Final Portfolio assignment

Your final portfolio consists of the work you have done on Essays 1, 2, and 3 over the course of the semester, and your critiques of the essays you workshop.

Each essay, and the critique section, should be presented as a unit and include:
the original version of the essay;
the written critiques of the essay, if any, from your classmates;
the revised version of the essay.

Your final portfolio is your collection of these units for Essays 1, 2, and 3, plus the critiques you wrote. The portfolio should be presented as a single electronic file.

Your final portfolio is due by email no later than x x x

As with all assignments in this class, late portfolios will not be accepted under any circumstances.

The portfolio is graded on evidence of ability to work with writing as a process - a process that includes, as a necessary component, interrelated stages of revising, rewriting, and rethinking. The evidence of this process is in the stages you have taken your essays through. The result of the process is seen in the final versions of the essays, which are evaluated according to the grading criteria below.

Paper requirements
All essays must:
* be word processed;
* use a 12-point font;
* be double-spaced;
* have numbered pages;
* include your name and a title on the first page;
* use APA citation format;
* use correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation;
* use either Rich Text Format (.rtf), Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) or Google documents format.

This assignment meets or partially meets these learning outcomes:
* write complex analytic arguments, well-supported by evidence/examples;
* incorporate material from external sources in their writing projects, using correct citation;
* understand the requirements of academic integrity;
* understand the concept of plagiarism and know how to avoid it;
* correctly use APA citation format.

To complete this assignment, students will:
* develop coherent, sustained arguments or interpretations in writing, supported by appropriate examples;
* use research skills to discover material relevant for course work;
* manage self and time to successfully meet course requirements, including preparation (homework and studying), attendance, active participation, and the timely submission of assignments.

The following General Education learning outcomes and competencies are demonstrated in completing this assignment:
* produce coherent texts within common college-level written forms;
* demonstrate the ability to revise and improve such texts;
* research a topic, develop an argument, and organize supporting details;
* identify, analyze, and evaluate arguments as they occur in their own or others' work;
* develop well-reasoned arguments;
* perform the basic operations of personal computer use;
* understand and use basic research techniques;
* locate, evaluate and synthesize information from a variety of sources.

Grading criteria
An “A” paper:
This paper is exceptional. It takes some intellectual risks, and carries out its project with an impressive sophistication of thought and style. The main idea or thesis is clearly communicated. While significant and worthy of being developed, it is also limited enough to be manageable. The paper shows an awareness of some complexity in the thesis: it may discuss possible contradictions or qualifications of the thesis and their implications. The paper’s terms and keywords are clearly defined and all sources are critically examined. The structure of the paper is clear, whether it is a “logical” structure or a more “associational” organization. The paper is generally free from grammatical and spelling errors.

A “B” paper:
This paper does more than fulfill the assignment. It carries out its project with a noticeable degree of skill and competence. It has a clearly stated thesis and organization. It touches on the complexity of the thesis and shows careful reading of the sources. All relevant terms are defined. The paragraphs are unified and relate to the thesis. It has not major distracting errors in usage or mechanics (grammar and spelling), and no major lapses in diction or organization.

A “C” paper:
This paper acceptably fulfills the assignment, though in a routine way. There is a thesis, though it may be rather general. The complexity of the thesis may be touched upon but is not really addressed. The paper’s terms and keywords tend to show a similar generality. The paper’s concepts and thesis are clear enough, but their generality is often a way for the writer to avoid engaging the issues in any real depth. The paper may use sources and cite counter-arguments, but does not critically engage them. The paper has a structure that the reader can discern, though it may be interrupted at times by random or unclear paragraphs and sentences. There may be errors in usage or mechanics.

A “D” paper:
This paper does not have a clearly defined and meaningful thesis, or shows a lack of engagement on the part of the writer. The paper may lack a meaningful purpose: that purpose could be so vague that the reader is unsure why the writer is writing the essay, or the purpose could be so specific that the reader is uncertain why he or she is reading the essay. The paper does not have a coherent structure, uses few or inappropriate transitions and lacks coherent paragraph structure. Specific and relevant evidence is often missing to support the paper’s assertions. There are enough mechanical errors to make it difficult for the reader to understand the writer’s point clearly and quickly. Typically, this paper will have problems such as vague diction, ambiguous phrasings, awkward sentences, undefined terms, unexamined sources, or no sources at all.

An “F” paper:
This paper does not respond to the assignment, or has no main idea or thesis and uses no sources. There is no clearly discernable organization or structure to the paper. There is no relevant supporting evidence. The amount of mechanical errors makes it difficult to follow the sequence of ideas. A stylistically adequate paper that does not respond to the assignment is an “F” paper, as is a paper that is not turned in on time.