Guidelines and Grading Criteria for Critical Essays

 

Critical Essay Description:

 

Critical Essay assignments that adhere to the following criteria will have the potential for earning full credit.  The cohesive development of your argument according to the following structure will meet the minimum requirements for an A essay.  

A)    Simple plot and characters: 

In this section you will chose concrete textual information that supports the argument you propose in sections B and C.  A complete writing assignment will address the most salient and significant points and events in the all the texts covered in the module, and will make use of textual quotes that exemplify those points.

B)     Textual conclusions:  

By drawing on the information that you selected for section A, and explaining the symbols, the allegories, the resolutions of  the plots, and the framing of historical chronologies, you will identify the author's perspective and ideological position vis-à-vis the the major issues of the period. Major issues that tend to surface may include race, ethnicity, the role of women, class, economic systems, US imperialism, cultural assimilation and gender.

   C)    Your own opinions and critical judgments of the material read.  

      Discuss how you view your findings in section B. Step back and examine the context of the work.  Do you agree with the perspective, symbolism or characterizations the writers uses?  For example, if you conclude in section B that in the Discovery Channel Documentary The Battle of the Alamo the producers favor an Anglo-American claim to the heritage of Texas and you do not agree with it, point out the problems that you find in that position.  You may address inconsistencies in the author's presentation, over-arching generalizations, hasty conclusions, lopsided reasoning, or an ideological disagreement that you have with the author's position.  You need to draw upon the analysis that you made of the textual information in parts A and B in order for this section to be effective.    DO NOT MAKE THE AUTHOR’S CONCLUSION the final word.  If you agree with the author, say so in this section, if you do not, say why you do not agree.

Grading Criteria

Mechanics and components.  Essays that do not adhere to these format requirements will be returned to the authors.  

·                 -Adheres to MLA format for citations

·                 -Thoroughly revised for typographical, grammar, and spelling errors (see grammar manuals (mechanics proof reading); http://www.bartleby.com/141/ (Strunk and White Elements of Style.))

·                 -Works Cited section present

·                 -Essay “signed” by all group members who collaborated in the writing

·                 -Article titles in “quotes,” Book titles _Underlined_ with lateral underscoring for web legibility

·                 Peer Evaluations turned in over e-mail with class and writing module number in subject field (“LLS/SPAN 242 Essay I. Machismo”)

·                -Equivalent length of 5-pages (double-spaced, 12 pt.-Times New Roman, 1-inch margins all around) in a word processor

An essay in the A range is based on an original, logical and coherently organized set of ideas; it makes a clear and persuasive argument (even if the reader disagrees with its argument); it addresses major topics in module; it demonstrates an understanding of the topic, the texts, and the critical issues raised in the texts; it shows a thoughtful understanding of the authors’ positions; it brings in specific, relevant examples to back up its assertions are organized and employed in accordance with the development of the critical threads; its points, at each turn, are clearly articulated: the words carry precise meaning, they don't obscure it; its sentences use only the words their ideas require, not any more; your critical position vis-à-vis the topic, the majors issues, and the authors’ positions are clearly identified; its paragraphs have distinct though related roles in the essay's cohesion as a whole, each holding one thoroughly asserted idea (not two competing ideas, not one idea half-asserted); Purposeful introduction and conclusion; it accurately and thoughtfully uses sources; and its sentences are without the grammatical, spelling, or typographical mistakes that exacting proof-reading would catch. Essay addresses all texts in module. (All of this takes a lot of work. If it is all very nearly accomplished, the essay usually earns an A-.)

 An essay in the B range: