WRITING REQUIREMENTS

UNDERGRADUATE JOURNALS AND PROJECT PAPERS (grads and honors students see modifications below). GRADE EXPLANATIONS

"A" grade journal entry or an "A" grade project paper looks like one of the following:

it is a minimum of two full pages of very critically engaged writing (it is crunchy) and it is extremely well written. Well written means it is "tight" writing (not full of "fat"... see below), it has a clear organization, it flows well from idea to idea, it is free from grammatical and spelling errors. The crunchiness has been obtained through critical thinking and/or additional research (which is cited) and/or application to your own work or life.
it is a minimum of three full pages of somewhat critically engaged writing (it is providing a synthesis) and it is very well written
it is a minimum of four full pages of very well written "summary style" (or outline style) that is not critically engaged

"B" grade journal entry or an "B" grade project paper looks like one of the following:

it is a minimum of two full pages of somewhat critically engaged writing (it is providing a synthesis) and it is well written
it is a minimum of three full pages of well written "summary style" (or outline style) that is not critically engaged

"C" grade journal entry or an "C" grade project paper looks like one of the following:

it is a minimum of two full pages of somewhat critically engaged writing (it is providing a synthesis) but it is not very well written (it has problems with organization and flow, grammar etc., but I can still understand what you mean and it is clear that your ideas are valid).
it is a minimum of three full pages of "summary style" (or outline style) that is not critically engaged and it is not very well written

"D" grade journal entry or an "D" grade project paper looks like one of the following:

it is a minimum of two full pages of somewhat critically engaged writing (it is providing a synthesis) but it is so poorly written that I have difficulty understanding what you mean. It is not clear to me that your ideas are valid.
it is a minimum of three full pages of "summary style" (or outline style) that is not critically engaged and it is so poorly written that I have difficulty understanding what you mean.

"F" grade journal entry or project paper

does not demonstrate even a basic attempt at completing the assignment

PLAIGIARISM will result in an F in the class and you may be disciplined further, up to expulsion from the university.

direct quoting without citing a source and placing quotation marks around the quote
misrepresenting a direct quote as a paraphrase
misrepresenting a paraphrase as your own ideas (putting someone else's ideas in your own words without identifying the original source of those ideas in a citation)
these rules apply to the course text, which need only be cited as (CO, p. X) or (Buskirk, p. X)
these rules apply to any sources other than the course texts, which should include a full citation (author, title, date, page or full URL)
these rules DO NOT apply to lecture material. It is NOT NECESSARY to provide a citation for lecture material.

GRADUATE AND HONORS' STUDENT REQUIREMENTS

Students enrolled for graduate credit or as undergraduate honors are expected to produce work that is VERY WELL WRITTEN and HIGHLY ENGAGED (CRUNCHY) by the above definitions. Graduate students and Honors students do not receive "slack" with regards to the quality of your writing and the demonstration of critical thinking skills.

Graduates and Honors Students are expected to do 25% more work as well. This means that if the minimum for undergraduates is 2 pages; the minimum for graduates and Honors Students is 2 1/2 pages.

This applies both to journal entries and project papers.

COMMON PROBLEMS and my "code" for them.

awk = the underlined portion is awkward/unclear
org/flow = at this point it is no longer clear where your essay is going
n.a.s. = not a sentence
smiley face = you made me smile here
check mark = indicates something that I was looking for (this is a good thing)
circled word = spelling error
circled word + wd = poor word choice (usually this means you used a word incorrectly... you meant a different word)
tighten = remove the "fat" from this sentence/paragraph. You don't need this many words to get your point across. You might be "padding" your essay or you might be "rambling" on about a point you've already made.
crunchy = something with texture/to chew on... you've identified an inconsistency or irony... you are using critical thinking. You have moved beyond summary and elementary synthesis to high level of engagement. You can obtain crunchiness through comparison and contrast (of ideas, of works of art, of lecture and reading material) and by application (by finding an example in your own life to relate the course material to).
mushy = too general, details needed, examples needed
source?=you need a citation for this, as I strongly suspect this is not your own idea and/or not in your own words. See notes about plagiarism above under "F" journal entry/"F" project paper

THE WRITING GRID

JOURNAL AND GENERAL WRITING CRITERIA... Please note that is a GENERAL GUIDELINE... the page amounts listed here are EXAMPLES for your consideration. Refer to the specific instructions for your exam and/or journal for the "actual" page requirements.

Irrespective of number of pages (minimum and maximum); completeness and engagement are the primary criteria I employ. Consider the following table in terms of good/better/best and consider methods to improve your performane. Note: if you are writing a journal and choosing from the JOURNAL MADNESS selections, make sure to read the descriptions of how you will be graded for futher advice).

	"Page" Requirements associated with this level	"Engagement Level"	Ways to Improve your score WITHIN this level of engagement.
BEST	MINIMUM	Application (taking the information from one instance and applying it to a different instance). This involves both creative thinking and the drawing of comparative analysis.	If you're at this level, you're implementing something from your personal life (your major, a hobby, something) and demonstrating a high level of personal engagement. You could also integrate outside additional information (on-line research, for instance). Make sure to cite any outside sources (I don't care what style, just make sure I could find it if I needed to). Internet sources must include full URL.
BETTER	SLIGHTLY MORE THAN MINIMUM (if minimum is 2 pages then you should be doing at least 3 to receive full points). Another option is to do MORE than the requirement number of entries.	Synthesis (putting the information in your own words and making comparative analyses).	You could make sure to draw active comparisons with other work/artists/styles in your other summaries (showing developments and influences, for instance). You could also integrate outside additional information (on-line research, for instance). You could also include an artist or designer you find interesting but who was NOT covered in class or the textbook, and discuss that artist's work along with a work that WAS covered. Make sure to cite any outside sources (I don't care what style, just make sure I could find it if I needed to). Internet sources must include full URL.
GOOD	DOUBLE THE MINIMUM (if minimum is 2 than you should be doing at least 4 to receive full points). Another option is to do MORE than the required number of entries.	Summarizing (basically repeating information from class and the textbook). While the information could (and should ideally) be placed in your own words, comparative analyses are not being made. Each work/artist/style covered is treated like an individual entity unrelated to other works/artists/styles.	You could integrate outside additional information (on-line research, for instance), or focus on more than one artist and/or artwork in each summary (this is a way to extend the length). Make sure to cite any outside sources (I don't care what style, just make sure I could find it if I needed to). Internet sources must include full URL.