Workshop Essay Rubric

HI 132 Workshop Paper Evaluation for ______________

		Beginning	Acceptable	Exemplary	Points
The 6 Core Cognitive Skills	1. Comprehension	1	2	3
	2. Question -> thesis	1	2	3
	3. Analysis—Connecting	1	2	3
	4. Inferencing	1	2	3
	5. Multiple Perspectives	1	2	3
	6. Humility	1	2	3
	Analysis—Causality	1	2	3
	Research	1	2	3
	A point is given for scores of 2 and 3			Subtotal
	Prose Style	1	2	3
		-1: unclear, undermines your claims		+1: exceptionally graceful, persuasive
	Total Points

Score

A	7+ points (must include all 6 Core skills + 1 or more points)
B	5+ points
C	3-4 points
D	1-2 points
F	0 points

Comprehension: What does the author say and mean?  Accurately reconstructs the literal meaning of a majority of primary documents.  No misreadings or serious misconceptions of authors’ meanings.

Question -> thesis: What questions make historical sense of these documents? Asks a good historical question, which is then answered in the form of a thesis that makes a significant claim.

Analysis—Connecting: How does a document fit into a bigger picture?  Connects information from various sources: compares & contrasts, corroborates testimony, observes interesting links.

Inferencing: How do I know what I claim to know about my question?  Reasons inductively from facts or cases to a general conclusion; reasons deductively from generally known principles to an unknown ; allows evidence to correct preconceived opinions; supports thesis with evidence.

Multiple Perspectives: How might others plausibly interpret this evidence differently?  Considers more than one point of view; rebuts or concedes objections to thesis.

Humility: What do I not know that I need to know?  What problems remain?  Is appropriately self-critical; admits contrary evidence; qualifies arguments; recognizes limits to one’s historical knowledge.

Analysis—Sourcing: What is this document good for?  Identifies sources, contextualizes & assesses documents for bias, reliability, point of view.

Analysis—Causality: What has changed, and why?  Recognizes and explains notable change over time.  Attentive to multiple causation; avoids simplistic monocausal explanations.

Research: Where can I find more evidence?  Uses relevant sources found on one’s own: in other books, on the web, etc.

What the Grade Means

A   Shows a sophisticated understanding of how to make an historical argument.  The thinking skills displayed are advanced, going well beyond the grasp of the subject typically found at the novice level.

B   Shows a solid understanding of how to make a historical argument.  The thinking skills used are appropriate for addressing the issues/problems.  There are no misunderstandings of key ideas or overly simplistic approaches.

C   Shows a somewhat limited understanding of how to think historically.  The thinking skills used are somewhat simple/crude/inadequate for addressing the issues/problems.  The paper may reveal some misunderstanding of key documents, ideas, methods, or needed skills.

D   Shows little apparent understanding of the mental habits of historical and critical thinking.  The methods used are inadequate for addressing the issues/problems.  Response to assignment reveals major misunderstandings of key documents, ideas, methods, and/or needed skills, or misunderstandings of how to complete the assignment.

F   No essay provided for evaluation.