Guide to Responding to Draft a Policy Memo: Operations of Government, ...
English language composition (MLA, Harvard, Chicago, Cambridge, etc.), ... For
example: If you gave yourself an A- for Argument (90%), B for Source Use (85%),.
Guide to Responding to Draft a Policy Memo: Operations of Government, Lobbying, Campaigns and Elections
Tips for composition:
The position you are adopting should be clearly specified at the beginning of the memo, then followed by series of well-articulated, parsimoniouslywritten, and distinct arguments that support your position. The arguments you make may vary from one paragraph to several paragraphs.
Organize your arguments in a logical and cogent manner. Think of their positioning relative to each other as you would in an essay.
Each argument you present should simultaneously draw upon readings from this course in a substantive manner AND remain relevant to the scenario and prompt of your choosing.
You must cite the information, theories, arguments, and data that you draw from the readings. You may use any of the standard citation formats for English language composition (MLA, Harvard, Chicago, Cambridge, etc.), just be sure to remain consistent.
Self-Grading Rubric: I. (50% of the assignment – “Argument”) Give yourself full credit for a creative, compelling, and generally excellent argument. Ask yourself the following questions: is my position clear and well-defined? Are there gaps in my logic? Would this argument be persuasive to someone with decisionmaking power? Have I anticipated likely counterarguments and addressed them? Is there a better, stronger position that I could take? II. (25% “Source Use”) Give yourself full credit for accurate and cogent use of course material to support your argument. Ask yourself the following questions: do I have support (empirical or theoretical) for my key claims? Do I point to cases or theoretical frameworks that suggest likely outcomes? Am I using sources fairly, or do I misrepresent the authors’ core argument in order to better support my argument? III. (25% “Unit Treatment”) Give yourself full credit for broad and balanced use of course materials. Ask yourself the following questions: have I marshaled support from most of the resources in this unit, or have I ignored large sections of it? Have I cherry-picked only the most supportive ideas to fit the course material to my argument, and have I formed my arguments around the most compelling material from the course?
Saylor URL: www.saylor.org/polsc401 Unit 10
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Assign yourself a letter-grade for each of the above sections. Translate those letter grades into numbers according to the following scale:
A: 90> percent Exemplary work. The work cannot be improved upon according to the questions provided above.
B: 80–89 percent Good work. There are one or two obvious instances where one of the questions in the grading rubric is not satisfied.
C: 70–79 percent Satisfactory work. The questions in the self-grading rubric are mostly answered, but there are several instances where they are not.
D: 65–69 percent Unsatisfactory work. The memo attempts to satisfy the questions asked in the self-grading rubric but regularly fails to do so.
F:
