Critical Writing Assignment: Final Paper

The Critical Writing Assignment has two (2) components; the Outline and the Final Paper.  An Outline is a vital element as it lays the groundwork and guides you to success in building your Final Paper.  The full details for this assignment can be found in your syllabus for this class.

You must receive approval for your topic and complete your Outline prior to beginning your paper.

Final Paper:  For the writing assignment in this course, you should select one the following topics to write a 4-6 page essay in which you critically review the literature related to one aspect of your chosen topic using no fewer than 4 (FOUR) additional scholarly journal articles from the TWU Library website for a total of 5 (FIVE) sources. You may use readings from this course as part of your essay, but you must use the four additional scholarly sources in addition to whichever course readings you wish to include.

The Final paper will be due no later than 11:59 p.m. on 4/19/2020.

Critical analysis refers to a specific style of writing that tends to avoid summarization. Instead, you could compare ideas across readings, relate concepts between two seemingly different situations, address bias or evidence problems, argue a counterpoint, discuss implications of the authors arguments, emphasize points of importance, debate theoretical positions, emphasize incongruity you find while reading, relate the concept or topic to another scholarly source, ask questions the original author ignored, and so forth.

Literature reviews are not just recycled summarizations of existing literature. Instead, you should attempt to find themes or issues that cut across the research, find gaps in the existing literature, or collect literature that explains or helps us understand a specific aspect of the topic that is not addressed at length in the course. The topic is only a general direction for your paper, and most of the topics could be applied to multiple situations. The key will be finding enough literature on your specific topic to fulfill this assignment. If you have a question about your topic, please email me at your earliest convenience and we can discuss the feasibility of your topic for this assignment.  In order to facilitate your critical writing assignment, please refer to the course calendar on Canvas for all due dates.

General Instructions:

All essays must use ASA formatting for in-text citations and reference list and be free of spelling and grammatical errors. Your assignment should be typed, double-spaced, Times Roman 12-point font. Your essay should be between 1,000 – 1,300 words (about 4-6 pages) words in length, with one-inch margins on all sides and page numbers.  Please do not vary your font, font size, spacing, or punctuation in an effort to overcome the length requirement.  Refer to your syllabus for further details.

Rubric
3113 CWA Rubric
3113 CWA Rubric
Criteria    Ratings    Pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeTopic
10.0 to >7.0 pts
Excellent
Topic was clearly identified, specific, and appropriate.
7.0 to >5.0 pts
Acceptable
Topic was identified.
5.0 to >2.0 pts
Needs Improvement
Topic was unclear or didn’t relate very well to the rest of the paper.
2.0 to >0 pts
No Marks
Topic was not identified or did not match the rest of the paper.
10.0 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeContent
60.0 to >46.0 pts
Excellent
Content was clearly relevant to the topic. No opinion statements.
46.0 to >30.0 pts
Acceptable
Content was relevant to the topic. Limited use of opinion statements.
30.0 to >10.0 pts
Needs Improvement
Content was not always relevant to the topic. Multiple instances of opinion statements.
10.0 to >0 pts
No Marks
Content was not relevant to the topic. Used opinion statements throughout.
60.0 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeOrganization
30.0 to >23.0 pts
Excellent
Paragraphs and sentences were formatted well. Topic was logically presented. Paper was organized as topical rather than article-by-article and written as literature review not annotated bibliography
23.0 to >15.0 pts
Acceptable
Paragraphs and sentences were mostly formatted well. Topic was mostly logically presented. Made several thematic/topical connections between articles for the chosen topic.
15.0 to >9.0 pts
Needs Improvement
Paragraphs and sentences had formatting issues. Topic was not presented in logical order. Some themes were developed, but overall essay was written as annotated bibliography not literature review
9.0 to >0 pts
No Marks
Paragraphs and sentences were not organized. Topic was presented without a logical order or each article was presented separately without connecting themes (annotated bibliography instead of literature review)
30.0 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomePaper Length
10.0 to >8.0 pts
Excellent
Paper was of required or greater length.
8.0 to >5.0 pts
Acceptable
Paper was just short of minimum length requirements.
5.0 to >2.0 pts
Needs Improvement
Paper length was significantly less than required.
2.0 to >0 pts
No Marks
Paper length was very short.
10.0 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeAPA/ASA
20.0 to >15.0 pts
Excellent
Paper was of required or greater length.
15.0 to >10.0 pts
Acceptable
Paper was just short of minimum length requirements.
10.0 to >5.0 pts
Needs Improvement
Paper length was significantly less than required.
5.0 to >0 pts
No Marks
Paper length was very short.
20.0 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeGrammar and Spelling
20.0 to >15.0 pts
Excellent
No grammatical or spelling errors (or very minor).
15.0 to >10.0 pts
Acceptable
Several minor grammatical or spelling errors.
10.0 to >5.0 pts
Needs Improvement
Significant errors that interfere with meaning.
5.0 to >0 pts
No Marks
Errors interfere with meaning throughout.
20.0 pts
Total Points: 150.0