E104 -- Fall 2003

Criteria for Judging the First Exam -- Second Question

Here are the Criteria that we used in grading the first essay this fall. Please come in and see us, if you have any questions concerning your paper. In a course such as this it is impossible to establish precise criteria for grades. There will always be many different ways to write an "A" paper, and we have tried to remain alert to unique and creative responses to these questions. Nonetheless, in order to assure as much consistency as possible in grading and to give you clear feedback, we formulated general guidelines for grading the papers.

We would like to give you as much feedback as we can, and we strongly encourage you to come in to discuss your paper. These conversations will not deal with the issue of changing grades, but if, after having read our criteria and discussed the papers with one of us, you believe that your grade did not reflect the quality of your paper, please write up a one-page essay in which you explain what you believe we missed in grading and/or how the manner in which you answered the question represents a legitimate way of dealing with the question. We will read over your comments very carefully and reread the paper with fresh eyes. If we are convinced by your arguments, we will raise the grade. (Under no circumstances will we lower it.)

2) J.B.Bury argued that the notions of progress that appeared in the late 18th and 19th centuries could only come into being after Apocalyptic thinking became less central to Western thought. Carl Becker, by contrast, was convinced that the belief in progress was only possible because Western culture had been accustomed to thinking in Apocalyptic terms.
Defend one of these two positions, using evidence from both the Christian tradition and from several advocates of progress such as Condorcet, Ewbank, Marx and Engels, and Bellamy.

This question is asking you to:

1) Pick Bury or Becker's position to defend
2) Present this position effectively in your own words
3) Clearly relate both the Apocalyptic vision of the future and that of later advocates of progress to the position you are defending
4) Provide examples from several advocates of progress that support the position chosen.
5) Clearly demonstrate the relevance of this evidence to the position you are supporting
6) Present your arguments in a clearly understandable fashion

"A" papers generally:

• Present a clear, convincing thesis that defends the position of either Bury or Becker
• Use concrete and relevant evidence chosen from both the Christian Apocalypse and later theories of progress that supports the position taken in a clear-cut fashion
• Explicitly demonstrate the relevance of this evidence
• Consistently and correctly cite sources used
• Are written in an easily readable fashion devoid of grammatical and spelling errors (including typos)
• Are clearly organized with an introduction, smooth transitions between points, and a conclusion

"B" papers generally:

• Consistently defend the position of either Bury or Becker
• Use relevant evidence chosen from both the Christian Apocalypse and later theories of progress that supports the position taken
• Are clearly organized and written in a readable fashion with minimal grammatical and spelling errors (including typos)

"C" papers generally:

• Make an effort to defend one of the two positions presented in the question
• Demonstrate a general knowledge of the course materials

"D" papers generally:

• Show an understanding of the broad themes of the course
• Demonstrate a basic level of effort