The Assignments are designed to help you think through complex ethical issues and the case studies we'll focus on during class.
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I expect all papers to follow academic and professional best practices. We'll discuss these practices at length during class, but this means that you should be writing in a formal tone (think Pew Research or Data & Society as opposed to Reddit or Buzzfeed).
Please remember to:
- Use Active Sentences
- Refrain from the second person (no "you" in your papers)
- Write in complete sentences and paragraphs
- Limit your use of meaningless adjectives and adverbs
- Do Not add filler just to hit the word count (I don't want to read it and you don't want to write it). Filler is painfully obvious to everyone involved.
Formatting Basics
- 12 Point Font
- Times New Roman
- MS Word or Google Docs
- MLA Citation or Chicago
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Online Resources for Writers
Assignments
Engagement (30%)
Data Set Analysis (20%)
Portfolio Assignment (50%)
Grading Scales & Rubrics
| A Work | B Work | C Work | D & F |
|---|---|---|---|
Your writing is clear, but needs a little polish. You're missing one requirement. | Your writing isn't entirely clear and you're missing more than one requirement. | We should discuss your grade | |
A few more rounds of editing and you'll be ready to publish | Work on the structure and developing a clear thesis to improve | Let's set up some time to talk |
Qualities of an A Paper
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- Essay controlled by a clear, precise, well-defined thesis: is sophisticated in both statement and insight
- Explicitly connects the prompt insightfully to context
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- Cogent analysis
- Shows command of interpretive and conceptual tasks required by assignment and course materials
- Ideas are original and insightful
- Building on discussion, lecture, and reading assignments
- Persuasive reasoning develops and support thesis
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- Examines the topic and its context deeply and carefully in order to inform thoughtful analysis
- Well-chosen examples from assigned readings support development of thesis
- You're showing, not telling
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- Clear introduction and conclusion paragraphs
- Arrangement of paragraphs seems particularly apt
- Appropriate, clear and smooth transitions
- Excellent use of topic sentences
- Avoids "absolutes" in statements and defaults to accurate phrases
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- Uses sophisticated sentences effectively (not necessarily long or complex sentences)
- Usually chooses words aptly
- Observe conventions of written English
- Few minor or technical errors
- Using active verbs as opposed to adverbs
- Use active sentences as opposed to passive sentences