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2 Page Papers (100 points)

For the 1-2 page papers I will write a check plus, check, or check minus.

Check Plus	100 points
Check	85 points
Check Minus	70 points

- 10 bib You will lose 10 points for not having a bibliography or having a sloppy bibliography (including impropper style or missing citations).
- 10 page # You will lose 10 points for not numbering your pages (including the bibliography page).

Notice that even the papers that don’t do so well get 70 out of 100 points. Since you lose 10 points for every day the paper it is late, it is almost always a better strategy to turn the paper in even if you are not happy with it. Meeting deadlines is noble and virtuous.

Every now and then a good student does not turn in a paper at all because she or he is embarrassed to turn in something that she or he doesn't feel happy with. Getting 70 points for a bad paper will not hurt a good student that much. Missing 100 points can be devastating to a student’s grade, however. PLEASE turn your papers in, even if they are late, even if they are not that great. At the risk of stating the obvious, it is better to get some points than none at all.

Also notice that this means that if you don’t do well on one paper it is not the end of the world.  Be aware, though, that the difference between getting a check plus on three papers vs. getting a check minus on three papers is 90 points. So be aware that these points do add up.

Research Papers (300 points)

As with the tests, I do not decide your final grade by keeping track of the letter grades. The letter grades are only a tentative measure to let you know how you are doing on that particular assignment. What I do keep track of is the number of points assigned for that paper which I will add to the rest of the class points at the end of the semester. Here are the points that each letter grade represents:

A	300
A-	270
B+	260
B	250
B-	240
C+	230
C	220
C-	200
D	150
F	0

Last Comments

Because I invest so much time making sure that I have graded fairly I almost never change grades once I have given them. I would be happy, however, to go over your papers (or tests) with you to explain the grade if you don’t understand why you received the grade that you did.

The best time to worry about a paper, though, is always before you turn it in. Please do not hesitate to come by and talk to me during office hours when you are working on your papers.