CRIM J 2

Reaction Paper Instructions and Rubric

Student to choose topic. You may use any topic that is from your book, or any topic that is in the news, however, a) it must not be editorial unless substantiated by facts and b) it must be related to Homeland Security.

Instructions:

For each of the papers, students should clearly identify their topics and present their personal viewpoints or perspectives; however, students must also present a factual basis for those viewpoints (as opposed to an opinion paper). All references supporting the factual basis must be properly cited to the original sources in accordance with APA guidelines. All papers must be the work of the individual student – these are not group assignments.

Additionally, you must come up with a question after writing your reaction paper. There will be a discussion on the reaction papers in the subsequent module. Students will post a question from THEIR paper by the Thursday of the following module following the same guidelines and expectations used for the active learning discussion questions. 

The completed reaction paper should be typed in a double-spaced format with the correct APA citations, formatting, and references.  The scholarly paper assignment is to be no longer than two, typed, double-spaced pages in summary format and it is expected that each student will devote a great deal of initiative toward producing a quality, scholarly product worthy of the high academic standards established at Saint Leo University.

The paper will be evaluated based on the following criteria (see the rubric on the next page for the scoring breakdown):

a.     Thoroughness: How extensively does the paper develop the issue? Does the student show depth and understanding of the subject, or is the analysis superficial? Does the paper clearly identify its focus and logically analyze and discuss the topic?

b.   Scholarly quality: Does the assignment meet acceptable college level standards with respect to form and substance? Are the ideas presented in a clear, concise manner? Are there numerous typographical, spelling, or grammatical errors? (Each such error deducts points off the grade).  Do not quote or cut and paste information to develop or write your paper. Use your own words and summarize.  Papers with over 20% of content from other sources will not be accepted.    

Rubric (20 points possible):

Students will complete the assignment with attention to the following criteria:

Exceptional corresponds to an A- to A (90-100). Performance is outstanding; significantly above the usual expectations.

Proficient corresponds to a grade of B- to B+ (80-89%). Skills and standards are at the level of expectation.

Basic corresponds to a C to C+ (74-79%). Skills and standards are acceptable but improvements are needed to meet expectations well. Novice corresponds to a D to C- (60-73%). Performance is weak; the skills or standards are not sufficiently demonstrated at this time. Not Attempted corresponds to a grade of F (0-59%). This criterion is missing or not in evidence.

APA is the only acceptable and recognized writing format- Wikipedia is not an acceptable or reputable source. Please do not use dictionaries or the textbook ALONE as reference material, but you may include your text.