The criteria by which I evaluate and grade term papers and all written assignments.

Prof. John J. Pilch (8/26/09)


BIBLIOGRAPHY


    The first thing I read in any written assignment is the bibliography. This gives me a rough idea of what I can expect to find in the paper which will only be as good as the sources consulted.
    For this reason, I propose the first seven weeks of the semester as time for the student to conduct an extensive literature search. In the Guidelines for Writing a Term Paper for IBL,  I suggest the steps to take and materials to consult for discussing a text-segment in the Bible.    

CRITICAL THINKING




IF ONLY IT WERE THAT EASY!!!!


    In reading the body of the term paper, I expect to find solid evidence of critical thinking. A paper that lacks critical thinking cannot earn an “A” grade.

    To think critically means to be meticulous in examining our own thinking and that of others in order to improve our understanding.  It involves at least ten specific mental operations or intellectual skills.  I will expect you to utilize these skills with all the sources you use (Bible; text-books; journal articles).

1. Detecting bias and identifying unstated assumptions.

2. Explicitly raising the question: “What do we know...?”  “How do we know...?” “What is the evidence for...?”  when studying some body of material in approaching a problem.

3. Thinking actively for our ourselves as a life-long human task.  (Coherence and consistency).

4. Determining the reliability of a source or a statement.  (Evangelical publications)

5. Evaluating arguments and evidence.  Do they support the conclusion?

6. Carefully exploring a situation or an issue before making a decision or drawing a conclusion. This means gathering information (library research).
 
7. Discussing our ideas and those of others in an organized way.  Especially in written assignments, imagine your reader as you write.  Perhaps a sibling or a parent.

8. Being open to new ideas, to changing one’s mind.  For example, consider the idea of studying for life, for the joy of it, rather than just for a grade. ☻

9. Making sound judgments.  In biblical studies, this is only possible by using the historical critical method and any of its subsidiary disciplines like cultural anthropology.

10. Thinking about thinking, or metacognition.  It is important to step back and reflect on one’s thinking processes and strategies.  Sometimes, collaborative work helps since the partner(s) can help one another to become better aware of their methodology.

Penaskovic, Richard. Critical Thinking and the Academic Study of Religion.  Atlanta, GA: Scholars Press, 1997. This definition and list of skills summarizes Chapter One: What is Critical Thinking?, pp. 3-19.

CLOSE AND CAREFUL READING OF TEXTS


    On December 15,2005, the US Department of Education published the results of its study: “National Assessment of Adult Literacy.”  Consult this site (http://nces.ed.gov/naal/) to access the complete text.

    The study evaluated three kinds of literacy: Prose (understand a continuous text, for example, a book of the Bible); Document (understand a non-continuous text, e.g., The “J” or “P” document in the Pentateuch); Quantitative (using numbers embedded in printed materials).
    
    In general, while quantitative literacy has improved since 1992, prose and document literacy has dropped.  Relative to college students, see p. 14 which indicates that the drop was significantly different from 1992!

    Reading the Bible is especially challenging since most students have to rely on a translation.  Moreover, most come from and live in a culture drastically different from the Middle Eastern culture reflected in the Bible.  Many scholars are unaware of these significant cultural differences.  Students in my courses are equipped with appropriate cultural tools for reading the Bible respectfully and their scholarly resources critically.  Have the courage to use these critical tools boldly.

WRITING STYLE


    Penaskovic (pp. 14-15) discusses the challenge of writing well.

    If I can’t understand what you have written in your paper, there are two possible explanations. One, you have difficulty expressing yourself. If you suspect this problem, please go to the writing center on campus to check your paper.  Two, you really did not understand the Bible or the resources you used.  A grade that might not satisfy you which was given for this reason is a signal that you need to improve your reading and critical thinking skills.

Worth pondering:


"That Americans hold false uniqueness bias/ unrealistically positive views of self so that the vast majority of people think they are in the very top minority on a range of skills is by now a well established empirical finding."

Quoted from an unpublished research report to the Society for Cross Cultural Research [2001] by Lotte Thomsen, James Sidanius, and Alan Fiske who cite as evidence: Hazel Markus  and Shonobu Kitayama.  "Culture and the Self: implications for cognition, emotion, and motivation." Psychological Review 98 (1991) 224-253.

 

So in general:

GRADES ARE FOR INTELLECTUAL ACHIEVEMENT AND NOT FOR EFFORT OR MERE ATTENDANCE.


A = solid evidence of thorough literature search, critical assessment of the Bible and sources used for interpreting the Bible.  Polished writing style, comfort with the style appropriate to a research paper. The key element is masterful critical thinking

B =  evidence that at least some of the time assigned for doing research was actually spent in the library. Internet sources found by Googling will most often be totally unreliable. Actual library research will be evident if the appropriate number of commentaries are listed and a good sampling of journal literature reported in Old Testament Abstracts or NewTestament Abstracts have been consulted. At least a modest attempt at being critical in reading the Bible and resources consulted for interpreting the Bible.  Clear and intelligible writing style, careful proofreading of the term paper to minimize typo's and the like.

C = This is an average grade, quite respectable.  Reflecting on what appears in bold print in the box above, it is quite possible a student may have an unrealistic positive view of self, or a false uniqueness bias  Evidence of criitical thinking is very weak.  The paper may be overwhelmingly expository with no critical evaluation of the conflicting evidence presented. Research may be inadquate. This is quite average.

D = This is minimally acceptable work. Most of the guidelines have been ignored or misunderstood. The student is seriously deficient in all of the criteria used for judging the written assignment. Critical thinking is totally absent. In some instances, a D can be a merciful F in disguise (e.g., handing in a paper that is less than the required ten pages). 

F = totally unacceptable work.  It means this particular assignment merits an F.  Yes, an F is earned.  It might not be the final grade for the course. It is just the grade for this particular assignment.

    Obviously, Georgetown is not a high school.  A student cannot get credit for effort.  "But I spent a lot of time on it!"  "I worked hard on it."  I can't grade effort; I can only grade the outcome.  Medical science has been searching for a cure for cancer, and to this date it hasn't found one. That's an F!  Of course, in medicine you still get paid if you fail .... except for malpractice. Then you'll get sued for your mistake.  So if you are "medically" minded and get an F on an assignment, consider it a case of malpractice. You didn't do the right thing, and you produced an undesireable outcome.  If that should happen, take heart. This kind of malpractice won't cost you any money.


Good luck in your written assignments!