Portfolio
Due Monday, Dec. 7
Reflection Letter also due at this time
Your portfolio ultimately needs to demonstrate your accomplishment of our course goals. To show that you have met these goals, you will want to include the following:
1. All drafts—every stage each paper went through. Especially include the drafts with my writing on them. This demonstrates your progress, which is considered as part of your grade. Even include the drafts of those papers you have chosen not to include, as they demonstrate your effort and the level of commitment in the course.
2. All final drafts. Please paper clip all previous drafts underneath the final, with the clean, polished draft on top. Make sure every draft is labeled clearly with a number: draft 1, draft 2, etc. and Final Draft. If the final draft is not labeled as such, I will not know what draft I need to grade!
3. All relevant coursework. If any in-class exercises or homework assignments were helpful and you discuss them in your letter, please include them. If you mention the reading responses from the wiki discussion board, please copy, paste, and print this out for me so I don’t have to go searching for it.
4. All research results from unit two. Please condense this.
5. A “Table of Contents” or “Index” that tells me what is in the portfolio and in what order.
6. Your cover letter, clearly labeled as such
7. A very neat, very flat folder of some sort to keep everything together. There are tons of free ones in the cabinet just outside my office. Help yourself.
8. Proof of publication: something that verifies a submission (or even better, an acception letter!)
semester points
vocabulary – 10% (100 pts)
publication – 2% (20 pts)
exam – 3% (30 pts)
drafts/homework – 5% (50 pts)
reflection – 10 % (100 pts)
presentations – 20 % (200 pts)
paper portfolio – 50% (500 pts)
Total – 100 % (1000 pts)
Each paper will be graded according to the five criteria, with 50% weighted on what you say and the other 50% weighted on how you say it. Because of the variety of genre and purpose, I can’t really give you a specific rubric that will fit them all. Your papers will, however, be graded as objectively as possible. I will use the general rubric you got at the beginning of the semester for each paper and give it two holistic scores. All paper scores will then be averaged.
AN EXCELLENT PORTFOLIO
An excellent portfolio will contain writing that demonstrates an exceptional level of critical thinking and a clear rhetorical purpose. As I read, I will be learning new and fresh perspectives and seeing the writer’s subject through new eyes. Ideas will be complex and highly developed, with considerable insight. Writing will provoke thought through your many details, reasons, and examples that are unique and credible. All writing will have a clear purpose to achieve, and, through persuasive appeals of logic, emotion, and credibility, the writing will accomplish that purpose. A balance of appeals will demonstrate a thorough understanding of the rhetorical situation and will appropriately address audience, purpose, voice, and tone
In addition, an excellent portfolio will contain writing that is stunning in its sophisticated use of the many tools of style we have worked with over the course of the semester and will be very reader-friendly through seamless organization and transitional devices. The language, no matter the genre, will convey a stylistic maturity through variety of punctuation, sentence structure, repetitional devices, and figurative language. While these tools will be used regularly, they will not feel forced or crammed but will demonstrate a natural, creative feel for the language. Diction will hold surprises, will startle and provoke, and will work toward accomplishing the purpose of the genre. While no writing is error free, an excellent portfolio will not contain any egregious errors nor will the number or level of error distract from the reading at any time.
Lastly, an excellent portfolio will be very well organized and easy to navigate. All items will be clearly marked and put in an orderly fashion that shows a progression of work, that tells a sort of story just as the letter does. Everything will be stapled or paper clipped, will be in a neat folder, and will have an index of some sort to guide me through your work. Every draft with my writing on it will be included, as well all other relevant material. It will contain 25 or more polished pages.
A STRONG PORTFOLIO
A strong portfolio will contain writing that demonstrates critical thinking and rhetorical purpose. As I read, I will clearly understand the writer’s perspective. Ideas will be interesting and thoughtful yet may lack real insight or depth. Writing will provide many details, reasons, and examples that are important and credible. Writing will have a clear purpose, and, through persuasive appeals of logic, emotion, and credibility, the purpose will be clear yet may not be solidly convincing. The balance of appeals will be appropriate for the rhetorical situation, as the writer addresses audience and purpose through an appropriate voice and tone
In addition, a strong portfolio will contain writing that is pleasing in its use of the many tools of style we have worked with over the course of the semester and will be reader-friendly through solid organization and transitional devices. The language, no matter the genre, will convey a stylistic effort through punctuation, sentence, and language variety. These tools will be used often, yet at times may feel forced or unnatural yet will demonstrate an effort for creative structure and style. Diction will hold some surprises but may not have the level of sophisticated word choice. A strong portfolio will not contain any egregious errors and the number and level of overall error will be minimal, never causing the reader any confusion or distress.
Lastly, a strong portfolio will be well organized and easy to navigate. All items will be marked and put in order. Everything will be held together, will be in a folder, and will have an index of some sort to guide me through your work. Most drafts with my writing on it will be included, as will all other relevant material. It will contain 25 or so pages.
A COMPETENT PORTFOLIO
A competent portfolio will demonstrate a modest level of critical thought and a relatively certain sense of purpose. The reader will not likely learn anything new or startling, yet evidence of thinking outside the box is clear. Ideas will be interesting and thoughtful yet may lack real insight or depth. Writing will provide details, reasons, and examples, yet they will be sparse and often come from unimportant or non-credible sources. There will be evidence that a purpose was attempted, yet that purpose may be weak and/or not achieved. Appeals to logic, emotion, and credibility may be evident yet may be imbalanced, poorly used, or simply weak, demonstrating a modicum of understanding of the rhetorical situation. In essence, a competent portfolio will demonstrate that the writer understands content and purpose but may not be very good at thinking well.
In addition, a competent portfolio will contain writing that demonstrates a moderate effort to use the many tools of style we have worked with over the course of the semester and will be mostly reader-friendly yet may at times feel disorganized or jumpy. The language will convey some stylistic effort, yet the voice and tone may sound the same across genre. Punctuation, sentence, and language variety will exist yet will not stand out or will be basic. Often when these tools are used, they may feel forced or unnatural; however, it will be clear that the writer made an attempt to use these tools to some degree. Diction will hold little surprise and will not demonstrate a strong effort to choose words carefully. A competent portfolio may contain a few egregious errors, and the number and level of overall error may be moderate and, at times, may distract the reader or get the reader a bit lost or confused. However, it will never demonstrate a base disregard for the reader by not having been edited at all. No silly errors should exist. In essence, a competent portfolio will represent writing that any reader can understand despite error.
Lastly, a competent portfolio will be organized and navigable. Most items will be included and marked, but I may have to do some searching to find things. Everything will be in a folder and may or may not have an index. Drafts will be included but some with my writing may be missing. It will contain nearly 25 pages.
AN UNACCEPTABLE PORTFOLIO
A nunacceptable portfolio will demonstrate little critical thought and a very weak sense of purpose. The reader will find little evidence of effort to think outside the norm. Ideas will be common and ordinary. Writing will provide some evidence but will “tell”more than “show”; what evidence does exist will be sparse and not likely very credible. Little evidence will exist that a clear purpose was attempted or it may be clear but very banal and certainly not achieved. Appeals to logic, emotion, and credibility will be sparse and/or may be imbalanced, poorly used, or simply weak, demonstrating little of understanding of the rhetorical situation. An unacceptable portfolio will demonstrate that the writer simply has not learned the essential components of critical thought in writing.
In addition, an unnacceptable portfolio will contain writing that demonstrates a little effort to use the many tools of style we have worked with over the course of the semester and will not be reader-friendly; the reader will often feel lost and the writing will not flow or use transitions. The language will convey little stylistic effort, and the voice and tone will likely sound the same across genre. Punctuation, sentence, and language variety will be nearly non-existent and all that stands out will be the monotonous structure of little effort. If any effort is made to show style, it will feel forced and unnatural. Diction will hold little surprise and will not demonstrate a strong effort to choose words carefully. An unnacceptable portfolio will likely contain several egregious errors, and the number and level of overall error will be incredibly distracting. It may, at times, even demonstrate a base disregard for the reader by not having been edited at all and may contain silly errors. Essentially an unacceptable portfolio will demonstrate a very low ability to use style and grammar.
Lastly, an unnacceptable portfolio will not be organized and I’ll struggle to get through the wad of papers that have been crammed into a paper clip. Nothing—or very few things—will be labeled and grading will be a guessing game. Things will be missing and I’ll likely be annoyed enough to give it back to you without even reading it until it is better organized. It will not likely contain the required 25 pages or even be close.