The purpose of this assignment is to provide you with a chance to reflect upon what you have learned, to critically analyze your work, and to practice the selection of and presentation of your work to an audience.
First, gather all of your work that is to be included in your course-end learning portfolio. The guidelines for what to include are listed below. Then, thoughtfully and formally write the short, reflective pieces on each item, as described below in the list of items to include in your portfolio. By "formal," I mean that I expect carefully considered and carefully written work, which should be formally formatted, including double spacing. This probably requires some writing and revision before you can produce a high-quality, final product to include in the portfolio. First-person ("I") statements are fine. Please re-read "Tips for Better Prose" at <http://faculty.washington.edu/davidgs/Prose.html> before writing these short, reflective pieces.
Then, write a formal, reflective paper of about 800 words (no fewer than 600 and no more than 1000) that discusses, in an order that makes sense as the best way to present your thinking:
As a formal piece of university writing, your reflective essay should be typed and double-spaced throughout, using a standard font (like Times) in 12-point size, and with margins of one inch all the way around each page. Provide a meaningful but brief title for your paper (not "Reflective Essay" but rather a short hint of your paper's main point or thrust).
Just before you print your final draft to submit to me, do a final word count (in the Tools pull-down menu of Microsoft Word) and write the total number of words at the end of your paper.
Needless to say, your work must be entirely original. Using another person's ideas or words without proper attribution, whether intentional or accidental, constitutes plagiarism, and will result in a zero on this assignment. Please re-read "Maintaining Academic Integrity" at <http://faculty.washington.edu/davidgs/Integrity.html>.
Now, assemble your learning portfolio in this order:
You may assemble your portfolio in a folder, ringed binder, or other apparatus. The contents matter; the container does not. If possible, please put your name on the outside of the folder or binder.
Your learning portfolio is due in class at 1:15 p.m. sharp on Tuesday, March 11. Because I have provided the maximum amount of time to complete this assignment, because I intend to return graded portfolios at the final class meeting two days later (March 13), and because I need to ensure an equal amount of time to be fair to everyone in class, I will not accept any late portfolios for any reason, so I strongly recommend finishing early to avoid any unforeseen problems.
Basis for grading your learning portfolio:
Completeness (responds
appropriately to the assignment in form and
content) 20 percent Depth of response (quality
of detail and support; sophistication of ideas and
argument) 70 percent Quality of writing
(organization; spelling, grammar, diction,
punctuation) 10 percent
Based on the above criteria, I will assign the following marks for your learning portfolio, which will contribute to the determination of your final course grade as explained on the syllabus at <http://faculty.washington.edu/davidgs/ConsumerLitSyl.html> under "Final Course Grade Scale."
Excellent (surpasses
expectations) check-plus Good (meets
expectations) check Unsatisfactory (does not meet
expectations) check-minus
Let me emphasize that I expect your best effort in this and every exercise. My expectations are high because your ability to produce outstanding work is high.
Some additional advice:
This page last updated January 20, 2003.
