General Grading Criteria

I grade on a letter scale of A-F, including pluses and minuses, based on a holositic reading of any given paper. I must consider, for each response, how all of the elements of writing work together. Any paper is: a reflection of its author's ideas as a result of critical thought, the crafting of the presentation of those ideas using organizational structures (main ideas and specific support), attention to using sufficient supporting detail, and adherence to conventions of good writing, including grammar, spelling, and sentence structures.

Formal responses should observe a third-person voice; thus, instead of saying: "I think that Manfred is a reflection of mankind's worst traits," you would write, "Manfred is a reflection of mankind's worst traits." I know it's a small thing, but it makes all the difference to the reader looking for a well-wrought, objective analysis.

In general, the length of a paper, as per guidelines, is a guide. Often, your papers will go beyond this length. Consider that papers that fail to meet the minimum length are extremely likely to be poorly developed or lack sufficient support. Papers that greatly exceed the guidelines may lack focus.

For purposes of providing the most general guideline, consider the following:

A
 The "A" paper is not simply good; it is excellent. The paper demonstrates thorough understanding of the assignment and the reading, and it demonstrates a depth of critical thought with well-articulated main ideas and full support. That is, the story is not merely summarized with a few random, general ideas strewn throughout. Ideas are fresh and unique. The topic may be limited to a single idea and that idea explored in great depth, for instance. Grammar, spelling, and such are impeccable with errors being almost non-existent.
B
The "B" paper is a good paper. The writer must still demonstrate a thorough understanding of the assignment and the reading, but perhaps the critical thought does not reach to the depth an "A" paper requires. The idea driving the paper is unique but is just a little more than a well-rendered version of a class discussion, but still contains significant supporting material. Grammar, spelling and such are overall good, but there may be a few errors that are obvious to the average reader.
C
A "C" paper is an average paper. It still must do more than just summarize, but it may do little more than this. Perhaps the idea is simply re-iterated class discussion, and there is not a lot of critical thinking involved in analyzing the work. A paper is good for a "C" if it makes significant points but fails to develop those points effectively. The paper contains a number of errors, some of which begin to interfere with the reading of the paper.
D
This is a summary and nothing more. Whether the grammar is good or bad, the paper simply provides a summary of the story with no real analysis of the story. A paper may also earn a "D" if the analysis is intricate but the grammar is bad. Even with significant points, the paper will earn a "D" if it fails to develop those points. Hint: using several two or three sentence paragraphs is generally a good indication of insufficient support. Many errors interfere with the reading of the paper's supporting details, and often, the errors are of a larger type: fragments, run-ons, verb conjugation, etc.
F
An "F" is a paper that fails to adhere to the assignment. It may go off topic entirely, or may fail to provide even a basic summary. A paper will earn an "F," no matter the analytical structure, if the basic grammar structure interferes with the reading of the paper's main ideas.