Eng301 Writing and Rhetorical Conventions
Writing Portfolio Guidelines
Due Date: 12 p.m. Friday, April 27.
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 will hopefully understand why I congratulate the hard work you have put in this semester.
Bear in mind that Writing and Rhetorical Conventions is not a mastery course for rhetorical and argumentative writing, and rhetoric needs 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 this 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 rhetorical 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 301 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:
- A description of yourself as a writer, researcher, and rhetorician, and your development over the semester—what did you learn about yourself and your writing? Discuss this in the context of your specific papers, and refer to specific sections on the rubric to help you.
- An introduction to each of the 3 papers which you include in your portfolio—why did you include them? (Beyond “you made me”.) What do you perceive as strong about them? How did you revise them? Be specific. How might you still revise them if you had the time?
- Address what you will continue to work on as a writer/researcher/rhetorician in the future—do not fear that this will be a cause for lowering your grade, as one of our goals in the class was to understand that revision and argumentative skills are continually developing.
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 Researched Argument essay, please select two of essays 1-3 which you feel best represent your writing. Final drafts and the revised drafts with instructor notes for essays 1-3 are required; a final draft of the Researched Argument Essay and the draft you submitted for instructor review are also required. You are welcome to include any additional documents, such as peer-evaluation drafts, which showcase your development and help showcase the excellence of final drafts.
Final drafts for each essay included MUST adhere to assignment guidelines, including minimum page requirement and required sources, in order to be considered.
You may include your essay in one complete file, or attach them as separate files. If you choose to attach your essays and cover letter as separate files, please use appropriately descriptive file labels/names.
The Writing Portfolio will be assessed and evaluated based on the Eng301 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 65% of your total grade, and is due no later than 12 p.m. on Friday, April 28, by upload to the Writing Portfolio drop box in Blackboard. Late portfolios will not be accepted. Portfolios may be turned in early, but grades for portfolios will not be posted until all portfolios are graded.