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Fall, Senior Year

The fifth component of the Scholars IRP is the "Second Draft".  This page specifies:

1. what is expected of students in the Second Draft;
2. how mentors evaluate Second Drafts;
3. how and to whom students submit Second Drafts; and
4. how and to whom mentors submit their evaluations of Second Drafts.

Follow these links to learn:

• the deadline for student submissions of the Second Draft;
• the date when mentors are requested to submit their evaluations of these Drafts; and
• why these evaluations matter; what consequences they have for students.

1. Expectations

The Second Draft is a mature formulation of the results of a student’s inquiry--a presentation of the answers she is defending to its leading questions. The Draft must be a well written, continuous text, with footnotes and a bibliography.

The same expectations apply to the Second Draft as to the Final Draft.  That is to say, the Second Draft must be 20-30 pages in length (typed, double-spaced).  It must make use of evidence, arguments, and authorities from two distinct academic disciplines.  It must be built upon a bibliography of at least 10 "distinguished bibliographical sources," with at least 5 sources from each discipline.  It must use an established system of documentation (e.g., Chicago Manual of Style, MLA, etc.; the choice of system is at the discretion of the Primary Mentor).  In brief, the Second Draft must be a polished piece of academic writing.  Needless to say, academic dishonesty in the preparation of the Second Draft or failure to submit it as required are grounds for dismissal from the Scholars Program.

In preparing the Second Draft, students should make use of feedback from each of their mentors on their First Drafts. They should also be sure to employ sources, authorities, and information from each of their two disciplines (e.g., Political Science and Biology, Literature and Sociology, etc.).

2. Evaluation

Each mentor assigns a grade on a 100-point scale.  A student’s grade for the Second Draft is the average of both grades.

The grades for the Second Draft, Final Draft, and Oral Presentation are averaged to determine the student’s “Scholars Grade”. Her Scholars Grade influences whether a student earns the honorary designation "Benedictine Scholar" or "Benedictine Scholar with Distinction" at graduation. The former designation requires a minimum Scholars Grade of 75, the latter of 90.

Click here for more information about the Scholars Grade.

In grading the Second Draft, each mentor is asked to consider the following:

Content

• Does the paper have a thesis (i.e., does it defend an answer to a clear and important leading question)?
• How well does it define its thesis?
• Does the paper support its thesis?
• How persuasive is its evidence?
• Is the paper interdisciplinary?
• Does it make effective use of my discipline (i.e., the field that I mentor)?
• Is it an improvement over the First Draft?

Form

• Is the paper carefully written?
• Is the paper well structured?
• Is the paper properly documented?
• Does the bibliography contain "distinguished works" in my discipline published by "major academic presses"?
• Is the paper the requisite length (i.e., 20-30 pages, typed, double-spaced)?

3. Student Submission Procedure

Students are required to submit the Second Draft both via e-mail and in print.

Click here for the date that the Second Draft is due. Failure to submit the Second Draft by the deadline is grounds for dismissal from the Program; click here for further information.

The Second Draft should be emailed to four people:

• your Primary Mentor
• your Secondary Mentor
• the Scholars Assistant
• the Scholars Director

Be sure to state your full name in the e-mail accompanying your submission as well as the names of both mentors (“Attached is the First Draft of my IRP. My mentors are Prof. Gaddis and Prof. Wilson. —Jane Doe”).

Paper copies should be placed in the office mailboxes of two people:
your Primary Mentor
your Secondary Mentor

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Scholars Program Assistant.

4. Grade Submission Procedure for Mentors

Mentors are asked to submit a grade on a 100-point scale for their student’s work on the Second Draft.  A student’s grade for the Second Draft is the average of the grades from both mentors.

The criteria governing evaluation are specified above (see § 2 above).

We request that grades be submitted via e-mail to the Scholars Assistant and copied to the Scholars Director. Once grades from both mentors have been received, the Scholars Assistant will forward them to individual students and their mentors.

Grades for Second Drafts are due from Mentors within two weeks of their submission by students, Click here for the date that grades for the Second Draft are due.

If a student’s grade on the Second Draft is below 60, he is required to rework it and submit for a second evaluation, according to a defined procedure. Failure to resubmit a Second Draft with such a grade is grounds for dismissal from the Scholars Program.

Click here for information for the procedures governing Unsatisfactory first submissions.

If a student earns a grade below 60 from either mentor for resubmitted work on Second Draft, or fails to submit work as required, she faces dismissal from the Scholars Program.