Does Human Natu

Does the essay have a clearly stated
thesis?

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Is the thesis challenging (something
not everyone would agree with)?

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Is the thesis stated in the abstract
and introduction?

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Does the essay generally stay on the
topic of the thesis?

Exegesis

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Does the essay lay out a discussion in
the scholarly literature?

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Does it clearly present important
issues and ideas in that discussion?

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Are some of the reasons why various
participants hold their views explained?

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Is the exegesis relevant to the thesis?

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Are proper scholarly sources provided
for the exegesis?

Argument

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Does the essay present an argument for
the thesis being defended?

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Is the argument based on plausible
premises?

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Are the inferences in the argument
strong?

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Is the argument novel, in the sense
that it is not just a presentation
Writing

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Is the spelling and grammar in the
essay good?

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Are paragraphs used when appropriate,
and do they stay on topic?

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Does the essay have a structure which
makes sense, or does it seem to jump randomly from

topic to
topic?

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Is the writing concise, or does it
appear that there is significant repetition, irrelevant asides, or

other
‘fluff’?

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Does the essay conform to the basic
formatting requirements (e.g., being between 2000 and

2500 words
excluding bibliography)?

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Are quotations used sparingly, and
explained when used? Or are long block quotes used, with

little
evidence that the student understands the content?

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