Grading Standards
Papers and exams are graded on three criteria:
1. Evidence.
History rests on a foundation of fact. Every assignment should display strong familiarity with the events of the period, and factual statements should be accurate. Exam essays should show mastery of the assigned readings, and understanding of exam documents. Material from lectures may be useful as well. Reading responses should quote from the primary sources at the end each chapter and analyze the quotations carefully, considering specific word choices. Sources, whether primary or secondary, should be read critically and evaluated for their reliability and persuasiveness.
For all assignments except for the final exam, most of your evidence should come in the form of quotations from the primary sources posted online and printed at the end of each chapter of Contending Voices.
2. Argument
Facts alone do not make history; the task of the historian is to make sense of the facts, to explain why and how people acted as they did. Every paper and exam essay should present a clear thesis statement in the introduction. State as bold a thesis as you can prove. Graders will look for this thesis statement and evaluate your success in proving it.
3. Style
All assignments should follow the rules of formal writing. Paragraphs need clear topic sentences and should follow one another in a clear order. Write in the active voice whenever possible. Direct quotations and close paraphrases should be cited, either with footnotes or parenthetical references, and page numbers provided.
Since a paper may excel in one area and falter in another, two very different papers may receive the same grade. Nonetheless, it is possible to describe in rough terms the types of papers most likely to receive each grade:
A
An A paper is more or less incapable of improvement given the bounds of the assignment. It presents a thesis so daring that the reader is at first doubtful and only persuaded by the evidence mustered in support. Evidence is presented in well-chosen quotations from the primary sources in Contending Voices, with page numbers provided. The writing is clear, even graceful. The paper is free from errors of grammar, punctuation, and style.
A-
An A- paper presents a thesis and proves it. But it has flaws—portions of the paper are irrelevant, or too much material is drawn from secondary sources (for a response paper), or numerous stylistic problems mar the writing.
B+
B+ papers generally either state a thesis but fail to prove it (often forgetting about it for the bulk of the paper), or they present a bland, obvious thesis statement hardly worth arguing. Papers that lack theses but show heroic analytic efforts also earn B+’s.
B
A B paper is competent but not distinguished. It shows that the students read the books, but does not present an argument. Alternatively, it may present an argument but suffer from factual inaccuracy. B papers may provide quotations from primary sources but fail to use them to advance an argument.
B-
A B- paper is deficient in terms of evidence, argument, or style. It may contain numerous factual inaccuracies, or present facts as rambling streams of consciousness rather than in ordered paragraphs.
C+
Grades of C+ and below go to seriously deficient papers, such as papers well below the minimum length or exam essays that fail to show familiarity with assigned readings or primary sources.
Plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty (such as unauthorized dual submission or cheating on an exam) will suffer grade penalties and be referred to the honor board for disciplinary action.
Except where noted otherwise, all original material on this site is copyright © 2005 Zachary M. Schrag. It may be used for non-commercial personal and educational purposes provided it is attributed to Zachary M. Schrag.