You are required to answer one of three essay questions described below. The essay portion must be 4-5 pages in length, double-spaced, numbered, include 1-inch margins, use 12 point Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman font.
Your essay must include a Works Cited page. The citation style of the Works Cited page may be either Chicago, APA, or MLA. The selected citations must be appropriate to the exam topic and the citations must support the assertions made in the exam. Your essay should also include either in-text citations or footnotes depending upon the formatting style selected (Chicago, APA, or MLA).
Your essay will include three main parts—the Thesis/Introduction, Argument, and Conclusion.
The Introduction section should clearly state the thesis within the first 1-2 paragraphs. The thesis must be relevant and appropriate to the argument and demonstrate an accurate and complete understanding of the question. This section should make it clear which question you are answering, but it should do more than restate the question by offering a brief response and it should be free of grammar and spelling errors.
The Argument section (3-4 pages) should incorporate pertinent details from the assigned readings but you may also use outside readings. The section must provide relevant historical evidence to support the thesis and the key claims made in the argument as needed. It should maintain focus and avoid sidetracking. It should present your answer to the question clearly and concisely in an organized manner and it should be free of grammar and spelling errors.
The Conclusion section should be in the last part of your essay exam within the last 1-2 paragraphs. It should briefly restate the thesis and summarize the main points of the argument. It should also demonstrate insight and understanding regarding the question asked and it should be free of grammar and spelling errors.
A scoring rubric for the essay portion is included below. Please answer one of the following essay questions:
1. Historian David Levering Lewis coined the term “civil rights by copyright” to analyze the ways in which black writers of the Harlem Renaissance era (1919 – 1940) used their pens (both consciously and unconsciously) to challenge racial inequality. Though Lewis focuses on writers, one can also extend this idea of “civil rights by copyright” to other other artists of his period, including musical and visual artists. As a whole, the works of these artists reflected varying strategies for advocating for the advancement of blacks in American society. Select three African American artists of the Harlem Renaissance era and discuss how their artistic work combated American racism. At least one of the artists selected should be a writer.
Criteria
Mechanics – 10 points (5 criteria):
4-5 double-spaced pages in length; pages are numbered; 1 inch margins included; 12 point Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman font used; a cover page with identifying information included All 5 criteria are present with 0-1 error = 9-10 points 4 of 5 criteria are present OR all 5 criteria are present with 2-3 errors = 8 points 3 of 5 criteria are present OR 4 of 5 criteria are present with 2-3 errors OR all 5 criteria are present with 4-5 errors = 7 points 2 of 5 criteria are present OR 3 of 5 criteria are present with 2-3 errors OR 4 of 5 criteria are present with 4-5 errors OR all 5 criteria are present with 6-7 errors = 6 points 0 or 1 of 5 criteria are present OR 2 of 5 criteria are present with 2-3 errors OR 3 of 5 criteria are present with 4-5 errors OR 4 of 5 criteria are present with 6-7 errors OR all 5 criteria are present with more than 7 errors = 5 points
Citations – 10 points (5 criteria):
Works Cited page included; appropriate citation style used; selected sources are appropriate to the topic; citations support assertions made in the essay; footnotes/endnotes used in instances where detailed explanations would distract from the argument All 5 criteria are present with 0-1 error = 9-10 points 4 of 5 criteria are present OR all 5 criteria are present with 2-3 errors = 8 points 3 of 5 criteria are present OR 4 of 5 criteria are present with 2-3 errors OR all 5 criteria are present with 4-5 errors = 7 points 2 of 5 criteria are present OR 3 of 5 criteria are present with 2-3 errors OR 4 of 5 criteria are present with 4-5 errors OR all 5 criteria are present with 6-7 errors = 6 points 0 or 1 of 5 criteria are present OR 2 of 5 criteria are present with 2-3 errors OR 3 of 5 criteria are present with 4-5 errors OR 4 of 5 criteria are present with 6-7 errors OR all 5 criteria are present with more than 7 errors = 5 points
Thesis/Introduction – 10 points (5 criteria):
Clearly stated within the first 1-2 paragraphs; relevant & appropriate to the argument; demonstrated an accurate & complete understanding of the question(s); did more than restate the question(s) & offer a brief response; free of grammar & spelling errors All 5 criteria are present with 0-1 error = 9-10 points 4 of 5 criteria are present OR all 5 criteria are present with 2-3 errors = 8 points 3 of 5 criteria are present OR 4 of 5 criteria are present with 2-3 errors OR all 5 criteria are present with 4-5 errors = 7 points 2 of 5 criteria are present OR 3 of 5 criteria are present with 2-3 errors OR 4 of 5 criteria are present with 4-5 errors OR all 5 criteria are present with 6-7 errors = 6 points 0 or 1 of 5 criteria are present OR 2 of 5 criteria are present with 2-3 errors OR 3 of 5 criteria are present with 4-5 errors OR 4 of 5 criteria are present with 6-7 errors OR all 5 criteria are present with more than 7 errors = 5 points
Argument – 60 points (5 criteria)
Incorporated pertinent details from assigned coursework & outside readings when permitted; provided relevant historical evidence to support the thesis & key claims in the argument as needed; maintained focus & avoided being sidetracked; presented answer clearly & concisely in an organized manner; 3-4 pages in length and free of grammar and spelling errors All 5 criteria are present with 0-1 error = 54-60 points 4 of 5 criteria are present OR all 5 criteria are present with 2-3 errors = 48-53 points 3 of 5 criteria are present OR 4 of 5 criteria are present with 2-3 errors OR all 5 criteria are present with 4-5 errors = 42-47 points 2 of 5 criteria are present OR 3 of 5 criteria are present with 2-3 errors OR 4 of 5 criteria are present with 4-5 errors OR all 5 criteria are present with 6-7 errors = 36-41 points 0 or 1 of 5 criteria are present OR 2 of 5 criteria are present with 2-3 errors OR 3 of 5 criteria are present with 4-5 errors OR 4 of 5 criteria are present with 6-7 errors OR all 5 criteria are present with more than 7 errors = 35 points
Conclusion – 10 points (5 criteria)
Clearly stated within the last 1-2 paragraphs; briefly restated the thesis; summarized the main points of the argument; demonstrated insight & understanding regarding the question(s); free of grammar & spelling errors All 5 criteria are present with 0-1 error = 9-10 points 4 of 5 criteria are present OR all 5 criteria are present with 2-3 errors = 8 points 3 of 5 criteria are present OR 4 of 5 criteria are present with 2-3 errors OR all 5 criteria are present with 4-5 errors = 7 points 2 of 5 criteria are present OR 3 of 5 criteria are present with 2-3 errors OR 4 of 5 criteria are present with 4-5 errors OR all 5 criteria are present with 6-7 errors = 6 points 0 or 1 of 5 criteria are present OR 2 of 5 criteria are present with 2-3 errors OR 3 of 5 criteria are present with 4-5 errors OR 4 of 5 criteria are present with 6-7 errors OR all 5 criteria are present with more than 7 errors = 5 points
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You must respond to one of the three essay questions listed below. The essay must be 4-5 pages long, double-spaced, numbered, with 1-inch margins, and written in 12 point Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman type.
A Works Cited page must be included with your essay. The Works Cited page citation style can be Chicago, APA, or MLA. The citations used must be relevant to the exam topic and must support the arguments made in the exam. Depending on the formatting style chosen, your essay should also include in-text citations or footnotes (Chicago, APA, or MLA).
Your essay will be divided into three sections: the thesis/introduction, the argument, and the conclusion.
The thesis should be stated clearly in the first 1-2 paragraphs of the Introduction section. The
