history 101

Please read the following primary sources and then answer the questions below:

Excerpts from The Book of Genesis (1-3, 6-8, 22) http://www.professorcampbell.org/sources/genesis.html (Links to an external site.)

“The Flood Story” from The Epic of Gilgamesh https://web.archive.org/web/20180924021142/http://www.livius.org/articles/misc/great-flood/flood3_t-gilgamesh/ (Links to an external site.)

Directions
Compare the assigned primary sources and write a discussion post answering the following questions:

What specific similarities between the two stories were you able to find? 
What might account for these similarities?

Make sure that your post begins with a sentence which clearly states your main argument, and that it refers to specific evidence from the sources in order to support that argument. Then provide a substantial response to at least  one of your classmates’ posts.
When you have completed your response, please respond to another classmate’s post with a substantial response.

Note: You will not be able to view your classmates’ posts until you make your first post.
Your initial post should be at least 250 words in length, but not exceed 500 words. Your response to your classmate’s post should be at least 2-3 substantive sentences.
Grading

This discussion board assignment is worth 100 points.
Students are only required to complete FOUR of the Discussion Boards for their grade. Students may choose to complete ANY four of the seven Discussion Boards to complete this requirement. Additionally, students may choose to complete a fifth Discussion Board for extra credit. See the Rubric below for a detailed explanation of how this discussion will be graded.
Discussions are worth 25% of the overall grade. 

Rubric
OutstandingVery GoodAveragePoor
Writing
40 Points
Demonstrates outstanding critical thinking and analytical skills in written responses.Demonstrates  critical thinking and analytical skills in written responses.Demonstrates  decent critical thinking and analytical skills in written responses, but lacks a thorough interpretation.Does not demonstrate  critical thinking and analytical skills in written responses. The effort is lacking. There appears to be little  understanding of the purpose of the assignment.
Analysis
40 Points
Displays outstanding knowledge and understanding of historical subject matter.Displays knowledge and understanding of historical subject matter.Displays fair knowledge and understanding of historical subject matter, but lacks a deep understanding.
Does not display consistent knowledge and understanding of historical subject matter.
The effort is lacking. There appears to be insufficient understanding of the meaning of the assigned reading(s).
Participation
20 Points
Writes thoughtful and analytical comments on other classmates’ posts. Is polite and encouraging in comments, even when questioning the classmate’s opinions and/or findings.Writes comments on other classmates’ posts that shows very good analysis and thoughtfulness. Is mostly polite and encouraging in comments, even when questioning the classmate’s opinions and/or findings.Writes comments on other classmates’ posts that shows fair good analysis and thoughtfulness, but does not always display a deep understanding of the original post. Is not always polite and encouraging in comments. The questions and comments are sometimes rude, though likely not on purpose. 
Writes comments on other classmates’ posts that fail to display any meaningful analysis or thoughtfulness. It is not clear if the student understands the meaning or purpose of the original post. 
The student is rude and not helpful at all in their comments.