111 How Seminars Will Be Graded – Part II

When I grade a question that you have posed to the class, I will look for the following elements

1. Information from the text is presented that introduces the question. This means that you must present specific facts about a topic. It is not enough to simply say the text talks about a given topic.
2. The chapter and section number of the information from the text is given. (Example:Ch. 1-1 or Ch. 4-3)
3. The question requires the other students to express an opinion. Expressing an opinion means to make an evaluation or judgment. The question must actually include the phrase, “In your opinion.…” typed in bold.  Questions that merely ask for information to be reproduced from the text without the stating of an opinion will receive no credit. If no other students have responded to such a question by the time I see it, I will delete the question.
4. The question is clearly stated and helps the class think more deeply about some aspect of the chapter.
5. Correct grammar and spelling are used.
6. The question is given a title that is a shortened version of the question. The title must end in a question mark.

The question will be graded on a scale of one to five. I will take off one point for each of the above elements that are missing.

A question will receive a score of zero if it has either of the following problems:

1. The question is posted on the last day of the module. If you post your question on the last day, you are not giving other students enough time to respond to it
2. The question is about the same topic as another question that had already been posted. In other words there may be only one question about a given topic in the same seminar. Read all the other questions that have already been posted before you post your own. If another topic has already been taken, do not post a question about it.

A Good Example of a Question

Subject: Is it good for the Court to hold the power of judicial review?

The text explains in Ch. 5-3 that judicial review is an informal method of constitutional change. Judicial review includes the right of the Supreme Court to rule acts of Congress unconstitutional In your opinion, is it good for the Court to have this right?

Bad Examples of Questions

Subject: The power of judicial review

The text explains in Ch. 5-5 that judicial review is an informal method of constitutional change. Judicial review includes the right of the Supreme Court to rule acts of Congress unconstitutional In your opinion, is it good for the Court to have this right?

(The title is not in the form of a question.)

Subject: Is it good for the Court to hold the power of judicial review?

The text talks about judicial review on page 56.  In your opinion, is it good for the Court to have the right of judicial review?

(The question only states the text talks about a topic. The introduction does not actually give facts from the text about the topic.)

Subject: What is judicial review?

The text talks about judicial review on Ch. 5-3.  In your opinion, what is judicial review?

(Even though the phrase “In your opinion” was used, it did not require other students to express an opinion. It merely asked them to reproduce information from the text. Do not respond to questions like this.)