[Student Name]

Areas of
Focus
Content &
Focus
(55 Points)

Grading Criteria

Rhetorical
Awareness
(35 Points)

Style &
Design
(30 Points)

Writer demonstrates a thorough

understanding of his/her discourse
community by providing a detailed
explanation of the community to the reader.
Writer has established a clear methodological
approach, including primary and secondary
research. The writers methods are diverse
enough to allow him/her to collect necessary
information.
Writer has, as part of their methodology
chosen a lens to examine the discourse
community, and demonstrates knowledge of
the concepts by framing and citing the
scholarship of one or more of the authors we
have read in class.
Writer moves beyond descriptions of events
or explanation of a group to engaging in
analysis of how a group operates as a
discourse community.
Writer effectively uses both primary and
secondary research to draw relevant
conclusions about their discourse community
based on data.
Writer is considering an audience beyond the
instructor or our class by framing the research
with background information and context and
by explaining their initial questions and
motivations for choosing a specific discourse
community for investigation.
Writer demonstrates audience awareness by
considering readability, transitions, and
organization.
Writer demonstrates through their analysis
and conclusions the value of their research to
an ongoing conversation or further research
about the discourse community they have
engaged.
Writer has spent significant time polishing
his/her prose, drawing on Style readings.
Writer limits use of metadiscourse.
Final essay is clean proof-read, edited for
errors in grammar, punctuation and
formatting
Writer has used proper MLA citation for intext sources and a Works Cited page

Missing or
Developing
severely
underdeveloped
1
2
3
4 5 6
7

Meets or
exceeds
expectation
8
9
10

1 2 3 4

6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14
15

10

10

10

1 2 3 4

6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14
15

8
10

10

10

8
10

4 5
7

3
4 5
7

3
4
7

10

[Student Name]
Process

(30 Points)

Writer has throughout their research process

taken primary research seriously and shown
evidence of that research both in their report
and in attached survey, interview, or
observation notes.
Final draft shows serious attention to revision,
attention to the assignment guidelines, and
shows development between drafts that
moves beyond simple proofreading and
editing.
Global Comments:

Preparation:

Total Points
Research Proposal
/50
Research Draft
/50
Final Report
/150

1 2 3 4

6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14
15

1 2 3 4

6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14
15

Letter Grade: