Explanation and Rubric for Women in U.S. history essay
Essay Assignment: Write a (roughly) 5-8 page (double-spaced) research paper on the woman, women’s issue, women’s organization, or women’s movement of your choice. Your topic must take place any time during or after the American Civil War, and must be approved by me during the second week of class. I am very flexible in terms of your choice of topic, but please confirm it with me ahead of time. You must use at least three sources in addition to our two textbooks for your research. Since we are under time constraints, I won’t require these sources to be print sources (i.e. you can use three online sources). However, use good judgment when looking for information about your topic. Online academic journals are good sources for this kind of research, and those can be accessed through ASU’s library website. Avoid using blogs, social media sites, and contemporary news sites. Let me know if you need assistance with research, and I will try to provide you with the necessary tools. The paper will be due on the Wednesday of the last week of classes at midnight. This assignment is worth 50 points
When writing your essay, consider the following (you don’t necessarily have to answer all of these questions; they are merely intended to help you plan your research and structure your paper):
- Make sure that you form a strong introduction with an argument about your topic, and end with a convincing conclusion
- Consider the trustworthiness of your sources
- What/Who is my paper about?
- What is the purpose/importance of researching this topic?
- How has this individual/organization/group/topic impacted American society—not only in terms of “women’s issues,”—but also in terms of overall social/political/economic etc. impact?
- How does your topic relate to certain themes and historical lenses, such as race, ethnicity, religion, economics, politics, the tension between liberty and order, and the various methods people use to gain and perpetuate power (among others)?
- How does your topic contribute to your overall understanding of the history of women in the United States?
- What does your research suggest about the evolution of different conceptions of citizenship, natural rights, the construction of social norms, law and order, justice, and liberty and freedom throughout American history?
- What, if anything, does your research suggest about the construction of gender, class, and race in American society?
Your essay should be (roughly) 5-8 pages in length, double-spaced, with 1-inch margins and 12-point font. Please use the Chicago/Turabian format of footnote citations, which can be found at: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html
The following is a general rubric for how I will grade the essay:
- 45-50 points = The essay is well written and free of spelling and grammatical errors. The student has demonstrated a thorough knowledge of their topic, and has successfully constructed and defended an argument regarding their topic. The essay effectively conveys the historical significance of their topic with appropriate facts and argumentation. Finally, the essay has effectively considered and addressed several of the above questions regarding their topic.
- 40-44 points = The essay is well written and largely free of spelling and grammatical errors. The student has demonstrated a general knowledge of their topic, and constructed and defended their own position on their topic. The essay effectively conveys the historical significance of their topic with appropriate facts and argumentation. Finally, the essay has effectively addressed some of the above questions regarding their topic.
- 35-39 points = The essay is well written and largely free of spelling and grammatical errors. The student has demonstrated a basic knowledge of their topic, and has attempted to construct and defend their own argument regarding their topic. However, the student’s argumentation is a bit weak. The essay effectively conveys the historical significance of their topic, but may be missing appropriate facts and strong argumentation. Finally, the essay has addressed a few of the above questions regarding their topic, but is also missing a few important points.
- 30-34 Points = The essay is adequately written, with occasional spelling and grammatical errors. The student has demonstrated surface-level knowledge of their topic, and has attempted to construct and defend their own argument regarding their topic. However, the student’s argumentation is a bit weak. The essay attempts to convey the historical significance of their topic, but is missing appropriate facts and strong argumentation. Finally, the essay has addressed a few of the above questions regarding their topic, but is missing several important points.
- 0-29 Points = The essay is poorly written with many spelling and grammatical errors. The student does not adequately demonstrate a basic knowledge of their topic, and fails construct an argument regarding their topic. The essay doesn’t really take a position on the historical impact of their topic, and is significantly lacking strong argumentation for its conclusions.
P(5.u)
Best university and college essays, written from scratch, delivered on time, at affordable rates!
