Read the article and write 250-word response

Intro to Popular Music

Homework Grading Rubrics

Objective

To develop skills in proposing arguments, thinking critically about music, and engaging with cultural topics through succinct writing assignments.

Directions

Homework assignments will include reviews of concerts, analysis of music, reflection on assigned readings, and observations of class activities. Each homework assignment, or homework assignment type, will appear on a separate document; the information on this handout is applicable to each assignment.

GRADING RUBRICS

Although the focus and topic for each homework assignment is different, the following rubrics provide general guidance in shaping your best response. Students should review these before submitting each assignment.

A "5" Response follows directions, is highly organized, clear in prose, and original in thought. The submission is highly polished and free of grammatical and spelling errors. The author references supporting resources properly, makes clever use of analysis and course terminology, and demonstrates a high level of critical thinking and persuasive writing. Excellent .

A "4" Response follows directions, has overall good organization and clear prose, and provides some original ideas. There may be a misspelling or grammatical error, but the submission is acceptable in writing style. The author refers to appropriate resources and provides some discussion of the piece, event, or essay. The author may occasionally get off topic and include some ideas that do not strengthen the submission. A thesis statement is present, but the argument may be lost at times. Good .

A "3" Response has some recognizable organization and readable prose, but summarizes rather than argues. There are large block quotes or paraphrased passages from the assigned reading that are not effectively integrated into the thesis. There are frequent misspelled words and grammatical errors and the formatting does not always follow directions. A composition is discussed, but not tied into the argument, and there is little evidence of critical thinking. Average .

A "2" Response rarely follows directions. The topic is related to the assignment but there is no argument that responds to the prompt. There is no reference to the provided resources or poor use of them. The submission is rife with grammatical and spelling errors. It appears that the student has cut and pasted information from various sources and strung the ideas together into an incoherent mess. Components are missing, such as discussion of required piece, event, or essay. Poor .

A "1" Response is incomplete. The word count may be well under the requirement and the author has clearly not read the directions nor taken interest in the assignment. The writing style is incomprehensible at times and the focus is unclear. The student has submitted a related, but off topic writing sample for this assignment. Failing .

A “0” Response is absent or plagiarized.