The Cultural Revolution
Order Description
Thesis question: “What were the consequences of the ‘sent down youth’ movement during the Cultural Revolution?”

(Sources, see: https://hua.umf.maine.edu/China/culturr.html)

Note: I have added links to a useful online bibliography for most topics, but this is just one bibliography and should not be considered the final or authoritative research resource.

12 point Times New Roman font preferred.

Grading Rubric:

Introductory Paragraph
Expectations
– includes a brief description of the essay topic.
– includes thesis question (in most cases, this has been provided on your essay signup, although you may rephrase the question if you wish).
– includes thesis (argument).
– clearly and concisely phrased.

Deductions:
-no thesis question
-no thesis
-ineffective or underdeveloped thesis
-poor phrasing
-irrelevant statements

Body of Essay
Expectations
-clear organization and logical structure
-each paragraph supports the main topic and develops the thesis
-each paragraph begins with a topic sentence
-each topic is supported by documented evidence and facts
-there is a clear connection between each sentence
-judicious use of quotations

Deductions
-disorganized and confusing structure
-paragraphs are unrelated to the main topic, or the relationship is unclear
-paragraphs have no identifiable topic
-no evidence to support the statements
-using too many quotations
-poor phrasing
-irrelevant statements

Concluding paragraph
Expectations
-reminds the reader of the thesis and restates the most important points
-explains to the reader why the paper’s conclusions are important.

Deductions
-inconclusive
-poor phrasing
-irrelevant statements

Style and Grammar
Expectations
-few, if any grammatical errors
-objective language
-appropriate academic wording
-clear and concise phrases
-proper tense (history happens in the past, so past tense is generally advisable)

Deductions
-many grammatical errors
-biased language
-casual or informal language, slang, jargon
-excessively long sentences, confusing sentence structure
-incorrect tense
-awkward and repetitive language

Research
Expectations
-use and cite a variety of published sources (minimum 5 sources).
-books and articles from academic publishers and journals
-published sources are directly relevant to the topic
-sources are properly cited (including page number) in footnotes or endnotes
-works cited (or bibliography) page listing source material in proper format (Chicago Style).
-proper use and citation of primary sources
-footnotes/endnotes in Chicago Style

Deductions
-essay based on research from only 2 or 3 published works
-research based on unpublished sources, non-scholarly internet sites, obscure journals, outdated or obsolete secondary sources
-secondary and primary sources are not properly cited
-footnotes and endnotes do not follow Chicago Style

Plagiarism will result in an automatic failure: Fail
False Attribution will result in an automatic failure: (i.e. falsely claiming that a statement is supported by a secondary source, or falsely claiming that facts are documented in a specific source). Fail
Failing to provide documentation, including page numbers. Fail