Write a short essay, (about 1000 words), including an introduction and conclusion. The essay should have a thesis/argument that answers the question in the prompt directly. Body paragraphs should each

Overall Expectation of the Exam

The exam is meant to provide a chance for students to synthesize material from the course and to come up with some arguments and ideas that they can take with them (about what they believe about course themes). I am hoping that they will generate some insightful and interesting responses, and use the course material to prove their points of view. Overall, the exam is meant to be a learning experience as much as an evaluative process where the students will hopefully arrive at some conclusions about what they believe about themes of the course.

Three Areas of Grading for Each Exam Question

1. Appropriateness of the Examples/Cases Chosen [25%% of the Final grade]

A+ (98-100): Chose wonderful examples and key parts of the course material that really exemplify the argument they make. You cannot really think of any other readings or cases that would be more appropriate than those chosen.

A (93-97): Great examples from the course materials. Maybe some are less appropriate than the others, or there is a weaker example, but overall, you think the cases chosen were strong examples of their argument.

1. (90-92): Good cases chosen again—maybe one or two could have been stronger, but overall very good choices in proving their argument. You may have had a counter argument or two to some of the cases chosen that was not addressed, but still feel the appropriateness of the course material was good. You probably are able to think of a couple examples that would have worked better in your opinion.

B+ (88-89): Similar to the A- response, but appropriateness is less ideal. For example, you could think of three or four other cases and examples from class that would have worked much better. Maybe overall, you felt less convinced in these papers compared to the A- ones.

B (83-87): Similar to the B+ but maybe one or a few examples are very inappropriate or seems to be chosen because they knew it best even though it did not really fit with their argument well. Again, you could think of three to five other cases, readings, videos etc. that would have worked much better.

1. (80-82): Overall poor choice of examples and cases. Several examples are obviously better and for some reason not chosen. All or most examples are not really ideal in proving their argument.

C+ and Lower: Appropriateness decreases—you feel that the paper demonstrates an overall lack of range across course material (in other words, it seems apparent that the student did not read all readings or see all the videos or come to all the lectures), and therefore chose examples poorly.

1. Interaction with Course Materials (Readings, Lectures, Examples, Cases, Videos) [25%% of the Final grade]

A+ (98-100): Gave specific reference (not necessarily a quote) from course material and described them with excellent understanding. Through connections between the course materials and their argument, the response shows excellent comprehension and even an insight or connection that pushes the course material a little beyond itself.

A (93-97): Gave specific reference to course material and described them with strong understanding. Appropriateness of the reading to proving their argument shows insightfulness of the student as well as a deep understanding of the reading/case/theme. The way they use the course material to prove their argument is also very convincing.

1. (90-92): Gave specific reference to course material and described them with good understanding. The use of the reading/case/examples to prove the argument was good, but not superb—showing some weakness in understanding of the reading.

B+ (88-89): Similar to the A- response, but specific reference to examples were more vague and general, where perhaps it was unclear how deeply they understood the course material. Understanding of the readings did not feel particularly strong.

B (83-87): General examples from course material show some misunderstandings. Also, the use of the readings and cases seemed to lack depth and made you feel like you wanted more discussion, interaction, and/or convincing proof.

1. (80-82): Poor engagement with the course materials. Some mention of how they prove their argument, but very weak or nonspecific. Misunderstandings in the course materials used and unable to clearly see the appropriateness of the examples they chose leading to a rather unconvincing use of evidence from the course material.

C+ and Lower: Very generic and no specifics in terms of course material references as well as the use of these examples was not convincing. Perhaps in some cases, they did not even use course material or relied too much on outside experiences or personal examples. Did not seem like they even did the reading, attended lecture, or understood course material well. Very minimal effort is shown. How low you go (D, etc.) is dependent on how little the author engaged and tried.

1. Argument and Insightful Content [50% of the Final grade]

A+ (98-100): Specific argument that is well-crafted, clear, and insightful. The argument remains the central focus of the entire paper and grows in depth and insight over the course of the paper. Exceptional depth and shows a complicated understanding of course material. Overall argument stands out, especially given the limitations of space provided and you are very convinced of their position.

A (93-97): Has a strong argument from the beginning that is well-crafted, clear, and has some interesting insight. The argument may be somewhat simple, but has depth in its articulation and development. By the end of the paper you are convinced of the argument and believe they have done an excellent job conveying their main argument

1. (90-92): Same as an A, but there are parts where the argument is lost or unclear. Also the depth of insight feels incomplete at some points where you feel like the argument is a bit shallow or oversimplified. At the end, though, you are overall convinced of the argument that the student has tried to convey.

B+ (88-89): Paper has an argument and generally sticks to it, but the paper’s point feels shallow in some places or overly simplistic. While you are somewhat convinced of the argument by the end, several counter arguments feel overlooked and unaddressed but feel essential or important to writing a convincing argument

B (83-87): The argument feels non-specific and vague, and is therefore weak. The argument also lacks insightfulness and is mostly shallow or overly simplistic, overlooking many key ideas of the course.

1. (80-82): Barely an argument in the response and seems to be coming at the question from a factual point of view, rather than a more synthesis way of approach. The argument is weak and sometimes contradicts itself. Overall, the insight feels lacking.

C+ and Lower: No argument or thesis. Purely a descriptive paper with no depth or specificity