Eng201 Writing and Research

Writing Portfolio Guidelines

Over the course of this semester we have written a wide range of texts, examined many different ways to evaluate and use rhetoric, and discussed many of the writing skills we use in the workplace, in our communities, and in personal communication—rhetorical writing that takes place in almost every aspect of our lives.  The Writing Portfolio showcases what you have learned and the writer you have become; as you compare your first drafts to your last ones you’ll hopefully understand why I congratulate the hard work you have put in this semester.  

Bear in mind that Writing and Research is not a mastery course for research writing, and that these skills need to be practiced outside the classroom.  We have worked this semester to build on your existing skills and to add new tools to your repertoire.  I have asked you this semester to think in ways you might not have before, to write in ways you most likely have not before, and to consider the many roles you may play as a writer.  The Writing Portfolio, in light of all this, should represent you the writer.

Requirements:
Cover Letter: In the cover letter, you reflect on your writing and development as a researcher as a whole.  Most importantly, it is a place for you to present what you are accomplishing in the Portfolio; your cover letter is where you make your claims and discuss your support, and the Portfolio is where I look for the evidence.  (Remember that I am grading the Portfolio holistically, so if you discuss how much your organization improved, you will want to ensure that you have worked on your organization for each paper.)  The object here is not to promote your writing and research skills as perfect (even professional writers understand that there is always room for improvement, and know that writing is never truly “finished”), but to recognize that, as writers, we all have areas which are strong and areas which we continue to work on.  Therefore, the cover letter is more personal than your other essays and should reveal how you see yourself as a writer and how your Portfolio supports that development.

Other Eng201 teachers may be reading your portfolio, so please address the letter to “Portfolio Reader,” and sign your name. You will be expected to discuss the following in 3-5 pages:

Note that I do not want general discussion, but specific examples.  Writing that “I changed the things you told me to change and now I think it’s a lot better” or “I worked on my organization” are common statements, but not ones that help me understand how you have reflected on your writing and revised it accordingly. In addition to examples, quote yourself at least twice to provide evidence of a particular feature.

Essays:  In addition to your research essay, please select two essays from essays 1-3 which you feel best represent your writing and organize them in the following way:  final draft/copy on top, middle draft(s) beneath, original drafts and process work on the bottom.  Portfolios with fewer than three essayss will not receive a passing grade.  A minimum of 22 pages must be in the Portfolio.

Folders or envelopes are the preferred submission package for portfolios; I do not want to see three ring binders, because they are difficult to store and difficult to dispose of.

Portfolios not submitted with postage or proper postage will be kept in Avery Hall 217 for one year; you may contact me by email or phone, or the English department at (509) 335-2581, to make arrangements to pick up your portfolios any time after grades are submitted. 

The Writing Portfolio will be assessed and evaluated based on the Eng201 Writing and Rhetorical Conventions Writing Portfolio Rubric.  No comments will be made on your portfolios, but you are welcome to contact me or stop by during office hours at any time to find out why you received your grade. 

The Writing Portfolio is worth 60% of your total grade, and is due no later than 10 a..m. on Tuesday, December 15, either at my office, Avery Hall 217, or by upload to the Writing Portfolio Dropbox in Blackboard.  Late portfolios will not be accepted. Portfolios may be turned in early, but the front desk of the English Department will not accept any materials; portfolios must be handed in to me in person or uploaded to the dropbox.

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