Argumentative Essay

PHIL/RLST 207 – Final Paper Prompt and Rubric

Prompt: Students will write an argumentative essay on religious, ethical, and/or political topics of current public interest and discussion. Students will present a thesis statement and they will use evidence to support their argument. Evidence will be in the form of books, academic journals, and peer-reviewed internet sources. The paper needs to be 1750-2000 words, 12-point, Times New Roman, double-spaced, and have 1-inch margins. The paper needs to be in MLA format (this includes all citations and works cited). Please connect with the instructor if you have questions about MLA formatting. Due Date: The research paper is due by 11:59p PST on Monday, December 14, 2020. Paper Rubric: Score Thesis Analysis Formatting References 90-100 Thesis is clear,

concise, and strong. It explicitly states what you are arguing in the rest of your paper.

The paper uses great references to support the thesis argument. The analysis of the thesis is clear and well reasoned.

The paper is properly formatted using MLA style. There are no errors in punctuation and syntax.

References are from reputable sources such as books and journal articles. They are properly cited both in-text and works cited page.

80-89 Thesis is good but not as clear as an A paper. There are some generalizations in the thesis that keep it from being strong.

The analysis does a good job trying to argue the thesis using evidence from references. However, the analysis is lacking and not as developed as an A paper.

The paper is properly formatted using MLA style. There are a few errors in the punctuation, syntax, and spelling.

References are from good sources but are not properly cited or referenced at different points in the paper.

70-79 Thesis is present but is generic and general. Thesis is general and does not provide a clear statement of what is going to be argued in the paper.

The analysis is general and generic. It looks more like reporting and summarization rather than supporting the thesis statement.

The paper is not properly formatted using MLA style. There are errors in punctuation, syntax, and spelling that distract from the argument.

References do not demonstrate adequate research and/or are not properly cited or referenced at different points in the paper.

60-69 Paper is lacking an original thesis and is more of a summary or report.

Paper is lacking supporting evidence and analysis is poor.

Improper formatting of MLA with lots of formatting errors.

Inadequate references such as blogs and websites only.

59 and below

Paper has no evidence of a thesis.

Analysis of the thesis is missing.

Improper formatting.

No adequate references used in the paper.