So, the American Revolution begins and the Continental Congress sends Benjamin Franklin as our minister to France. How was he received there? Was he liked and, if so, why? What reasons did France have for favoring the Colonies over England in the war? What two treaties did Franklin ultimately ge
RULES FOR ANSWERING SPECIAL DISCUSSION BOARD QUESTIONS:
1) Special Discussion Board Questions should be answered in essay form, providing the type of depth and detail expected in a research paper. You should take the time to explain complicated concepts in a thorough and thoughtful manner. Remember, you need to demonstrate an understanding of events–not only in terms of what happened but also why it happened and what effect it had on society. Remember to answer each part of your question as well.
2) Stay on target—answer the questions as fully as possible and don’t wander off the subject—doing so will hurt your grade. You will be allowed to post more than once (in case you have more to add) but you will receive only one (1) grade for all of your work—that grade will be based on the totality of your contribution. You are not required to respond to any other person’s post.
3) To answer each Special Discussion Question you are required to use resources other than your textbook and you are required to provide a list of those sources at the end of your post. This means you may need to take a trip to your local library or conduct an online search or two before you have the information necessary for you to compose your posting. DO NOT use any of the following as sources: your textbook, films or television programs (including documentaries and filmed courses), lectures, blogs, Twitter posts, or Facebook pages. I take off points if you do.
4) Be sure to cite your sources at the end of your posting. DO NOT use endnotes, footnotes, or any other form of source citation within the body of your post. I take off 50% of your grade if you do. Also, do not use phrases such as “According to Jones,…” because I count those as a form of in-text citation and grade accordingly.
5) DO NOT use quotes (and like all the other DO NOTS, I take off points for doing). I want to read your writing, not someone else’s. Read your sources and then write your essay in your own words.
6) Express yourself clearly. Use good grammar. Write in complete sentences. Do not use any of those abbreviations so commonly used on blogs and text messages. I suggest you compose your contribution on a word processing program with a spell-checker. Then cut and paste–or type it in. This may help you get out everything you want to say before you hit “submit.” Be sure to use at least 12 point type for your response so it can be read. And, no, you cannot edit your contributions after they are posted.
7) Carefully proofread and correct your post before submission. Be sure to check your spelling and capitalization, as those are the most common problems for which I take off points. Check your work again right before you hit submit.
8) Your contributions should have real substance to them. Contributions such as “Yeah, what she said.” or “I do so totally agree with what everyone has said” will receive zero (0) points. Posts should run 1,000 – 1,500 words in length–some will run more and some will run less. The rule of thumb here is to answer all parts of the question thoroughly and in detail (and you’ll be surprised how fast your essay grows as you write it, once you’ve done your research).
9) And this one applies to any post on this board…Be polite—no name calling, no long-winded attempts to dominate the discussion, no profanity, no threats. If you disagree with someone, you may say so and then present YOUR argument—spending your time tearing down THEIR argument will hurt your grade and could get you thrown off the Discussion Board. Please also see the Discussion Board rules in the class FAQs for additional information.
10) Your grade, once posted, is non-negotiable. Some wise person warned us not to compare ourselves to others, for there will always be greater and lesser persons than ourselves. This rule also applies to Discussion Board contributions. You are graded by me on your own merit—not against the class as a whole.