GRADUATE M.A. PORTFOLIO:
PROCEDURES AND REQUIREMENTS
Before graduating, a candidate for the Master of Arts degree in English must submit a portfolio of work for evaluation. The portfolio will be due no later than the Wednesday of the sixth week of the quarter in which a student plans to have it evaluated. A student may present the portfolio for evaluation after completing 36 hours in the program. All I and X grades (along with any other grades that candidates plan to change) must be removed from the Program of Study before the portfolio can be evaluated.
ALL PORTFOLIOS MUST BE SUBMITTED IN HARD COPY AND ON CD-ROM IN BOTH PDF
AND MICROSOFT WORD FORMAT. THE HARD COPY WILL BE RETURNED TO STUDENT AFTER
THE PORTFOLIO HAS BEEN EVALUATED. STUDENTS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR SUPPLYING
AND SCANNING ALL CONTENTS OF THE PORTFOLIO. THE PDF VERSION OF THE PORTFOLIO
MUST BE SAVED IN ONE FOLDER. Click
here for details
PORTFOLIO REQUIREMENTS
1. An introductory essay of 5-8 pages which details the student’s intellectual development during the master’s program and which places the independent paper into the context of that development. Appropriate items for specific analytical or critical discussion include earlier course papers or projects as well as ideas or theoretical frameworks encountered by the student during the program of study. Students are urged to quote from and engage with course papers, teacher’s comments, course texts, and/or critics, theorists, scholars, and/or practitioners in the fields whose work is relevant to the student’s development and has culminated in the independent paper. Students in the TESOL concentration will substitute the TESOL Exit Portfolio
2. An official signed copy of the candidate's Program of Study. The Program of Study will be available two weeks before the portfolio is due. Contact Jennifer Sheets in the department office.
3. A copy of the approved proposal for the independent paper.
4. A 120 word abstract of the independent paper.
5. An independent paper. This twelve‑ to fifteen‑page paper (excluding title page, notes and bibliography) should be an expository work of scholarship, research, criticism, or similar academic study, written on a topic of the candidate's choice, and addressed to a general audience of scholars in English. Whatever its subject and approach, the paper should demonstrate a thorough familiarity with its field, situate itself within the existing scholarship, and use appropriate professional conventions. This paper should NOT be a development of a paper already submitted for a class, and the candidate may NOT use ENG 791 Independent Study to prepare for it.
6. All portfolios must be submitted in hard copy and in microsoft word and pdf format on cd-rom. The hard copy will be returned to students after the portfolio has been evaluated. Students are responsible for supplying and scanning all contents of the portfolio. The pdf and word versions of the portfolio must be saved in one folder with the student's name and current quarter in the title..
THE INDEPENDENT PAPER
The steps for completing the independent paper begin in the candidate’s final year of study and should be thought of as a three-quarter process. In the first quarter the candidate formulates a topic and meets with a faculty advisor. In the second quarter the candidate submits a formal proposal for the independent paper. In the third quarter, the candidate should submit the completed independent paper along with the portfolio.
Note: a candidate must fulfill three prerequisites before submitting the independent paper as a part of the portfolio : 1) meet with the graduate director to determine an appropriate advisor for the topic of the independent paper, 2) meet with an advisor to discuss a topic for the portfolio’s independent paper, and 3) submit a proposal for the portfolio’s independent paper.
REQUIREMENTS FOR COMPLETING THE INDEPENDENT PAPER
1. A candidate must meet with the graduate director to identify an appropriate faculty member who will advise the candidate on a topic for the independent paper.
2. A candidate must meet at least once with a faculty advisor to discuss the topic for the independent paper no later than the eighth week of the quarter prior to the one in which the candidate intends to submit the proposal. The MA Proposal Advising Report with any recommendations will be completed by that faculty advisor and placed in the candidate’s file. Advising meetings can be arranged only during the fall, winter, and spring quarters.
3. A candidate must submit the PROPOSAL for the independent paper (SEE BELOW) to the Director of Graduate Studies no later than Wednesday of the fourth week of the quarter prior to the one in which the candidate intends to complete the independent paper and submit the portfolio. PROPOSALS can be evaluated only during fall, winter, and spring quarters.
4. A candidate may submit the PORTFOLIO with the independent paper to the Director of Graduate Studies in the quarter following the one in which the proposal has been approved. Portfolios are due no later than Wednesday of the sixth week. PORTFOLIOS can be evaluated only during fall, winter, and spring quarters.
Sample Timeline:
Fall Quarter:
No later than the 8 th Week: meet with faculty advisor to discuss topic for independent paper; have MA Proposal Advising Report placed in file
Winter Quarter:
4 th Week: submit proposal for independent paper and gain approval
Spring Quarter:
6 th Week: submit portfolio
Summer Quarter
No later than the 8 th Week : meet with faculty advisor to discuss topic for independent paper; have MA Proposal Advising Report placed in file
SUBMITTING THE PROPOSAL FOR THE INDEPENDENT PAPER
The proposal must include the following:
1. An unofficial copy of your most recent transcript and a copy of your MA Proposal Advising Report.
2. A 400-500-word description of the paper that presents your essay's tentative thesis and describes what you expect will be its structure and methodology. This description should be addressed to a general audience of readers who are specialists in any field of English studies.
3. A preliminary annotated bibliography of at least eight items. The bibliography should show familiarity with the most important sources relating to the topic. Annotations should briefly indicate not only the nature or contents of the entry, but also its relevance to the proposed project.
The proposal should be double-spaced throughout. It may follow the MLA or the APA format, depending upon which is appropriate for the paper.
The proposal will be due no later than the Wednesday of the fourth week of the quarter in which you plan to have it evaluated.
Two readers will assess the proposal, and the Director of Graduate Studies will return it to you within one week. Any proposal needing to be revised may be resubmitted within two weeks of the day that you are notified. If the proposal is still unacceptable, it may not be resubmitted until the following quarter.
PORTFOLIO ASSESSMENT
The entire portfolio will be due no later than the Wednesday of the sixth week of the quarter in which the student plans to have it evaluated. Once it is received, the portfolio will be evaluated by a team of three faculty readers for its quality, coherence and professionalism. The portfolio will be evaluated for the quality of writing and analysis in both essays (See Guidelines for Evaluating, below). If the faculty team is unanimous in approving the portfolio, the candidate will be approved for graduation, pending the completion of all other requirements. If the faculty team decides the portfolio is unsatisfactory, it must be rewritten and may be resubmitted the following quarter (not including Summer).
Allow 3-5 weeks for the portfolio assessment to be completed.
Guidelines for Evaluating the Independent Paper
The independent paper showcases the student’s grasp of a specific field of inquiry and ability to work independently within the discipline of English. The faculty committee charged with reviewing the student’s portfolio applies the following guidelines when evaluating the independent paper:
- Demonstrates an ability to synthesize and analyze a body of research
Demonstrates a knowledge of background sources, relevant literature, and critical theories Demonstrates a careful reading of a literary text or a body of work
Contains a thesis that takes a position on the collected research
Outlines a plan for the development and support of the thesis
Conveys a rationale for the thesis’ position
Is carefully edited and proofed - Consistently follows MLA or APA style guidelines
May use personal anecdotes to introduce a topic or corroborate research but only when the anecdotes have been qualified and contextualized
Guidelines for Evaluating the Introductory Essay
The introductory essay asks the student to assess his/her intellectual growth as a scholar /practitioner in the general field of English studies relevant to the student’s specific concentration. While this essay may be less formal than the Independent Paper, its quality is no less important. The faculty committee charged with reviewing the student’s portfolio applies the following guidelines when evaluating the introductory essay:
- Clearly identifies and discusses or reflects upon some example of the student’s intellectual growth
Comments knowledgeably and analytically on specific representative coursework produced by the student during his or her program of study
Engages knowledgeably and analytically with such relevant course materials as texts, lecture notes, teacher’s comments on papers as evidence of the student’s intellectual growth
Demonstrates an ability to articulate and comment upon concepts and ideas central to the student’s academic concentration(s)
Convincingly places the Independent Paper in the context of the student’s graduate studies and intellectual development
Is carefully written, edited and proofed
June 3, 2005
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