Watch at least 2 episodes of any television situation comedy. After watching the programs, identify any minority characters, and describe how any one of these minority characters was

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Pop Culture Paper Assignment

 Watch at least 2 episodes of any television situation comedy. After watching the programs, identify any minority characters, and describe how any one of these minority characters was portrayed. Detail if the portrayal was accurate or stereotypical and whether the character’s minority status alone was used as a source of humor.

 The paper should be no more than 4 pages long with additional cover and reference pages.

 The paper must be submitted in Microsoft Word; Times New Roman font; 12 pt. font size; margins 1” on all sides; double-spaced. The assignment should be written on a graduate level and references used should be cited within the discussion and documented in a reference list using APA styling.

 Post your paper, as a single document, to the grade book.

 Send your instructor an email when you are ready for your assignment to be graded.

CACREP Standards Addressed: 2F.2.a and 2F.2.d

Scoring Guidelines

Points available: 100.

Components Unacceptable (0 points)

Revisions Required (5 points)

Target (10 points)

Introduction Establishes historical

background and defensible

thesis that supports a logical

line of reasoning (CACREP

2F.2.a, 2F.2.d)

Underdeveloped introduction; reason for

culture selection is unclear or missing;

historical background is inaccurate or missing

Coherent introduction that includes a reason for culture selection;

historical background is accurate but limited

Engaging, well developed introduction that includes a detailed

reason for culture selection; historical

background is accurate and thorough

Focus & Purpose Developed thesis and

attentive focus on topic

(CACREP 2F.2.a, 2F.2.d)

Missing thesis; confusion about or

misunderstanding of topic; no sense of

purpose

Simplistic and unfocused ideas; limited sense of

purpose

Developed thesis; represents sound

understanding of the assigned topic; focused

Ideas, Support & Development

Supports ideas and reflections using specific and relevant examples of

No or limited evidence/experiences

are provided to support ideas and reflections;

evidence is incomplete, incorrect, oversimplified,

Provides necessary evidence/experiences to

support ideas and reflections; the

importance/relevance of all pieces of

Relies on compelling and detailed

evidence/experiences to support ideas and

reflections; the importance/relevance of

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Components Unacceptable (0 points)

Revisions Required (5 points)

Target (10 points)

evidence/experiences

(CACREP 2F.2.a, 2F.2.d) or disconnected from the

context evidence/experiences is

unclear or under developed but does

support the ideas and reflections presented and is placed properly

within the context

all pieces of evidence/experiences is clearly stated; considers alternate interpretations of evidence/experiences

to enhance demonstration of cultural

intelligence

Conclusion Establishes clear conclusion

based upon

evidence/experiences

(CACREP 2F.2.a, 2F.2.d)

Missing or no connection of evidence and analysis to the reflections; fails to summarize the argument

coherently

Limited connection between evidence and analysis to reflections;

summarizes some ideas and thoughts but repeats

ideas to support reflections

Engaging, strongly connects evidence and analysis to reflections; summarizes the main

topics without repeating previous ideas

Structure & Organization

Text has unity and coherence to accomplish the

focused purpose

No paragraph structure; or single, rambling

paragraph; or series of isolated paragraphs

Organization is confusing or disjointed;

weak paragraph structure; transitions are missing or inappropriate

Clear organizational structure; easily followed;

includes transitions; structured format

Audience & Tone

Audience appropriate and consistent tone

No awareness of

appropriate audience for assignment; tone is

inappropriate

Lacks awareness of

appropriate audience for the assignment; tone is

inconsistent

Effective and accurate

awareness of audience; tone is appropriate for

audience and assignment

Sentence Structure Demonstrates varied

sentence structures to enhance meaning

Contains multiple and serious errors of

sentence structure: i.e. fragments, run-ons;

unable to write simple sentences

Formulaic sentence patterns or overuse of

simple sentences; errors in sentence structure

Effective and varied sentences; errors (if

present) due to lack of careful proofreading

Mechanics The text has few

grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors.

Frequent errors in agreement, verb tense,

spelling, and capitalization; intrusive

and/or inaccurate punctuation;

Contains several errors in agreement, verb

tense, spelling, capitalization, and

punctuation (up to 6);

Virtually free of errors in agreement, verb tense, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation (no

more than 3); errors do

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Components Unacceptable (0 points)

Revisions Required (5 points)

Target (10 points)

communication is hindered

errors interfere with meaning

not interfere with meaning

Vocabulary & Word Usage

Uses extended and appropriate vocabulary

Vocabulary is unsophisticated; or

subject specific vocabulary or

sophisticated vocabulary used incorrectly.

Proper, but simple vocabulary used; subject specific vocabulary used

infrequently

Vocabulary is varied, specific and appropriate;

uses subject specific vocabulary correctly

APA Format/Citations Correctly uses APA style and

formatting

Reference page includes frequent errors (more

than 3); no attempt was made to cited

supporting sources in- text; contains multiple errors in APA format

Reference page in accurate and virtually

free of errors (no more than 3); all supporting

sources are cited in-text, but minor errors in APA

format are present

Reference page in accurate and free of errors; all supporting sources are properly

cited in-text; APA format is correct and accurate

APA Format Guides

The instructor has provided links to resources that provide assistance on APA format issues. Be sure to review these links and do not hesitate to ask for assistance if you are not sure about something. Ask yourself the questions below before you submit a paper. This list by no means addresses every possible mistake that could be made, but it will bring common mistakes to your attention.

 Is your paper double spaced?  Are necessary abbreviations explained?

 Are references cited in-text present on your reference list? Remember that the website itself is a source.

 Did you include in-text citations for all the resources you used? Only references used to support your writing should be on your reference list.

 Numbers ten and below should be spelled out.

 Are quotes referenced correctly in-text? Quotes should be used sparingly. There should be no more than one quote in a three-page paper.

 Are your sources presented properly on your reference list? Pay close attention to indention rules and capitalization rules.

 Is your title page presented according to APA format?

 Is there a page break inserted for the reference page?

 Did you include an appropriate running heading for your paper?

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 Did you proof your paper and have another person proof your paper before submitting the paper?

Writing assignments are taken quite seriously. Graduate students are expected to write clearly and concisely, and the order of your thoughts should

be logical. Know that each paper is read with these things in mind. If your writing is wordy or if you use awkward phrasing it will impact the format, style

and grammar portion of your grade.