Literature

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Midterm Project Assignment

 Select a term or concept that is frequently used in the literature in the field of cross-
cultural education/counseling. Conduct an exhaustive literature search of the definition
and use of the term.

 Students have the freedom to format the definition in a style that best suits their
background, expertise, and interests however they must provide information that
answers the following questions:

1. Where did the term come from?
2. What are the alternative definitions?
3. What is the preferred definition and why?
4. What one or two primary sources can one go to find out more about the term?

 The meaning of some terms changes over time so you may want to consider providing a
short historical perspective in writing the definition.

 Definitions should be typed, doubled space throughout. Your assignment should be
limited to about 2 pages (maximum of 350 – 400 words). The cover page and the
reference page are not included in the 2-page minimum.

 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, 2F.2.c and 2F.2.h

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.c, 2F.2.h)

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

Missing thesis; confusion
about or

misunderstanding of

Simplistic and unfocused
ideas; limited sense of

purpose

Developed thesis;
represents sound

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Components Unacceptable
(0 points)

Revisions Required
(5 points)

Target
(10 points)

(CACREP 2F.2.a, 2F.2.c,

2F.2.h)
topic; no sense of

purpose
understanding of the

assigned topic; focused

Ideas, Support &
Development

Supports ideas and
reflections using specific
and relevant examples of

evidence/experiences

(CACREP 2F.2.a, 2F.2.c,
2F.2.h)

No or limited
evidence/experiences

are provided to support
ideas and reflections;

evidence is incomplete,
incorrect, oversimplified,
or disconnected from the

context

Provides necessary
evidence/experiences to

support ideas and
reflections; the

importance/relevance of
all pieces of

evidence/experiences is
unclear or under

developed but does
support the ideas and
reflections presented
and is placed properly

within the context

Relies on compelling and
detailed

evidence/experiences to
support ideas and

reflections; the
importance/relevance of

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.c,

2F.2.h)

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;

Formulaic sentence
patterns or overuse of

Effective and varied
sentences; errors (if

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Components Unacceptable
(0 points)

Revisions Required
(5 points)

Target
(10 points)

unable to write simple
sentences

simple sentences; errors
in sentence structure

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;

communication is
hindered

Contains several errors
in agreement, verb

tense, spelling,
capitalization, and

punctuation (up to 6);
errors interfere with

meaning

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

more than 3); errors do
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.

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 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?

 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.