts.
3. You will submit drafts of these papers. For your first draft, you will use the “Self-Assessment Guide” to revise the essay. For your second draft, you will exchange your paper with a peer and use the “Peer-Assessment Guide” to give each other advice on the papers. You will submit your final draft on the due date. Please see the syllabus for draft due dates.
- On “self-assessment” dates, bring 2 copies of the paper to class
- On “peer-assessment” dates, bring 3 copies to class
- On final due dates, bring 1 copy to class
4. Although we will use peer editing in class, I strongly advise you to use the WritingCenter. The WritingCenter is currently located in LAB 218, but will move to the first floor of Cook Library some time this spring. For more information about their services, visit the web site:
5. Late papers will automatically be docked 10 points per calendardaylate. After four late days, a late paper will automatically be given a zero. After a grade is returned, students have one week to resolve questions about the grade with the instructor. Questions about a grade must be submitted first in writing. After one week, the grade is final.
6. For complete grading information, see the “Essay Rubric.” Papers will be graded on the following general criteria:
- These essays do not ask you to simply provide definitions of concepts. Rather, they ask you to critically engage the topic and describe how and why these concepts are meaningful, and how they are put to use in the rhetorical text. You will not be asked simply to identify or define strategies, but to understand how they are used and to what end. In other words, you need to put quite a bit of thought into how these concepts operate within a rhetorical text and how they achieve meaning and importance in public life. Keep in mind the critical equation when constructing the essays: claim+evidence+analysis=criticism.
- With that in mind, it is important to know that the essays are graded strictly. Here are some general guidelines for grade criteria:
The grade of "C" means average. This grade is given if the essay simply meets the requirements of the assignment, but shows no other attempt to engage the material. If the paper is largely description instead of description and explanation, the student should expect to receive a C grade.
The grade of "B" is given to those essays which not only meet the requirements of the assignment, but attempt to go beyond simple description and into solid, well-reasoned explanation. The essay must show proof of attempting to critically engage the topic through thinking and research, and the results must show up in a clear, well-argued paper. In other words, the essay answers more questions than it raises.
The grade of "A" is reserved for outstanding work, and nothing less. To receive an A on an essay, the work must be error-free, well-written, rich in explanation and relation to the topic, and must show critical thinking skills.
- Grammar counts! "Sloppy" papers will have a negative impact on your grade.
Final essay due dates: February 22, March 31, and April 23