ENGLISH 270B / SURVEY OF AMERICAN LITERATURE, 1865-PRESENT

Dr. Dennis Lpez Course Number: 24188 Meeting Times: TuTh 12:00 1:50pm Location: SPA Room 109 Telephone: 562.985.4217 Email: dennis.lopez@csulb.edu Office Location: MHB 318 Office Hours: TuTh 10:00 11:00am and by appointment

REQUIRED TEXTS ! Norton Anthology of American Literature, 8th Edition (C, D, and E Set) ! The Great Gatsby (1925), F. Scott Fitzgerald ! Selected readings on BeachBoard Reference Websites: American Passages (Annenberg Learner) Modern American Poetry The Poetry Foundation Voices and Visions in Modern Poetry Voice of the Shuttle (VoS) VoS: American Literature OWL Purdue: MLA Guide http://www.learner.org/resources/series164.html# http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/index.htm http://www.poetryfoundation.org/ http://www.learner.org/catalog/extras/vvspot/ http://vos.ucsb.edu/ http://vos.ucsb.edu/browse.asp?id=2739 http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/

COURSE DESCRIPTION English 270B is the second part of the two-course series that surveys the whole of American literature from the period of conquest and colonization to the present day. This section of English 270B will offer a general overview of U.S. literature from 1865 to the contemporary period. The course will focus not only on a wide variety of literary authors, genres, and movements, but also on the diverse historical, political, social, economic, and cultural contexts that served to ground and shape the literary production of writers in the United States. The term American Literature designates a body of cultural work produced in the Americasspecifically, in the northern regions that became the United Statesover the course of the last 400 years. However, the term also signifies a political project: the invention of America and the socio-cultural values, beliefs, and traditions (including the literary) associated with it. In other words, America and American Literature are not natural, static and fixed, always-existing, predetermined entities that we can clearly and definitively identify throughout history. Instead, both are explicit socio-historical constructions whose various meanings have been politically and economically motivated; have been challenged and questioned in numerous ways; and have been revised and re-envisioned countless times. During an interview, the celebrated African-American author Ralph Ellison was asked, Would you say that the search for identity is primarily an American theme? His response: It is the American theme. One might argue that U.S. literature is centrally concerned with the how and the why of American self-knowledge, selfunderstanding, and self-representationthat is, with the question of national identity. For this reason, the course will pay careful attention to the important literary texts, artistic movements, and broader historical influences that have shaped the traditional canon of American literature and, with it, notions of American identity. At the same time, the class will concentrate on the challenges directed at traditional conceptions of American literature and will explore the alternative visions of America captured in U.S. radical and ethnic literatures.

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COURSE OBJECTIVES AND OUTCOMES English 270B will introduce students to a wide selection of important U.S. literary texts as a means by which to broaden their understanding of U.S. literature, culture, and history. Through active participation in guided readings and class discussions, and by completing both formal and informal writing assignments, students will demonstrate the following content-based and skill-based learning outcomes: ! Students will gain a critical understanding of U.S. literature, including its broad range of literary genres, themes, styles, and discursive practices. ! Students will demonstrate knowledge of the salient features of key U.S. literary movements and schools of thought. ! Students will demonstrate the ability to analyze and write about issues that are central to U.S. literature, with particular attention given to questions of class, race, gender, sexuality, and nation. ! Students will have knowledge about the cultural, social, economic, political, and historical contexts that are critical to understanding U.S. literature. ! Students will demonstrate a critical understanding of multiple disciplinary perspectives and methods in developing informed discussions about U.S. literature; special attention will be paid to the practice of close reading and to historical periodization. ! Students will demonstrate the ability to communicate in clear and persuasive prose, conduct scholarly research (locate and analyze sources), and effectively draft research papers that successfully engage in academic criticism by developing reasonable, clear, and well-supported arguments. ATTENDANCE POLICY Regular attendance is mandatory and crucial to performing well in the class. Students are expected to attend all scheduled meetings and to complete all scheduled readings prior to our class meeting. Students may have a valid reason to miss a classdocumentation is required (e.g., a doctors note). Students are responsible for informing the instructor of the valid reason for the absence and for arranging to make up missed assignments and class work insofar as this is possible. Four unexcused absences will significantly lower your final participation grade. In this course, the sixth unexcused absence will result in an F for your participation grade. For more information on CSULB policy regarding attendance and absences, please see: http://www.csulb.edu/divisions/aa/grad_undergrad/senate/documents/policy/2001/01/ Students are expected to be in their seats by the beginning of class. Students who constantly arrive late will be asked to drop the class. Persistent late arrivals may lead to a 10% final overall grade reduction. CLASSROOM LOGISTICS ! Laptop and other electronic devices: No electronic devices are allowed in class. If you would like to use an electronic reader (Kindle, Nook, etc.), you must obtain the professors permission beforehand. ! Cell phones and texting: You should turn off cell phones during class. Students who text during class will be asked to leave the class. Students who text during the first two weeks of class and break this rule repeatedly will be dropped from the course. After that, students will receive one warning; if the problem persists, the student will receive a 10% final overall grade reduction. Please keep your cell phones in your backpacks or out of view. If you are expecting an important call, please alert the professor before class. DISABLED STUDENT SERVICES Disabled Student Services (DSS) assists students with disabilities as they secure their university degrees at CSU Long Beach. The DSS office is located in Brotman Hall, Room 270, and can be reached at (562) 985-4635. Students requesting accommodations should inform the professor during the first week of classes about any disability or special needs that may require specific arrangements/accommodations related to attending class sessions, completing course assignments, writing papers or quizzes, tests or examinations. More valuable information about the services provided by DSS to students may be found at: http://www.csulb.edu/divisions/students/dss/

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ACADEMIC DISHONESTY AND PLAGIARISM All work submitted for this course must be your original writing, and the use of references and any quoted, summarized, or paraphrased material must be properly cited using MLA guidelines. CSU Long Beach Policy Statement 85.19 defines plagiarism as the act of using the ideas or work of another person or persons as if they were ones own, without giving credit to the source. . . . Examples of plagiarism include, but are not limited to, the following: the submission of a work, either in part or in whole, completed by another; failure to give credit for ideas, statements, facts or conclusions with rightfully belong to another; in written work, failure to use quotation marks when quoting directly from another, whether it be a paragraph, a sentence, or even a part thereof; close and lengthy paraphrasing of another writing or paraphrasing should consult the professor. If you submit any work that is based on the words, ideas, and/or structure of another individuals writing, or if you submit work that fails to cite properly your researched information, then you are guilty of plagiarism. All print and electronic sources used in your writing must be identified. Simply changing a word or two in a sentence is NOT paraphrasing, nor does it mean that the sentence is now your original writing. In addition, turning in the same essay for more than one class without notifying the professors is considered plagiarism. Please be aware that plagiarism is grounds for an automatic F on the assignment and, at the professors discretion, a possible F for the course. For the full details of CSULB policy on academic dishonesty, please see: http://www.csulb.edu/divisions/aa/grad_undergrad/senate/documents/policy/1985/19/ WRITERS RESOURCE LAB AT CSULB Academic writing is a central part of this course. To be successful in the class, students will need to convey their ideas and analysis in clear, effective prose. The Writers Resource Lab at CSULB is an excellent resource for assistance with your writing. The Writers Resource Lab is located in the Language Arts Building (LAB), room 206, and appointments can be made by calling (562) 985-4329. More information about the Writers Resource Lab can be found at: http://www.csulb.edu/colleges/cla/departments/english/wrl/ Several useful writing handouts are available at the Writers Resource Lab website: http://www.csulb.edu/colleges/cla/departments/english/wrl/handouts/ OVERVIEW OF ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING All formal and informal assignments are due at the beginning of class on the date assigned. No late work will be accepted one week after the due date. Late work will be accepted ONLY if students have made prior arrangements with the instructor. Please make sure to contact the instructor if you anticipate a problem meeting assignment due dates. Students are required to submit both a hard copy of writing assignments to the instructor and a digital copy of writing assignments to Turnitin via BeachBoard. Failure to submit essays to Turnitin will result in an F for the assignment. All assignments must be typed, double-spaced, and formatted according to MLA guidelines. For basic MLA format guidelines, see the OWL website for Purdue University: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/ In preparation for all course assignments, please make sure to consult the General Grading Rubric for Writing Assignments on page 10 of the course syllabus.

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Critical Analysis Paper (10%) Students will complete a short paper that critically analyses one key section from Walt Whitmans Song of Myself OR a key scene from Zitkala !as Impressions of an Indian Childhood and School Days of an Indian Girl. The critical analysis paper must be typed, double-spaced, follow MLA formatting guidelines, and should be 2 pages in length. If you are not sure on what to write, consult with the professor sooner rather than later. The critical analysis paper comprises four distinct parts: quotation, introduction, analysis, and conclusion. (1) The quotation is simply section from Whitman or the passage from !a under discussion. (2) The introduction is the context-setting opening sentence(s), which should explain the theme you will discuss and your argument/thesis about it. (3) The analysis is your examination of that sections pattern(s), figurative language, imagery, and any other relevant literary elements, in order to point out the significant features that relate to your argument/thesis. This section should be the bulk of your paper: the analysis is where you show your reader the significance of the passage selected from the text. (4) The conclusion is your explanation of what is revealed to the reader by this passage from the text. Critical analysis is how you get from the quotation to the conclusion. Basic requirements for the critical analysis paper: 1. Provides a critical analysis of one passage from Whitmans poem or !as autobiography 2. Meets the minimum 2 page length requirement 3. Follows MLA formatting for the document and in-text citations (no works cited page is needed) The critical analysis paper is due on Thursday, February 6. Close Reading Paper (20%) Students will complete an essay that develops a close critical analysis of one of the assigned course texts. The close reading paper must be typed, double-spaced, follow MLA formatting guidelines, and should range from 3 to 4 pages in length. The close reading paper can discuss any aspect of the selected text, but students are encouraged to focus on key ideas and passages discussed in class. If you are not sure on what to write, consult with the professor sooner rather than later. Close reading papers should have no introduction and no conclusion. Begin by stating the theme/topic you will discuss in the paper, introduce the text and author, and then provide your thesis statement (key argument). In the following paragraphs, explain and elaborate on your arguments by critically analyzing and providing evidence from at least two related key scenes from the text. To do well on this assignment, students must: (1) provide a clear, arguable thesis statement about the text and topic/theme; (2) avoid summary and simple description when discussing examples from the text; (3) provide critical analysis of the scenes from the text with the goal of supporting and proving your thesis; and (4) demonstrate effective academic writing by generating focused, coherently-organized, and detailed paragraphs with clear topic sentences. You do not need secondary sources for this assignment; however, if you consult and/or cite secondary sources for your paper, make sure to include a bibliography or a works cited page, respectively. Basic requirements for the close reading paper: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Includes no introduction or conclusion: made up exclusively of thesis and analysis paragraphs Includes a clear, arguable thesis statement at the beginning of the paper Provides critical analysis of at least two related key scenes from the selected text Ranges from 3 to 4 pages in length Follows MLA formatting for the document and in-text citations (no works cited page is needed)

The close reading paper is due on Tuesday, March 11.

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Take Home Mid-Term Exam (15%) Your take home mid-term exam is due on Tuesday, March 25. The mid-term exam will consist of short answer questions and essay prompts that cover readings, short videos, and lectures from the first half of the semester. Research Proposal and Annotated Bibliography (5%) As a first step to the final research essay, students will complete a research proposal. The proposal should be 2 pages in length and follow MLA formatting guidelines. In the research proposal, students need to describe in detail the research topic, the course-assigned literary text under discussion, a working thesis statement, and a research plan. In general, research proposals should address the following questions: 1. 2. 3. 4. What is your research topic(s)? What research question(s) will you address? On which text(s) will you focus your critical analysis? What is your tentative thesis statement (main argument) for the essay? Given the existing scholarly research on your topic and text, why is your research project interesting, productive, important, and/or problematic? What does your research project contribute to the scholarly discussion?

Students must also include an MLA formatted annotated bibliography that includes at least 2 relevant secondary scholarly sources not assigned in class. Annotations should range from 4 to 5 sentences and should summarize the key arguments from the source and discuss its relevancy to the students research project. In preparing and formatting your annotated bibliography, please follow the guidelines provided at the OWL website for Purdue University: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/614/03/ and http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/05/ The research proposal and annotated bibliography are due on Tuesday, April 8. Formal Research Essay (25%) Students will complete an academic research essay as the culminating formal assignment for the course. The research essay can focus on any topic or theme relevant to the course and must provide a critical analysis of at least one of the assigned literary texts (novel, short story, play, or poem). The research paper should follow MLA formatting guidelines and range from 7 to 8 pages in length. In addition, students are required to attach an MLA-formatted works cited page that includes at least 3 secondary scholarly sources not assigned in the class (annotations are not required). Students should ultimately choose a topic and text(s) they find interesting and compelling, since a significant part of the semester will be spent on researching and writing for this assignment. Additionally, students should select a topic for which secondary scholarly sources are availableremember, at least 3 scholarly sources not assigned in class must be incorporated throughout your discussion and analysis in the research essay. If you are not sure on what to write, consult with the professor sooner rather than later. Basic requirements for the research essay: 6. 7. 8. 9. Provides a critical analysis of at least one of the assigned literary texts (novel, short story, or poem) Follows MLA formatting for the document, in-text citation, and works cited page Ranges from 7 to 8 pages in length Cites and incorporates at least 3 secondary scholarly sources not assigned in the class

The research essay is due on Thursday, May 8 (the last day of instruction).

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Take Home Final Exam (15%) Your take home final exam is due on Friday, May 16, in the professors mailbox at the English Department (Fourth Floor of MHB). Make sure to upload a digital copy to BeachBoard. As with the mid-term, the final exam will consist of short answer questions and essay prompts that cover readings, short videos, and lectures from the second half of the semester. While not cumulative, the final exam will ask you to build on the information and texts discussed in the first half of the semester.

Attendance, Participation, and Class Discussion (10%) Students are required to attend class, to complete assigned readings, to bring assigned texts (books and PDFs) to class meetings, and to participate in all class discussions. Participation in seminar discussions is highly encouraged and contributes toward your final grade in the course. Class discussion largely will revolve around and depend on student comments and questions. Students are responsible for carefully reading the assigned texts, taking notes, and developing questions for class discussion. All students are expected to participate in and contribute to class discussions about the course readings and films. Simply attending every class meeting will not equal full participation points: students must actively and consistently participate in order to do well in this portion of the course grade. In addition, I may assign quizzes and short writing assignments that will count toward participation. Throughout the course, we will engage in discussion about controversial topics, such as race, gender, class, sexuality, and institutionalized forms of inequality. It is important to respect each other by avoiding hostile language and comments. Please share your views and insights on the readings, topics, and issues examined in the class. Feel free to disagree with the professor and classmates by presenting your points in a reasonable, rational, and collegial manner. Thoughtful disagreement and debate are crucial to learning and are thus very much welcome. No objectionable, offensive, racist, sexist, homophobic, and discriminatory language will be tolerated. As students of literature and language, we should always be aware not only of the context and audience for our statements, but also of the power of language to affect, negatively or positively, the individuals around us and the social spaces in which we participate. We must accept this responsibility conscientiously and sensibly. TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE Reading assignments should be completed prior to our scheduled class meetings. All writing assignments are due at the beginning of class. The professor reserves the right to make changes to the schedule throughout the semester as deemed necessary. PDF texts can be found on BeachBoard. You must bring all texts to class: PDF documents MUST be printed and brought to class, no exceptions. Please speak to the professor if you anticipate a problem printing PDF texts for the class.
Week One Tuesday 1/21 Introduction and Syllabus American Literature 1865-1914 pp. 3-16 (C) Thursday 1/23 American Literature 1865-1914 pp. 3-16 (C) Walt Whitman, Song of Myself sections 1-32 (C)

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Week Two Tuesday 1/28 Whitman, Song of Myself sections 33-52 (C) Frederick Jackson Turner, Significance of the Frontier in American History pp. 1132-36 (C) Theodore Roosevelt, The Strenuous Life pp. 1140-1143 (C) Thursday 1/30 Watch excerpt from film The Canary Effect (2006) Debates over Americanization p. 1132 (C) Jackson, A Century of Dishonor pp. 1150-55 (C) Zitkala !a, Impressions of an Indian Childhood and School Days of an Indian Girl pp. 1085-1100 (C) Week Three Tuesday 2/4 Emily Dickinson, 207, 225, 236, 320, 340, 353, 372, 409, 479, 591, 656, and 1263 (C) Thursday 2/6 Due: Critical Analysis Paper William Dean Howells, Henry James, Jr. and Novel-Writing pp. 902-907 (C) Henry James, The Art of Fiction pp. 908-909 (C) James, Daisy Miller: A Study pp. 417-439 [Parts 1-2] (C) Week Four Tuesday 2/11 James, Daisy Miller: A Study pp. 439-459 [Parts 3-4] (C) Thursday 2/13 Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Yellow Wall Paper and Why I Wrote pp. 790-804 (C) Kate Chopin, The Awakening Chapters 1-8 (C) Week Five Tuesday 2/18 Chopin, The Awakening Chapters 9-39 (C) Thursday 2/20 Finish discussion of Chopin, The Awakening (C) Frank Norris, Zola as a Romantic Writer and A Plea for Romantic Fiction pp. 910-916 (C) Jack London, Introduction pp. 1042-1043 (C) and The Apostate (PDF) John Steinbeck, Leader of the People pp. 881-92 (D) Week Six Tuesday 2/25 American Literature 1914-1945 pp. 3-20 (D) Ezra Pound, A Retrospect pp. 341-44, and poems A Pact and In a Station of the Metro p. 318 (D) Wallace Stevens, The Snow Man, Emperor of Ice-Cream, Disillusionment at Ten OClock, and The Plain Sense of Things (D) Thursday 2/27 World War I and its Aftermath pp. 214-216 (D) Ernest Hemingway, In Another Country (PDF) T. S. Eliot, Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock pp. 365-371 (D)

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Week Seven Tuesday 3/4 Robert Frost, The Figure a Poem Makes pp. 250-52 and poems The Pasture, Mowing, The Oven Bird, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, and The Road Not Taken (D) William Carlos Williams, To A Young Housewife, Spring and All, The Red Wheelbarrow, and This is Just to Say (D) Thursday 3/6 NO CLASS MEETING: Work on your close reading paper. Week Eight Tuesday 3/11 Due: Close Reading Paper Watch: The Harlem Renaissance video by History.com Claude McKay, If We Must Die p. 483 (D) Langston Hughes, The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain pp. 348-350 (D) and poems, The Negro Speaks of Rivers, Mother to Son, I, Too, and Weary Blues pp. 871-873 (D) Zora Neale Hurston, The Gilded Six-Bits pp. 541-550 (D) Thursday 3/13 Mid-Term Exam distributed in class today Langston Hughes, Song for a Dark Girl and Silhouette pp. 874 / 879 (D) Jean Toomer, Portrait in Georgia pp. 651 (D) Sterling Brown, He was a Man, Master and Man, and Bitter Fruit of the Tree pp. 866-869 (D); and Sharecropper (PDF) Week Nine Tuesday 3/18 William Faulkner, Barn Burning pp. 800-812 (D) Ralph Ellison, A Party Down at the Square (PDF)

Thursday 3/20 Watch: excerpt from film, Seeing Red Tillie Olsen, I Want You Women Up North to Know (PDF) Langston Hughes, Let America be America Again and Advertisement for the Waldorf-Astoria (PDF) Kenneth Fearing, Dirge and Denouement (PDF) Edwin Rolfe, Credo and Asbestos (PDF)
Week Ten Tuesday 3/25 Due: Mid-Term Exam F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Diamond as Big as the Ritz (PDF) Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby Chapters 1-3 Thursday 3/27 Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby Chapters 4-6

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Week Eleven / Spring Break No class meetings on Tuesday 4/1 and Thursday 4/3 Week Twelve Tuesday 4/8 Due: Research Proposal Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby Chapters 7-9 Thursday 4/10 American Literature since 1945 pp. 3-15 (E) Arthur Miller, Death of a Salesman, Act One pp. 236-268 (E) Week Thirteen Tuesday 4/15 Arthur Miller, Death of a Salesman, Act Two and Requiem pp. 268-303 (E) Thursday 4/17 Allen Ginsberg, Howl and Supermarket in California pp. 490-501 (E), and America (PDF) Week Fourteen Tuesday 4/22 Sylvia Plath, Morning Song, Lady Lazarus, Ariel, and Daddy pp. 623-631 (E) Adrienne Rich, Diving into the Wreck and Power pp. 573-576 (E) Thursday 4/24 James Baldwin, Going to Meet the Man pp. 423-436 (E) Larry Neal, excerpt from The Black Arts Movement (PDF) Amiri Baraka, A Poem Some People Will Have to Understand, SOS, Black Art (PDF) Week Fifteen Tuesday 4/29 Toni Cade Bambara, The Lesson (PDF) Audri Lorde, Equinox and Coal (PDF) Sonia Sanchez, homecoming (PDF) Nikki Giovanni, For Saundra and From a Logical Point of View (PDF) Thursday 5/1 Louise Erdrich, Dear John Wayne pp. 1139-41 (E) Leslie Marmon Silko, Lullaby pp. 1049-1056 (E) and Tonys Story (PDF) Week Sixteen Tuesday 5/6 Sandra Cisneros, Woman Hollering Creek pp. 1130-1139 (E) Jhumpa Lahiri, Sexy pp. 1222-1239 (E) Thursday 5/8 Due: Final Research Paper Final Exam distributed in class today. Final Exams Monday, May 12 Saturday, May 17, 2014 Due: Final Exam due on Friday 5/16 in the professors mailbox at the English Department.

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GENERAL GRADING RUBRIC FOR WRITING ASSIGNMENTS

A Range Thesis Statement: Easily identifiable, plausible, novel, sophisticated, insightful, and crystal clear. Structure: Evident, understandable, and appropriate for thesis. Excellent transitions from point to point. Paragraphs support solid topic sentences. Use of evidence: Primary and/or secondary source information used to support every point with at least one example. Examples support key claims and fit within paragraph. Excellent integration of quoted material into sentences. Analysis: Author clearly relates evidence to key points; analysis is fresh and exciting, posing new ways to think of the material. Logic and argumentation: All ideas in the paper flow logically; the argument is identifiable, reasonable, and sound. Author anticipates and successfully defuses counter-arguments; makes novel connections to outside material (from other parts of the class and/or research) which illuminates thesis. Mechanics: Sentence structure, grammar, and diction are excellent; correct use of punctuation and citation style; minimal to no spelling errors; absolutely no run-on sentences or comma splices. B Range Thesis: Promising, but may be slightly unclear, or lack insight or originality. Structure: Generally clear and appropriate, though may wander occasionally. May have a few unclear transitions, or for written assignments, a few paragraphs without strong topic sentences. Use of evidence: Examples used to support most points, though not all key claims. Some evidence does not support point or may appear where inappropriate. Quotations well integrated into sentences. Analysis: Evidence often related to key claims, though links perhaps not very clear. Logic and argumentation: Argument of paper is clear, usually flows logically and makes sense. Some counterarguments acknowledged, though perhaps not addressed. Makes occasional insightful connections to outside material. Mechanics: Sentence structure, grammar, and diction strong despite occasional lapses; punctuation and citation style often used correctly. Some (minor) spelling errors; may have one run-on sentence or comma splice. C Range Thesis: Difficult to identify at all, and may be a bland restatement of obvious point. May be unclear (contain many vague terms), appear unoriginal, or offer relatively little that is new; provides little around which to structure the paper. Structure: Generally unclear, often wanders or jumps around because thesis is weak or non-existent. Few or weak transitions that are confusing and unclear. For written assignments, contains few topic sentences. Use of evidence: Points often lack supporting evidence, or evidence used where inappropriate (often because there may be no clear point). Very few or very weak examples. General failure to support statements, or evidence seems to support no statement. Quotations not integrated into sentences, but rather inserted with no effective introduction and commentary. Analysis: Quotations appear often without analysis relating them to key claims, or analysis offers nothing beyond the quotation. Very little or very weak attempt to relate evidence to argument. Logic and argumentation: Logic may often fail, or argument may often be unclear. Ideas do not flow at all, usually because there is no argument to support. May not address counter-arguments or make any outside connections. Simplistic view of topic; no effort to grasp possible alternative views. Mechanics: Big problems in sentence structure, grammar, and diction. Frequent major errors in citation style, punctuation, and spelling. May have many run-on sentences and comma splices. Non-Passing Paper (D F Range) Shows obviously minimal lack of effort or comprehension of the assignment. Very difficult to understand owing to major problems with mechanics, structure, and analysis. Has no identifiable thesis, or utterly ineffective or unrelated thesis.
Rubric adapted from Paul Halsalls website at Fordham University http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/med/rubric.html