critical thinking assignment

Page 1 of 2

Critical Thinking Assignment (100 points)

Assignment Requirements

Critical thinking assignments ask you to write short essay questions. You are required to
answer the questions presented using class readings and other sources to support your
answer. You will be graded based on your ability to develop and support a coherent
response. Proper grammar and spelling will be expected. Please note the following:

1. Critical Thinking Assignment must be completed in your own words and must be
your own work. You may not use other students’ work as your own, nor can you
simply copy-and-paste answers from reading material or web sites.

2. You must cite the sources you use in your CTA. Failure to reference the source of

your information is a form of plagiarism. For this assignment, proper citations will
include a work’s title, author, date, who published the work, and page number.

3. ECU’s Academic Dishonesty rules apply. You should not copy and paste. The full

policy can be found here: ECU Academic Integrity Policy

4. You will be graded on content, word count (where indicated), organization, grammar,
spelling and the inclusion of appropriate citations.

Assignment Instructions

Choose one of the four questions listed below and follow the above guidelines in
answering the question you have selected. The CTA should be about 500 words long
and must have citations and clear referencing (no Wikipedia) or copying and pasting
from the internet.

1. While the Constitution has been amended only 27 times since it was drafted in 1787,
there have been thousands of proposed amendments. In recent years, one of the
proposed amendment has been a School Prayer Amendment which was proposed
on April 9, 2003, to establish that “The people retain the right to pray and to
recognize their religious beliefs, heritage, and traditions on public property, including
schools.” Research the pros and cons of this amendment and make a
recommendation regarding whether it should be adopted.

2. Discuss how lobbies (interest groups) and lobbyists affect the legislative process?

What changes would you make and why?

3. Discuss the relationship between the president and the media. How well does this
relationship serve the public interest?

https://www.ecok.edu/policies-and-handbooks/academic-integrity-policy

Page 2 of 2

4. Discuss some of the key ideas and policies of various strains of conservatism. What
do you expect of conservatism in the future and why?

Grading Rubric
The critical thinking assignment should be about 500 words and must have citations and clear
referencing (no Wikipedia) or copying and pasting from the internet. In CTA you are expected to
engage in a critical thinking and analysis process, assessing the facts and arguments presented
both in the readings, class discussions and in your own individual research.

Criterion Poor (5/25) Fair (10/25) Excellent (25/25)

Content &
Development

• Content is incomplete
i.e. major points are
not clear and/or
persuasive

• Content is not
comprehensive and or
persuasive

• Major points are
addressed but not well
supported by
examples

• Research is
inadequate or does to
strive to answer the
question

• Content is inconsistent
with regard to purpose
and clarity of thought

• Content is
comprehensive,
accurate and
persuasive

• Major points are stated
clearly and are well
supported by use of
examples

• Research is adequate,
timely and fully
answers the question

• Content is consistent
with regard to purpose
and clarity of thought

Organization
& Structure

• Organization and
structure is incoherent

• Paragraphs are
disjointed and lack
transition thoughts

• Paragraph structure is
not easy to follow

• Paragraph transition
nee improvement

• Structure of the
paragraph is clear and
easy to follow

Format • Paragraphs are
inadequate and or
excessive in length

• Paper is way over or
under the required
word count (800 words

• Paper is appropriate in
length described for
the assignment

Grammar,
Punctuation
and Spelling

• Paper contains
numerous grammatical
errors i.e. punctuation
and spelling errors

• Paper contain few
grammatical,
punctuation and
spelling errors.

• Language lacks clarity
• Paper include the use

of some jargon or
conversational tone

• Rules of grammar
usage and punctuation
are followed and use
of correct spelling is
adhered to throughout
the paper.

• Language is clear and
precise

• Sentences display is
consistently strong

Critical Thinking Assignment (100 points)

Assignment Requirements

Assignment Instructions

Grading Rubric