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Critical Essays |
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ResourcesUIUC Writers' Workshop FormsMLA Format for Research Papers Proofreading Checklist Peer Evaluation PDF Form
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GuidelinesThese written assignments are designed to guarantee a steady, consistent pace throughout the semester. 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, characters, summation of arguments: 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 CriteriaAn 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: a very good paper, the writing of which is clearly, thoughtfully, and effectively executed. What sometimes prevents an "A" is a lack of originality, thorough thinking or careful proofreading. If two of these virtues are absent and the other areas of the paper are strong, the essay will usually earn a B-. An essay in the C range: some conspicuous flaw usually earns an essay a C; its argument is really underdeveloped, it contains only minimal textual support, it has problems with organization and/or sentence clarity, it is in dire need of proofreading. A D essay either contains more than one of the large problems cited in the "C" description or finds another way to convince its reader that the author has not spent nearly enough time on the thinking or writing in the essay. An F essay misses on all criteria (originality, articulateness, persuasiveness, organization, the absence of mechanical mistakes). Editing & ProofreadingPlease pay particular attention to the title, your thesis, your articulation of arguments, and the mechanics. Title: Title should be specific to what you find, not what you do. For example: "Social Class and Gender Construction in the Mexican Revolution" tells me what you are attempting to analyze. Once you have the paper though, the title may change to "The Scapegoating of Women and the Working Class in the Narrative Construction of the Mexican Revolution." Thesis: Your thesis should be clear and to the point. For example: "This paper explains what rhetorical strategies were used by the intellectuals to portray women and the working class during the time of the Mexican Revolution. Often, violence is resolved in the body of the women, and the working class is portrayed as brutish, uneducated, destructive, abusive, etc." Articulation. The way in which you tie the different elements together, the way in which you make the transition from one point to another, is the way in which you "articulate" or join the different pieces. Make sure that your arguments go from point A to point B with ease, and that your arguments are not repetitive. Repetitiveness often signals lack of articulation (watch out for these markers of lack of articulation: "As we said before," "as we stated above.") Conclusion. Please remember that a conclusion does not simply restate the thesis. The conclusion allows you to detail your own position vis â vis the works you read. For example: "The characterization of women and the working class reflected the cultural anxiety of the upper class. At a time in which 'democracy' was shifted to the working class (agricultural and industrial workers), by far a majority of the population, the elite lost its leadership role in the construction of the nation. Thus the work of the intellectuals reflects the determinism and angst they felt during this time of social upheaval." Works Cited. Please make sure that you include a list of works cited. Please adhere to the MLA format. Please make sure that you include ALL the texts in your discussion, whether they have been discussed in class or not. Coming up with your own reading lets me know how you are grasping the material. Mechanics. Please make sure that all the formatting is done according to the MLA format. One-inch margins, proper block quotes and indents, accents, names of the people submitting the paper, the title of the class, page numbers, date, bibliography, spacing, etc. You can download Sample MLA Format from the Forms section. Thoroughly revised for typographical, grammar, and spelling errors (see Examples of Writing Issues Requiring Attention for Successful Writing); (Strunk and White Elements of Style.) . Please make sure that your paper does not include any of the problems outlined in this sheet, but be especially on the lookout for passive voice, and dangling modifiers. -Works Cited section present -Essay “signed” by all group members who collaborated in the writing -Article titles in “quotes,” Book titles, and films italicized (if italicizing or underlining is not available, please use lateral underscoring for web legibility.) Peer Evaluations turned in when requested by instructor. Please see Form section on the left column to download the pdf file. -Adequate length. Collaborative Learning elements adapted from R. Brent and R. Felder. Copyright © 2001 Guisela Latorre, Amanda Harris Fonseca, Rolando J. Romero. Revised 2004, 2008 |