1.Students must address all elements of an assignment.
2.Each paragraph must focus on one idea and must contain sufficient examples and explanation. Students must
UNIVERSITY CORE CURRICULUM
COMMON STANDARDS FOR WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS
justify assertions by citing evidence;
state reasons that explain how the evidence substantiates the assertions;
document sources to avoid plagiarism.
3.Students must provide transitional words, phrases, or expressions which reinforce or connect ideas with paragraphs and between paragraphs so that the order of ideas is coherent.
4.Grammar and mechanical errors must not interrupt communication between writer and reader. Students must eliminate
comma splices (Error: Elizabeth Cady Stanton was one of the shining lights of the nineteenth century, she was also one of the first leaders of the women's rights movement. Revised: Elizabeth Cady Stanton was one of the shining lights of the nineteenth century. She was also one of the first leaders of the women's rights movement.)
run-ons (Error: Shakespeare wrote about noble men and women Ibsen wrote about ordinary people. Revised: Shakespeare wrote about noble men and women, and Ibsen wrote about ordinary people.)
fragments (Error: Many of Elizabeth Catlett's sculptures and lithographs, which can be seen in museums all around the world. Portray the lives of black women. Revised: Many of Elizabeth Catlett's sculptures and lithographs, which can be seen in museums all around the world, portray the lives of black women.)
apostrophe errors (Error: Shakespeares characters Hamlet and Lear are royalty. Revised: Shakespeare's characters Hamlet and Lear are royalty.)
5.Students must use appropriate academic language and tone. Students must not
write in the passive voice (Error: The law of gravity was discovered by Newton. Revised: Newton discovered the law of gravity.)
address the audience as "you".
use contractions or slang;
tack on to assertions such phrases as "I think," "I feel," or "I believe" (Error: I believe Shakespeare presents women as possessions of men in Act I of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Revised: Shakespeare presents women as possessions of men in Act I of A Midsummer Night's Dream.)
6.Students must follow conventions of Standard Written English when citing sources.
They must
underline the titles of longer works such as books (Billy Budd); plays (Oedipus Rex); long poems (The Waste Land); films (Amadeus); musical compositions (Messiah); choreographic works (Swan Lake); and visual arts (Mona Lisa).
place in quotation marks the titles of shorter works such as short stories ("Eveline"); essays ("A Modest Proposal"); songs ("Stairway to Heaven"); and short poems ("Dover Beach").
7.Students must
use word processing for all out-of-class assignments;
avoid spelling errors (if necessary, use spell-check); and proofread carefully.
Students must address all elements of an assignment.
