First Half Essay

Remember: I will be recording your first essay score for your best essay I receive by March 11th (in about two and a half weeks!). Remember: you can write as many as you like (and up to two versions of the same essay) and I will only count your best. I strongly recommend you take advantage of this golden opportunity, as I'll be holding you to the high standard expected of a 400/500-level course (according to your specific affiliation).

Specifically, I will be using this rubric to mark your essays. Worry about the tiles of the columns, not the numbers (which will not correspond in the usual way to grades): to get an 'A', you should expect to have most marks in the 'excellent' / 'very good' columns. A 'B' paper will be more centered around the 'very good' column; with 'C', 'D', 'F', as you'd expect. . . . I'll curve numerical scores to reflect this. Bear in mind, however, that as time approaches (if I'm getting lots of submissions at the same time, my ability to turn around the paper quickly for you to revise or rewrite completely will decrease; the sooner you get me something, the more likely it is that you'll be able to revise it into something better)

I highly recommend going through multiple drafts before submitting something. Take account of the writing advice on my website along with the associated links. I can't recommend the "Bennett Rules" — see Bennett and Gorovitz’s essay on “Teaching Academic Writing” — highly enough. Ask yourself honestly whether the paper is as clear and precise as it can be. Write not only so that you can be understood, but so you cannot be misunderstood.