Schedule Change - Final Draft Due December 7

Hey guys,

I have some very important news - The deadline for the final draft has been moved up to December 7 at 11:59 pm. December 14 is too close to your final exams, so this way you can focus on preparing for those exams.

If you submitted your second draft on time, you will receive feedback by Sunday at 11:59 pm. Most of you have done a very good job with your second drafts and should be able to write an excellent final draft by the new deadline.

Like always, please bring questions to me, Agnes T or your Korean teachers.

IMPORTANT The Schedule for the Whole Quarter

Happy Chuseok! The deadline for the first draft has been moved back dramatically to October 26th at 11:59 pm (That means midnight). Since you have such advance notice, you will not receive extensions for schedule conflicts. If you miss a deadline for any of the drafts you will lose 1 point. If your final draft is late, I will subtract 1 point. I have changed the grade post to reflect that.

Dates in bold are "Hard Deadlines" which means they cannot change or move. The other dates are suggestions and guidelines - You can work at your own pace, and I might change the order of the lessons or make other changes.

If you already wrote the first draft, great. That means you are in a better position to find the weak points of your essay and start improving them.

The hard deadlines: 

First Draft - October 26 October 27

Second Draft - November 16 

Final Draft - December 14

The week of:

September 14 Classical Argument: The Introduction

September 21 Classical Argument: Narration

September 28 Classical Argument: Confirmation

October 5 Classical Argument: Refutation

October 12 Classical Argument: Conclusion

October 19 Work on first draft due October 26th October 27 at 11:59 pm

October 26 Self assessment

November 2 Feedback

November 9 Work on second draft due November 16th at 11:59 pm

November 16 Peer Review

November 23 MLA APA citations

November 30 Feedback

December 7 Work on final draft due December 14th at 11:59 pm

Grades

15% of your semester grade will come from this project. This is the breakdown of the grade, and what you need to know to get full points.

UPDATE 11/3/2014
Plagiarism penalties
If you plagiarize part of your first draft, there is no penalty.

If you plagiarize in your second draft, one point will be subtracted from your total grade.

If you plagiarize in your final draft, you will receive a 0 for your final draft.

5 points maximum for research
You will demonstrate your research through "Research" blog posts with the label "research".

5 points

The student shows creativity and perseverance in her research. The research was clearly a process of exploration and reveals a pattern of thought, inquiry and revelation.

4 points

The research displays a clear, reasoned evolution from beginning to end. The student is committed to finding useful sources.

3 points

The research is adequate for completing the persuasive essay.

2 points

The research is inadequate.

0 points

There is no meaningful research.

5 points maximum for drafting
Over the course of the semester you will create two drafts for your persuasive essay with the label "draft".

If either draft is late, one point will be subtracted. 
First Draft - October 26 Monday October 27
Second Draft - November 16

First draft

2 points - The first draft is thoughtful and a good start to an effective persuasive essay. It demonstrates an understanding of the classical argument.

1 point - The student completes a first draft that demonstrates an understanding of the classical argument

0 points - The first draft is inadequate

Second draft

3 points - The second draft builds on the ideas of the first draft in a meaningful and thoughtful way. A reasonable evolution of ideas is visible. 

2 points - The second draft is a reasonable development of the 1st draft. There is meaningful improvement in the essay.

1 point - The second draft is only improved technically. 

0 points - The second draft is not an improvement on the first draft. 

5 points maximum for final draft
By the end of the semester you will complete a final draft that is the product of all your drafting and research.

If the final draft is late, one point will be subtracted. 
Final Draft - December 14

5 points

• Technically perfect Technically almost perfect
• Follows the classical argument
• Displays an interesting and unique perspective on a highly specialized topic
• Thought provoking and captivating
• Clearly the product of extensive drafting and research

4 points

• Technically perfect Technically excellent
• Follows the classical argument
• Displays a unique perspective on a highly specialized topic
• Clearly the product of thorough drafting and research

3 points

• Follows the classical argument
• Displays a unique perspective on a highly specialized topic
• Some evidence of drafting and research

2 points

• Displays a unique perspective on a highly specialized topic

0 points

• Incomplete or inadequate

Schedule

UPDATE There is a more detailed syllabus for the year available here.

We have 16 classes tentatively scheduled this semester. Since that might change, I will not give a daily schedule. Instead I'll give you a tentative outline of the schedule for the semester.

1. Choose a topic to write about.
2. Research the topic.
3. Learn the classical argument.
4. Write a first draft.
5. Do a self assessment.
6. Continue researching.
7. Write a second draft.
8. Get feedback from peers.
9. Continue researching.
10. Write final draft. 

This is a rough prediction of how the class will progress, and the order of work you will do. It is all very fluid. That means if you want to write a rough draft first, and then base your research on peer assessment, you can do that.