Please type in answers to the questions in this assignment, then upload the assignment as a .doc, .docx, or .pdf to the correct dropbox in Blackboard (make sure it is saved as one of those file types, with the file extension in the filename since Blackboard won’t read it otherwise). I will apply the rubric (available at the end of the document, and on Blackboard) to your answers for each question. Remember that the grades in this class are binary: you have to have satisfactory scores in all areas to receive credit. If you have any unsatisfactory scores, you may resubmit up to twice in the two weeks after the initial assignment due date of September 25.
The goal of this assignment is to build your skills at finding evidence within a text to support a given thesis. To that end, I have provided a series of potential theses about All Systems Red. Please use your text to find one (1) piece evidence that you believe supports the thesis, and say why you think it supports the thesis. That evidence can be anything from the text: quotes and summary are equally fine. Please use at least one quote and at least one summary from the text, so that I may assess your skill at each. Formal citation is not required, but do please remember to tell me where in the book the material comes from (a page, a page range, a chapter, some kind of identifier). Please check the rubric for more detail on what I am asking you to do.
Category | Satisfactory | Unsatisfactory (see feedback comments for details for revision) |
On Time | Turned in by September 25 at 12pm | Not turned in on time (must revise in the next 2 weeks if so) |
Clarity | It is easy to discern what you are saying. | There are major difficulties with reading your sentences or your explanation. |
Specificity to Argument | Your evidence is tailored to the thesis provided, with different evidence for each thesis. | Your evidence is either very general, or does not specifically relate to the thesis provided. |
Applicability to Thesis | Your explanation of how the evidence relates to the thesis is effective | You do not explain how the evidence relates to the thesis, or your explanation is unconvincing |
Efficiency of Quotes | You quote only the selection you need from the book to support the thesis. | You quote large chunks from the book without explaining why you need such a large selection. |
Quality of Summary | Your summaries of material from the book are easy to understand and convey what the book says | Your summaries of material from the book are either inaccurate or difficult to understand |