Does the essay address the various questions posed in the specific topic assignment? When appropriate, is there a clear, simple argument that ties the paper together?

Posted: March 9th, 2022

Topic:
Pre-Columbian Cuisine
The arrival of Columbus in the “New World” triggered a massive global exchange of ideas, wealth, disease, and, not surprisingly, food. Much of what we know today as intrinsic parts of regional cuisines, e.g., tomatoes in Italian cooking or spicy peppers in Thai food, postdates this exchange and represents a melding of New and Old World foods.
Assignment: Create a recipe (written) that includes at least five animal or plant-based ingredients that could have been sourced within a single world region prior to 1492. This means not only no mixing Old and New World foods but also no mixing distant regions (e.g., no tropical and arctic foods, so no arctic cod with mango-jalapeño salsa). The recipe may be from a cookbook or family member, but you must attribute that recipe to its original source, as well as if you borrow an idea and substitute a few ingredients. The recipe should be appended to your essay as an additional page; the essay should describe the region of the dish you chose and why you included those ingredients, including any substitutions you made, and your experience making the dish or the recipe.
Essay Format:
Each essay must be 450-500 words in length, double-spaced, with 1-inch margins and 12 point font. Essays shorter (or longer!) than this will be penalized, although if you are asked to complete additional documents (e.g., a list) as part of your assignment that page will not count towards the word limit. You do not need a title page; just write the title and your name at the top of the first page, along with the assignment topic number. Your paper should have a title that reflects the content of your specific essay. Please include a separate “Works Cited” page if you have sources to cite – i.e., anything you used beyond class notes and your own experience. Works Cited do not count towards the word limit. Be sure to check your paper for spelling, grammar, and other typographical errors before turning it in. If you do not follow these formatting guidelines, you will not be able to earn full points on the paper – remember this is a writing intensive course.
Require citations and a works cited page
Rubric:
1. Focus and Argument (3 pts)
Does the essay address the various questions posed in the specific topic assignment? When appropriate, is there a clear, simple argument that ties the paper together?
2. Use of Evidence (3 pts)
How well does the essay connect a general argument with specific evidence drawn from experience or research? Are the data sources, whether academic or personal, analyzed closely and in appropriate context? Are appropriate data sources chosen given the topic assignment?
4. Organization (2 pts)
Is the essay well-structured, with a clear focus, supporting arguments and evidence laid out in a logical and effective order, and a coherent conclusion?
5. Style (2 pt)
Does the paper fulfill the requirements of the essay as specified in the assignment, including length, citation use and style, and title? Do the language, syntax, grammar, and vocabulary of the essay fulfill expectations for analytical writing at the college level? Has the paper been adequately proofread and spell-checked?
Citations:
Acceptable sources include the following: academic articles and books, news reports from legitimate news sources (e.g., newspaper articles found online), primary source materials (e.g., laws, historical documents, cookbooks, websites you are directly analyzing). You may not use other websites, including Wikipedia, as they are unreliable sources of evidence, except in the case where you are directly studying the website itself (e.g., USDA healthy eating guidelines, or recipe blogs).
Justify your points by citing relevant points but given the brevity of these essays you may not use lengthy quotations (avoid even a long sentence!) and should avoid summary of single works in favor of a synthesis of your own creation. You must properly cite all information presented in your paper using parenthetical in-text citations following the format below: (Author, date).
I highly recommend that you use the citation style of the Society for American Archaeology (SAA), which is widely used in the field of archaeology, but you may choose another style guide. Whatever format you choose, you must follow this format exactly for all sources, including all details.
Comments from Customer
Discipline: archaeology