GOVT 2305 Rubrics

GOVT 2305 ACTIVITY 1 RUBRIC

In Activity #1 you got a feel for American political ideologies by visiting two sites – PRC and Idealog. The assignment required you to send a summary of your results that included specific components. The following rubric explains the points you received based on the summary you sent.

___ Your PRC survey results (1 point max)

___ Your Idealog self-test results (1 point max)

___ A comparison of the two results (1 points max)

___ The accuracy of the two results (1 point max)

___ Your personal political ideology (3 point max)

___ Specific and detailed connections to course content (3 points max)

This is the part of the assignment in which you should show off how much you know. You should have already gone through the margin notes and presentations that deal with relevant topics so it should be easy to make those connections.

___ Correct spelling and grammar (No points counted off on 1^st assignment.)

If necessary, work on your spelling and grammar before you start losing points.

___ Submitted by deadline OR ___ days late (Subtract 1 point per day late.)

I tend to be a bit more lenient than usual when I grade the first assignment. I know students aren’t sure initially what a professor expects so, for example, I might give the maximum points for an answer that really wasn’t fully developed, didn’t provide enough detail or etc. On future assignments I’ll use a rubric based on the assignment instructions as I’ve done here but I will hold students responsible for complying with all of the instructions. An assignment that includes words such as detailed, specific, discuss, explain, why, understanding, thorough, relevant concepts or etc, almost always requires an organized and in-depth response written in complete sentences and using correct spelling and grammar.

GOVT 2305 ACTIVITY 2 RUBRIC

In Activity #2 you were the manager of a political action committee. I asked you to write a summary that included specific components. The following rubric explains the points you received based on the summary you sent.

___ PAC’s primary purpose (1 point max)

___ Pros and cons of supporting the incumbent (2 points max)

___ Pros and cons of supporting the challenger (2 points max)

___ Donation decision, including rationale (2 points max)

___ Specific and detailed connections to course content (2 points max)

___ Correct spelling and grammar (1 point max)

___ Submitted by deadline OR ___ days late (Subtract 1 point per day late.)

GOVT 2305 ACTIVITY 3 RUBRIC

In Activity #3 you took on the role of a campaign field organizer for a candidate for the House of Representatives. After you worked through the steps in the campaign, I asked you to send a brief essay that included specific components. The following rubric explains the points you received based on the comments you sent.

_ _ Addresses problems involved in motivating voters. (3 points max)

_ _ Addresses role of GOTV decisions in election outcome. (3 points max)

_ _ Makes specific and detailed connections to course content. (2 points max)

_ _ Uses correct spelling and grammar. (2 points max)

_ _ Submitted by deadline OR ___ days late. (Subtract 1 point per day late.)

GOVT 2305 ACTIVITY 4 RUBRIC

In Activity #4 you had to decided which civil liberties to keep and why. The assignment required you to send a summary of your decisions that included specific components. The following rubric explains the points you received based on the summary you sent.

___ The civil liberties you chose to keep and why (2 points max)

___ The civil liberties you chose to give up and why (2 points max)

___ A discussion about Small Country’s future (2 points max)

___ Specific and detailed connections to course content (3 points max)

___ Correct spelling and grammar (1 point max)

___ Submitted by deadline OR ___ days late (Subtract 1 point per day late.)

GOVT 2305 CRITICAL THINKING ESSAY RUBRIC

Categories	4 points	3 points	2 points	1 point	POINTS
INTRODUCTION reader engagement explanation of topic	Well-developed intro engages reader and creates interest. Contains well-defined and thorough explanation of topic.	Introduction creates interest but not well developed. Contains an explanation of topic.	Intro is generic, creating little interest. Contains adequate explanation of topic but is vague.	Intro is collection of random info not related to topic. Explanation of topic is vague or unclear.
TOPIC argument main points supporting examples	Argument logical and thoughtful. Well-developed points directly relate to topic. Supporting examples are concrete and detailed.	Argument present, adequate. Main points relate to topic but don’t go beyond the obvious. Supporting examples general and/or unspecific.	Argument present but weak. Some main points are present but missing obvious points. Few supporting examples given are weak or irrelevant.	Argument not present. Few main points, poor development of ideas. No supporting examples given.
ORGANIZATION structure transitions	Logical progression of ideas, clear structure that enhances topic. Transitions are thoughtful and flow with essay.	Logical progression of ideas but structure not always clear. Transitions are present, but often weak or awkward.	Structure is clear but at times is awkward and/or distracting. Some weak/poor transitions are present.	No discernible structure and/or organization. No transitions are present.
STYLE AND MECHANICS sentence flow and variety language and word choice	Writing is smooth and skillful, with strong, varied sentences. Language is direct and concise, and words chosen are clear and suitable.	Writing is clear and sentences often have varied structure. Language is sometimes overly wordy, and/or words chosen are fillers or artificial.	Writing is clear overall, but sentences lack variety. Language is often redundant or pompous, and/or words chosen are unsuitable.	Writing is hard to follow with fragments or run-on sentences. Language is chaotic and words chosen are inappropriate for college-level work.
SPELLING AND GRAMMAR	Spelling and grammar are correct. No errors.	Spelling and grammar mainly correct, with few errors (1-3).	Some errors in spelling and grammar (4-6).	Distracting number of spelling and grammar errors.
RUBRIC TOTAL
LATE POINTS DEDUCTED (1 PER DAY LATE)
TOTAL POINTS

Remember that this is a 20-point assignment ... the detail and comprehensiveness of your response should reflect that additional weight.

RUBRIC SYMBOL

GOVT 2305 PROJECT RUBRIC

For your project you completed research on one of the Republican presidential candidates in the 2012 primary elections. The assignment required you to complete a candidate profile, use that information to write an assessment of the candidate’s chances of success in winning the Republican nomination and submit your completed profile and assessment. The following rubric explains the points you received based on the profile and assessment you sent.

___ Profile – Personal Statistics (1 point max)

___ Profile – Media Image (1 point max)

___ Profile – Verbal Skill (1 point max)

___ Profile – Debate Performance (1 point max)

___ Profile – Issues (1 point max)

___ Profile – Experience (1 point max)

___ Profile – Finances (1 point max)

___ Profile – Polling Data (1 point max)

___ Profile – Strategy (1 point max)

___ Assessment – specific projection of candidate’s chances (3 points max)

___ Assessment – rationale for projection given (6 points max)

___ Correct spelling and grammar (2 points max)

___ Submitted by deadline OR ___ days late (Subtract 1 point per day late.)

Remember that this is a 20-point assignment ... the detail and comprehensiveness of your response should reflect that additional weight. It's also your last opportunity to show me how much you've learned in the course.