A. Follow directions on the handout on MS Word.
B. All essays must include an outline.
C. Fold your essay lengthwise and put your name on the outside (on the proper side).

II. Length. Essays should be a minimum of 500 words long.
III. Plagiarism.

A student who knowingly or through ignorance of the rules of citation submits for evaluation the work of others disguised as his own has committed an act of plagiarism. If a student plagiarizes, he will receive a "0" for the submitted work, and this act of dishonesty may warrant the total loss of credit for the course. See the Department's Policy on Plagiarism if you do not understand what plagiarism is.

The grades your essays receive will be the direct result of your thinking and writing ability and of the effort and care you put into each assignment. Read carefully the General Evaluation Standards of the NHC English Department which describes the characteristics of A, B, C, D, and F papers. Also read the following.
A. The following six criteria will be used to evaluate your essays:

1. Ability to follow the directions and criteria for each specific assignment.
2. Observance of the standard conventions of modern edited English.
3. Adequate development of a clearly stated thesis through the use of specific examples and details.
4. Organization of the topics and subtopics in clear and logical patterns to present a unified theme.
5. Originality of thought and expression, and the avoidance of the vague, the trite, and the abstract.
6. Use of diction appropriate to the subject and audience of the essay.

B. Each regular essay (4) will be worth 100 points. A letter grade will be assigned according to the following scale

			A = 90 - 100		D= 60 - 69
			B = 80 -  89		F=  0 - 59
			C = 70 -  79

Each mastery essay (mid-term and Final) will be worth 150 points, and the argument-persuasion essay will be worth 250 points.

C. Final Grade: Your final grade for the semester will be determined by adding the total number of points you have made during the semester. Your total will then be judged against the total number of points possible in the semester and your grade determined according to the above scale as a percentage.

The standard conventions of modern edited English involve both substantive matters that block or hinder effective communication and simple, agreed upon rules in such areas as capitalization and punctuation. The following penalties will be assessed for failure to abide by certain minimum requirements of standard English.
A. Five points will be deducted from your essay grade each time I must mark one of the following major errors:

1. Confused Sentence (cf).
2. Sentence Fragment (Fr).
3. Comma Splice or Fused Sentence (Cs, Fus).
4. Agreement: Subject-Verb or Pronoun-Antecedent (Ag).


B. However, any paper with 5 or more of the above errors will automatically receive an "F."

C. Five points will also be deducted from your essay grade each time I must mark one of the following:
1. Failure to follow required format or proper outline form.
2. Use of second person.
3. Confusing the following:

a. its and it's
b. there and their
c. to and too
d. Woman and women
e. a lot (not alot)