Grading Quick Links
Course Information
Instructor: K. Gillis-Bridges
Class: MW, 12:30-1:50 p.m.
Rooms: Mary Gates 082A/082
Office:
Padelford A-105
Hours: MW 11 a.m.-12 p.m.
Phone/Voice: 206.543.4892
Email: kgb@u
Essay 3 Grading Criteria
A 70- to 80-Point Essay (3.5-4.0, A Range)
- Has a substantive thesis that is defendable, clearly explained, and supported by the analysis; essay fully analyzes how the film or films explore a clearly defined theme, strategy of representation, or character type
- Shows substantial depth, fullness and complexity of thought
- Expresses ideas clearly and commands the reader’s attention
- Demonstrates clear, unified and coherent organization
- Is fully developed and detailed with arguments supported by persuasive reasoning and references to films under study and course readings; there is an appropriate balance between providing evidence and analyzing that evidence
- Has a sophisticated style (remarkable variety of sentence pattern, smooth transitions between ideas, superior control of diction)
- Offers clear citation of all ideas and words not the author’s own
- Has few, if any, minor errors in grammar, usage or mechanics
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A 50- to 69-Point Essay (2.5-3.4, B Range)
- Has a clear thesis and essay focuses on how the film or films explore a well-defined theme, strategy of representation, or character type, but thesis and essay may not fully address the significance of how the film(s) treats the topic; the thesis may be clear and well-argued, but could use additional support throughout the essay; or the thesis may be identifiable, but not sharply focused
- Shows some depth and complexity of thought
- Expresses ideas clearly
- Demonstrates effective organization
- Is well developed with sensible reasoning and appropriate references to films and course readings; however, some evidence may detract from the thesis and some ideas might not be fully explored.
- Demonstrates balance between evidence and analysis for the most part, but balance may be weak in places
- Has an effective style (some variety of sentence patterns, transitions between ideas, accurate diction)
- Properly cites source material, but may have errors in citation format
- Has few errors in grammar, usage or mechanics
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A 30- to 49-Point Essay (1.5-2.4, C Range)
- Has a thesis that may not be entirely clear and essay does not fully analyze how the film or films explore a particular theme, strategy of representation, or character type; essay may mention many ideas and analyze few
- Shows limited awareness of the complexity of issues engaged by the film(s) or course readings; may treat the film(s) simplistically or repetitively
- Communicates ideas clearly for the most part, but may have some lapses in clarity
- Has a recognizable organizational pattern, but the relation among parts is not consistently clear enough to provide a coherent focus
- Is unevenly developed; writer may offer sufficient reasoning or references to films and course readings for some of the ideas but not for others
- Demonstrates some balance between evidence and analysis
- Has an adequate style (limited variation in sentence patterns, transitions between most ideas, diction accurate for the most part)
- Cites the majority of source material, but occasionally material may be clearly cited but not referenced in parentheses
- Has some errors in grammar, usage or mechanics, but demonstrates basic control of these areas
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A 14- to 29-Point Essay (.7-1.4, D Range)
- Has an unclear thesis; essay identifies film(s) and theme, representation or character type and meets basic length requirements, but does not analyze the film(s) in any meaningful fashion
- Lacks focus or demonstrates confused, stereotyped or simplistic thinking; writer may demonstrate no overall conception of the issues raised by the films or readings he/she engages
- May not communicate ideas clearly
- Is ineffectively organized, with no clear relationship between the parts of the essay
- May not provide adequate or appropriate reasoning or references to support generalizations, or may provide details without generalizations
- Demonstrates little relationship between evidence and the thesis
- Has stylistic weaknesses (no variety of sentence patterns, few transitions, imprecise diction)
- Offers unclear citations of work not the author’s own
- Has occasional major errors in grammar, usage or mechanics or frequent minor errors that interfere in the reader's understanding of the essay
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A 0- to 13-Point Essay (0-.6, F Range)
- Has no thesis or has an incomprehensible thesis
- May be deliberately off-topic and demonstrate no understanding of the issues addressed by the films
- Does not communicate ideas clearly
- Lacks coherent organization
- Shows no development of ideas; may simply summarize film(s)
- Has an incoherent style (difficulties with sentence structure, pattern of diction errors)
- Incorporates none of the course readings
- Represents another writer’s work as the author’s own
- Has pervasive pattern of errors in grammar, usage and mechanics that renders the essay unreadable
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