Unit 1 Grading Rubric

Rhetorical Analysis of Stakeholders (40 pts)

An excellent essay will:

Identify and analyze at least 4 stakeholders, including their: arguments and motivations; relationship with the issue (e.g., material, philosophical, personal); relationships to one another; and, where possible and applicable, their values and beliefs
Synthesize their disagreements in order to characterize the nature of the current debate
Use this analysis to determine, in part, why this issue is still unresolved
Avoid persuasive argument or premature judgment of positions
Illustrate thoughtful and nuanced analysis that avoids overgeneralization and oversimplification

Research and Sources (40 pts)

An excellent essay will:

Use at least 8 academic and popular sources
Fairly and accurately represent credible sources
Balance primary and secondary sources in a way that best suits the topic
Balance academic and popular sources in a way that best suits the topic
Demonstrate the relevance of these sources to the issue and/or stakeholders
Demonstrate connections between your sources and your analysis, as well as connections between the sources themselves
Integrate and cite all sources effectively using MLA citation and signal phrases
Paraphrase, summarize, and quote effectively, avoiding plagiarism

Organization and Delivery (10 pts)

An excellent essay will:

Sequence information in a way that best suits the topic and makes it easy for the reader to follow
Illustrate thoughtful choices based on the reader, making it easy for a reader to learn about this issue and its stakeholders

Style, Grammar, Mechanics (10 pts)

An excellent essay will:

Demonstrate deliberate word choice for clarity
Contain few to no grammatical errors
Be formatted in double-spaced, 12pt, Times New Roman

Additional considerations:

Assignments not meeting the minimum word count (1750-200 words) will receive a failing grade
Assignments containing plagiarism will result in either an admonition or violation, and may fail automatically
Assignments that do not meet the promptno matter how well writtenwill fail automatically