Listed below are my policies regarding papers that you write to hand in to my class. They will be strictly adhered to. Following the policies are some tips for writing papers.
Policies:
1. I will not grade any paper with more than three grammatical, mechanical, or spelling errors. Instead I will return the paper to its owner, and require that it be fixed and returned to me by the next class period. One half of a letter grade will be the penalty for this. Should the paper still have errors, I will grade it, but I will deduct an entire letter grade, and the student shall be required to come to a grading conference to receive his or her paper.
You might be wondering WHY I have such a "harsh" policy. The answer is simple: Most of you plan to pursue a career in teaching. If you cannot master the rudiments of your written language, or if you simply don't care to do your work well, then I cannot sanction your decision to pass on such sloppy and/or ignorant practices to your students. There is NO excuse, at this level of your education and with your goals in mind, for errors in spelling, pronoun/antecedent agreement, subject/verb agreement, possessive pronoun usage, run-on sentences, or unintentional sentence fragments, to name but a few persistent problems I have encountered in student writing here at ISU.
2. All papers must follow MLA format. Here are two websites that will help you with that style; however, your best option is to buy a current MLA Handbook.
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Oracle/4184/
http://www.mla.org/ (Click on MLA Style)
3. Late papers will be penalized one letter grade per day (not per class period). If the work (and not some life circumstance) warrants an extension , I have been known to grant extensions. Successful applicants bring their preliminary work to me a class period before the paper is due, and we discuss an appropriate deadline. Otherwise, I expect your work on time.
Procedures to make it easier:
1. Contact me to discuss ideas and sources.
2. Run spelling and grammar checks through your word processor.
3. Always proofread using a hard copy of your paper. Some mistakes "disappear" on a screen, especially one you have been staring at for a long time. Correct mistakes with white-out and a black pen.
4. Get a writing partner. Read your papers out loud to each other (each reading the other's paper), so you can "hear" your mistakes in someone else's voice.
5. Call the ISU Grammar Hotline.
6. Get a good writing handbook. Consult it frequently.
7. Make an appointment at UCLA.