Here are some guidelines for completing weekly writing assignments.

Topics
Study questions will either be distributed separately or indicated on the syllabus. Be sure to answer all the questions and to consider each of them in depth. A one-sentence answer is unlikely to be an adequate response to any question. Feel free to add ideas as long as you've answered the questions fully. Endeavor to understand how the questions (and your answers) relate to one another.

Formatting
Length: 1-2 pages, typed, single-spaced.
Staple or paper-clip your pages together.
Use 10- or 12-point fonts and dark ink. Make sure your printer creates readable text.
Use 1-inch margins on the top, bottom, and sides of your paper.
Type your name and the assignment due date in the upper-right corner.

Editing and Proofreading
Re-read, proofread, and edit your writing to make it clear and coherent. Omit needless words.
Your paper must have a title that reflects its content. "Hamlet" and "Paper 2" are inappropriate titles; "Parent-Child Relationships in Hamlet" and "Animal Metaphors in the Poems of Christina Rossetti" specifically address the content of papers, and so are appropriate titles.
Use paragraphs to distinguish ideas.
Your work should have no more than one sentence-level error per page. Excessive errors may earn you an "F" and no feedback. Repeat offenders

Documentation
Cite the sources of any material you quote or paraphrase using MLA style.
Provide page number citations for any materials you quote or paraphrase, including course texts.
Avoid using secondary sources.
Your work must be your own. Though it's fine to talk with classmates and writing center staff about an assignment, avoid consulting secondary sources on these assignments unless the assignment specifically asks you to do so. If you're unsure about what constitutes academic fraud or plagiarism, review the Student Handbook. Fraudulent work will be heavily penalized and may cause you to fail the course.

Evaluation Criteria
Are your responses original and creative? Do they reflect your own thinking?
Are your answers actively engaged with the substance of the questions?
Are your responses clearly and concisely written?
Have you provided complete, in-depth answers to the study questions?
Is there evidence of improvement in your answers over the course of the term?
Have you incorporated feedback from earlier assignments to improve subsequent assignments?
Have you formatted your paper carefully and correctly? (2 points will be deducted for each formatting error.)

Excessive errors, formatting problems, failure to document sources, and incomplete responses may cause you to fail the assignment.

Because of the high volume of papers in this course, it will not be possible for you to revise weekly writing assignments for a higher grade.