Comments about First Essay

I have distributed the graded first essays. Many of you would have benefited greatly from submitting something early and revising. Hopefully you will take into account my comments and seek help if you need it before tackling your final essay. If you weren't in class today, you can pick up your essay from me in my office during regular office hours or find me at another time.

Some of you seem rather at sea with regard to how to handle citations/references. For the final essay, please follow this formatting guide that describes a standard way of handling in-text citations. It's but one way, yes, but good practice to master it. I will include your successfully following it in the first row of the rubric on the final essay. Please ask if anything is unclear.

Here's how I see the scores on the rubric translating into rough grades: The A range runs from 22-28, B: 16-22, C: 10-16, D: 4-6, F: <4. But don't focus on the grade: focus on what you need to do to improve. Almost all of you needed to drastically increase the focus and specificity of your thesis. This, as I've been saying, sets the terms of a successful essay. It's much easier to argue well for a specific thesis. Please come visit with me sometime if you're not sure how to improve your work for the final essay. I'll be happy to read a draft or outline, talk about your thesis and argument, and help you structure your essay and tighten up your writing.