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iRubric: Seminar in Africana Studies - Freedom Dreams - MidTerm rubric

iRubric: Seminar in Africana Studies - Freedom Dreams - MidTerm rubric

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Seminar in Africana Studies - Freedom Dreams - MidTerm 
Seminar in Africana Studies - Freedom Dreams - MidTerm
Research Prospectus and Annotated Bibliography - At this point you should be able to answer at least some of these questions and to begin mapping out your plan for the final paper, the topic for which must relate to African-descended people either here in the United States or around the world.
Rubric Code: A229CA8
By akissib
Draft
Public Rubric
Subject: Social Sciences  
Type: Assessment  
Grade Levels: Undergraduate

Powered by iRubric Prospectus and Annotated Bibliography
At this point you should be able to answer at least some of your research questions and to begin mapping out your plan for the final paper.
  Excellent

5 pts

Good

4 pts

Fair

3 pts

Poor

2 pts

Topic/Thesis

I. Importance/Relevance
II. Appropriateness to the field
III. Scope
IV. Background/Context
Excellent

Topic is cutting edge, relevant, groundbreaking, or significant to field/audience. Scope is narrowly focused for time constraints/requirements. Presentation provides background necessary for context. Thesis is exceptionally
clear, well-developed, and definitive. Central purpose is readily apparent to
reader. Writing reflects exceptionally critical, relevant, and consistent
connections between
evidence and thesis and includes excellent analysis and compelling evidence from
trusted sources.
Good

Topic is current, important, and appropriate to the field/audience. Topic is specific and well-drawn but scope requires further narrowing to meet time
constraints/requirements. Presentation of background needs more development to establish context. Thesis is clear and arguable statement. Writing has a clear purpose but may sometimes digress. Writing reflects consistent connections made between evidence and thesis. Paper includes good analysis, and legitimate sources are generally
present.
Fair

Topic tangentially relates to field, is not current but may possess some relevance, is focused but lacks additional direction. Scope is too broad for time constraints/requirements. Topic is vague and does not fully delineate context/ background. Thesis is somewhat
clear and arguable. Purpose
is not consistently clear. Writing reflects some
connections between evidence and thesis,
features some analysis. Many statements seem unsubstantiated. Reader is confused about sources and ideas.
Poor

Topic is not current and/or lacks importance or appropriateness to the field or is otherwise unclearly defined. The topic’s scope/lens is too narrow. The topic is severely underdeveloped and does not convincingly introduce and/or analyze its background to provide proper context. The paper’s purpose is
unclear. Writing reflects limited or no
connections
between evidence and
thesis. Paper reflects a lack of analysis. References seldom
support statements.
Research Questions

Strong, viable research questions seek to improve knowledge on an important topic and are narrow and specific
Excellent

Research questions and sub-questions are sensible and answerable. The questions are few in number, are clearly stated, and are open-ended. The questions are well developed with a scope appropriate to available resources and the requirements for the assignment. Questions are grounded in background information but display a high level of independent thought and inquiry.
Good

Research questions and sub-questions are sensible and answerable. However, though they are few in number, not all are clearly stated, or not all are open-ended.
The questions are fairly focused and are a good fit for available resources. The questions show some understanding of issues and concepts related to the subject and display some aspects of original thought or investigation.
Fair

The majority of the research questions and sub-questions are sensible, are answerable, are few in number, are clearly stated, and are open-ended.
The questions are related to the topic, but are too broad or too narrow. The topic and the questions it birthed cannot be realistically researched with available resources and/or time. Alternately, questions may be basic enough to be easily answered with general background resources instead of requiring deeper investigation.
Poor

Only 1 or 2 of the research questions and sub-questions are sensible or are answerable. Only 1 or 2 are clearly stated and open-ended. The questions are not related to the topic, are not grounded in background information, and/or display minimal independent thought or inquiry.
Style/Format/Length/Composing/Word Choice/Grammar

Consistency of style across essay in its entirety. Paper is 250 words, double-spaced
Standards/Conventions
I. Organization
II. Word choice
III. Grammar/Usage and Mechanics
Please note: The first draft of the final paper must be at least 1000-1250 words (4-5 pages)of their final paper. The final paper must be 2000-2500 words on any pre-approved topic.
Excellent

The paper conforms to
rules of chosen format
The paper is 250 words, double spaced.
ORGANIZATION: Writer demonstrates logical
and subtle sequencing of ideas; transitions are
used to enhance organization.
WORD CHOICE: Chosen words are consistently
precise and accurate.
GRAMMAR/USAGE AND MECHANICS: The writing is free or almost
free of errors.
Good

The paper
conforms to
rules for formatting with
minor exceptions. The paper is 249-230 words.
ORGANIZATION: The development of ideas is
present but not perfected.
WORD CHOICE: Word choice is generally good.
The writer often goes beyond the
generic word to find one more
precise and effective.
GRAMMAR/USAGE AND MECHANICS:
There are occasional errors, but
they don't represent a major
distraction or obscure meaning.
Fair

The paper is plagued with frequent errors in use of chosen
format, student uses a variety of formatting styles, with some inconsistencies throughout the paper. The paper is 229-215 words. ORGANIZATION:
Logical organization but
ideas not fully
developed.
WORD CHOICE:
Word choice is merely adequate,
and the range of words is
limited. Some words are used
inappropriately.
GRAMMAR/USAGE AND MECHANICS: The writing has many errors, and
the reader is distracted by them.
Poor

The paper reflects a lack of
formatting or numerous
errors in use of chosen format,
the paper reflects a lack of
format or style and numerous
errors. Paper has more than 250 words or fewer than 215 words.
ORGANIZATION:
There is no evidence of structure or
organization.
WORD CHOICE:
Many words are used
inappropriately, confusing the
reader.
GRAMMAR/USAGE AND MECHANICS: There are so many errors that
meaning is obscured. The
reader is confused and stops
reading.
Literature Review/Annotated Bibliography

Includes a brief summary of each source including: 1) the topic of the source, 2) the author’s main argument and 3) how the source supports your paper topic and/or 4) thesis statement.
I. Alphabetical order
II. Reference information/ Identification of sources
III. Sequence within individual references
IIII. Adherence to convention (APA or Chicago 17th ed. format)
Excellent

Bibliography includes 5-7 scholarly/peer-reviewed sources. Sources
include general background and specialized sources. The bibliography consistently models the APA language conventions or Chicago 17th ed. format. Electronic sources are identified correctly. Original sources are clearly identified and correctly cited. All annotations
are thoughtful,
complete (including the
evaluative
material included
in the instructions), and
well-written. There are no errors in the bibliography.
Good

Bibliography includes only 3 or 4 scholarly/peer-reviewed sources. Sources
include general background and specialized sources. While there were minor errors, conventions for APA style and format are used consistently throughout the document. The majority of electronic sources are cited correctly. Most annotations are thoughtful, complete (including the evaluative
material included in
the instructions), and well
written. There are 3 errors or fewer in the bibliography.
Fair

Bibliography includes only 2 or 3 scholarly/peer-reviewed sources. Sources
include only general background sources or only
specialized sources. There are consistent citing mistakes made within the body of the bibliography. Electronic sources are incorrectly cited. Most
annotations are lacking in
completeness (including the
evaluative material included in the instructions), thought, and/or writing quality. There are 4 or 5 errors in the bibliography.
Poor

Bibliography includes 1 or 2 scholarly/peer-reviewed sources. Sources are only general or only specialized. There are numerous citation errors and failure to follow convention. This includes: lack of alphabetical order, incomplete information, incorrect source identification, incorrect sequence within references. All annotations are lacking in completeness (including evaluative material included in the instructions), thought, and/or writing quality. There are more than 5 errors in bibliography.
Projected Outline

Excellent

Paper's points are definitely, precisely articulated. Points clearly, effectively elaborate on thesis. Points clearly, effectively sync with ideas in thesis. Each point has wealth of details/
examples to support it. Supporting examples/details are clear, sophisticated, insightfully chosen, reveal in-depth understanding. Argument is clear and logical and very effective. Format makes it easy to see relationships between ideas and supports. All examples/
details include citations.
Good

Paper's major points are clearly stated. All points relate directly to thesis. Ideas outlined in thesis are included in points. Each point has enough examples/details to support it. All examples/details are directly related to point they support; reveal solid understanding of topic. Argument is clear and logical; organization of ideas is effective. Format shows relationships between ideas and supporting information. Most examples/details include citation of the source.
Fair

Not all points are clearly stated. Most points relate to thesis, but 1 or more aspects have no elaboration/have discrepancies. Most points have supporting details, but some lack support. Most examples relate to points but demonstrate basic understanding or lack of focus; examples are general, reveal limited knowledge. Argument is sometimes unclear, illogical; format is sometimes unclear or inappropriate, doesn't always show relationships between ideas and supports. Few examples are cited.
Poor

Outline does not include enough major points to prove thesis.
Points seem to address different ideas than thesis. Main points do not match thesis. Outline does not include supporting
information. Information does not relate to topic; writer misinterprets examples/details;
writer seems to not understand topic. Sequence is very confusing; no apparent connection between ideas. Information is simply listed on page, without indication of structural relevance. Sources not included in
outline.





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