Now that you have received back your first essay, it is a good time to reflect on ways in which you can improve your work – and your grade – for the next written assignment. As ever, if you feel lost in the course or just want to check in to see how you’re doing, come to office hours!

A.         How the assignment was marked

Because essays are quite subjective things to grade, I divided the points into three broad categories worth 3 marks each: 1) writing, including structure and spelling, 2) Evidence, including appropriate citation and range of examples, and 3) content, including how much information the essay contained and how relevant it was to the question. The final point was a discretionary point to add for papers that had strengths not readily quantified in the other three categories. That is how you ended up with a number out of 10, with everything over a 5 being a pass.

B.         What were the most common areas where essays LOST marks?

1.         Failure to understand or follow the instructions for the assignment.

This included failure to maintain a formal writing style, failure to cite sources of any specific information given (whether from a lecture or a text) or to provide an appropriate bibliography, and failure to grasp the purpose of the assignment. This was true of essays that were 90% film review and only 10% explanation of how Indiana Jones differs from or resembles the archaeologists of his time, especially 19^th / early 20^th century. Large numbers of people also ignored the instruction that the only reputable web sources to be used in this course are those containing refereed publications, and ignored the request for a bibliography.

2.         Failure to showcase your research abilities and what you have learned from L151.

The assignment several times invites you to explain what you have learned about ‘real’ archaeologists and expeditions, and show off your ability to gather good information from lectures and from the many useful articles and chapters we have assigned as compulsory reading. Given that, it is unfortunate to see how many assignments could have been written by someone with zero intellectual engagement with the course.

3.         Failure to understand what constitutes evidence to support an argument.

The assignment asked you to decide whether Indy resembled or differed from real archaeologists of his time, and earlier. Many thoughtful people concluded that there were similarities and differences with the real archaeologists and expeditions of the 19^th and early 20^th centuries (and some earlier examples). However, to make this (or any) point effectively, you MUST avoid generalities and value judgments and let the evidence speak for itself, by introducing specific examples and explaining very clearly how they support the point you are making. For example, Indiana resembles Belzoni in the respect that both had a French rival.

C.         What were the characteristics of the very best essays (those that got 8.5 and over?)

- The opening paragraph introduced the purpose of the essay without referring to the class, the assignment, the author (at least not excessively) and set the stage without resorting to sweeping generalizations and value judgments (such as “all archaeologists secretly want to be Indiana Jones”)

- The opening paragraph established how the rest of the essay would tackle the question at hand. For example, by mentioning that there were many differences between Indy’s expeditions and those of real archaeologists of his day in the opening paragraph, a writer lets his or her reader know that the rest of the article is going to illustrate this observation with relevant examples.

- The best essays compared Indiana to 4 or 5 different contemporary or near-contemporary archaeologists, noting in each case where their methods were similar or different. This may sound like a lot to cover in 600 words but it can be done if you make an effort to be concise and relevant. For example, you can assume your reader has seen the film so there is no need to explain the plot in detail. Likewise there is no need to go into lengthy detail about your ‘real’ archaeologists if you can get to the point quickly and provide a link to further information by means of a footnote. For example:

“Indiana Jones at the start of the film is shown in pursuit of a golden idol, a quest that requires the destruction of an entire technologically advanced South American temple complex. While this approach to archaeology focusing entirely on the acquisition of artifacts resembles the practices of the early medieval tomb-raiding monks and popes described by William of Malmesbury, by the 1930s the idea of excavating sites scientifically was well-established. [1] Howard Carter, for example, spent many months systematically cataloguing the contents of the tomb of Tutankhamun in the 1920s.” [2]

Footnotes

1.         Bonfante (1986) 20-21.

2.         Lecture L151 September 25^th 2009.

- The best essays avoided wasted words with irrelevant comments and personal reflections. Sometimes humorous or personal comments were a nice touch and added to the appeal of the article (it was supposed to be for a magazine, after all). However long passages reflecting on the merits of the movie or of archaeology did not contribute anything to your essay – when in doubt, leave it out!

D.        What you need to know for next time – very VERY important

For the next essay I will be deducting 1 mark for each of the following sins:

- failure to provide a bibliography and appropriate citations / footnotes of specific evidence.

- failure to establish clearly in the introduction that the article will be examining / explaining ways in which archaeology was / is being used to further an ideological agenda.

- Use of inappropriate internet sources while ignoring the information provided through the class.

- Use of inappropriate informal language, abbreviated words, or slang.

- Reliance on one or two sources of information with no evidence of wider reading or research.

* Finally, assignments that plagiarize will get ZERO so if you do not yet know what this means, find out!