21. What are three ways in which the president can use his “power to persuade” in order to reach his goals? How important is this power compared to the formal powers of the president?
1. What individual characteristics of the president may contribute t
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The thesis of the paper is clear and challenging. It does not merely state the obvious or exactly repeat the viewpoints of others, but creatively and thoughtfully opens up our thinking about the question.
The thesis is both clear and reasonably challenging. The thesis of the paper is clear. It takes a stand on a debatable issue, though the thesis may be unimaginative, largely a recapitulation of readings and class discussion, and/or fairly obvious. Thesis is relevant to the assignment. It is discernible but the reader has to work to understand it. Thesis is irrelevant to the assignment and/or not discernible.
2. Complexity & Originality ? 30 points:
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The essay is unusually thoughtful. Deep, creative, and far-reaching in its analysis. The writer explores the subject from various points of view, acknowledges alternative interpretations and recognizes the complexity of the issue. Other extant academic research has been read and ideas discussed in class have been integrated as relevant. The essay demonstrates the writer?s ability to think laterally. The essay is thoughtful and extensive in its analysis. It acknowledges alternative interpretations and recognizes the complexity of the issue. Some other academic works are integrated as relevant. The writer goes somewhat beyond merely paraphrasing someone else?s point of view or repeating what was discussed in class. However, the essay does not demonstrate a reading and/or understanding of the extant academic literature. Writer barely goes beyond paraphrasing the works of others and simply repeats what has been discussed in class or presented in the textbook. The paper is mere paraphrasing and repetition.
3. Organization and Coherence ? 15points
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The reader feels that the writer is in control of the direction and organization of the essay. The essay follows a logical line of reasoning to support its thesis and to deal with counter-evidence and alternative interpretations. Sub-points are fashioned so as to open up the topic in the most effective way. As for ?A? but sub-points may not be fashioned to open up the topic in the most effective way. The reader feels that the writer is in control of the direction and organization of the essay most of the time. The essay generally follows a logical line of reasoning to support its thesis. The essay has some discernible main points. The essay has no discernible plan of organization.
4. Evidence, Support ? 25 points
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The writer?s claims and interpretations are backed with evidence from the extant academic literature, works assigned in class, contemporary examples and logical reasoning. The writer refers richly and often to the academic research. As for ?A? but the writer may occasionally drop into merely summarizing existing research. The writer?s claims and interpretations on the issue are generally backed with at least some evidence from existing academic research beyond that assigned in the class. Very little evidence from academic research to support the writer?s argument. Heavy reliance on textbook and non-academic sources. The writer provides no academic research to support their argument.
5. Style ? 5 points
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The language is clear, precise and elegant and achieves a scholarly tone. It is the authentic voice of the writer analyzing an intellectual question. The language is clear and precise. The language is at least understandable throughout. The language is sometimes confusing and sentences often disjointed and confused. The language is for the most part confusing. The reader is unable to decipher arguments.
6. Sources ? 10 points
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The essay integrates academic sources smoothly. Direct quotes of other authors are used only to support significant points; otherwise paraphrasing is used. The paper does not simply string together a variety of secondary sources, but uses them to support the writer?s own thinking. Each source is clearly identified, with some statement about its author. Quotes are not simply stuck into the text without explanation, nor are the presented as stand-alone sentences. As for ?A? but sources may be quoted with no contextual explanation AND/OR writer may use direct quotation and paraphrase in less than optimal ways. The essay does not simply string together secondary sources, but uses them to support the writer?s own thinking. The essay simply strings together secondary sources. There is no use of secondary academic sources.
7. Grammar & Punctuation ? 5 points
Critical areas:
– spelling and typos
– Sentence boundary punctuation (run-ons, fused sentences, fragments)
– Use of apostrophe, -s and ?es.
– Pronoun forms
– Pronoun agreement
– Verb forms and subject-verb agreement
– Use of gender-neutral language
– Proper use of capitalization
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There are no mistakes regarding the critical areas listed above. There are few mistakes in the critical areas listed above. There are no more than an average of 2 mistakes per page in the critical areas listed above. There are more than an average of 2 mistakes per page in the critical areas listed above. Significant portions of the essay are impossible to read because of incorrect grammar and punctuation.