Grading Criteria

A+             A               A-

Essays in this range are excellent in presentation, organization, and argumentation. Paragraphing, sentence structure, and prose style are clear, concise, and grammatically accurate. The introduction provides useful background information, a clearly stated thesis, and some indication of the structure of the essay to follow. Paragraphs are structured with topic sentences and signposts to the author's argument are provided throughout. The conclusion sums up the argument and evidence and offers a reasoned judgment relevant to the thesis. Arguments are convincingly backed up with support from an appropriate number of scholarly secondary sources. The paper displays an understanding of historical contingency (explaining events without making them seem inevitable) and the need for historical perspective, particularly on questions of ideology and morality. Quotations are used sparingly and only when they advance the thesis, and references are appropriately given and correctly formatted. In general, the author provides a sophisticated historical argument that is consistent with the goals of the assignment. The editing checklist is convincingly filled out. Essays at the bottom of this range are weak in, though not lacking, one or more of these components.

B+              B                B-

Essays in this range are very good to good, competently handling the assignment in most respects. Paragraphing, sentence structure, spelling, and prose style are generally good, but might be lacking in clarity, conciseness, or precision. Organization and argumentation, and the introduction and conclusion, though strong, may lack certain fundamentals remarkable in the A-range papers (such as attention to historical contingency or the need for historical perspective). Research is competent, but may not have drawn upon the required number of sources or may not have used them to good effect. There may be excessive use of quotations, displaying unwillingness to reformulate and make relevant certain passages from either primary or secondary sources. There may be weaknesses in establishing cause and effect. References may be incomplete or improperly formatted. The author's effort may lack originality or sophistication, or it may focus too heavily on factors not directly related to the assignment or subject matter. The author's responses to the editing checklist may provide evidence of insufficient attention to editing. Essays at the bottom of this range often use sources that are not relevant or up to the strictest scholarly standards (e.g. unscholarly web sites). These papers may not provide balanced arguments, they may fail to provide signposts to the author's argument (the argument was difficult to follow), or they may offer a superficial analysis.

C+              C                C-

Essays in this range are satisfactory to adequate. Paragraphing, sentence structure, and prose style are weak. The paper may contain repeated spelling errors, show poor attention to detail, or have significant grammatical problems throughout. Organization and/or argumentation are generally weak to the point of causing systemic problems. It may be difficult to distinguish the author's argument about given historical events from the attitudes of the historical figures being described. The author may focus on making a moral or ideological rather than an historical argument. The introduction and conclusion may be inadequate in some regard. Research may be incomplete, not using the required number of sources or using them only superficially. Quotations may be used to excess, and references may be lacking or incomplete. The author may have focused exclusively on summarizing the arguments or narratives provided by secondary sources without adding any, or any significant analysis of his/her own. The paper may display a weak understanding of cause and effect or it may leave doubt about whether the author understood the relevant historical themes and issues. The thesis may be weak or lacking; in place of argument, the author may have used purely descriptive or narrative statements. The author's responses to the editing check list may display insufficient attention to editing or a complete lack of understanding for the principles outlined. Essays at the bottom of this range may have made extensive use of class materials and/or textbook sources when other more specific and relevant sources were warranted.

D+             D               F

Essays in this range are inadequate to unacceptable. The author failed to complete the assignment in a manner that reflected university-level work. Papers are weak in almost all respects: length, writing style, organization, and argumentation. The author did not follow the guidelines of the assignment and/or did not appear to put due effort and care into the paper. Papers at the bottom of this range comprise work that does not meet the minimum requirements for this course.

Grading Scale

There is no standard grading scale in this university or in the history department. Grades for my courses are to the registrar in letter form. There will be no curving or scaling of marks. Grades will be calculated on the following scale: