During their final semester, graduating English majors must submit a portfolio of recent work as a requirement of graduation. The Department examines graduating students’ portfolios as part of the ongoing review of its program and courses. The portfolio should represent the collective best pieces a student has written during their academic career at ASU. A student’s candidacy for graduation is not contingent upon the quality of the portfolio items, and these will not be graded and returned to students.
The portfolio should contain the following components in this order:
A reflective narrative that analyzes the student’s English B.A. degree in 1,200 to 1,800 words. Specifically, the narrative should:
Explore your personal and professional growth during your time in the program. What have you learned during your time in the program?
Identify the skills you have practiced and the knowledge you have obtained from the courses you have taken that represent the diverse fields of study within English. Which course(s) do you think specifically gave you useful skills and/or valuable knowledge?
Describe the strengths and weaknesses in the portfolio pieces that you have chosen in order to demonstrate what you have learned during your time in the program. Why did you select each of your portfolio pieces? If you were to revise one, what changes would you make to improve it?
Reflect on your professional and personal goals. How do you think the program has prepared you for the future?
One work from a 3000 or 4000 level English course that demonstrates the application and terminology of the interpretation of British or American literatures.
One work written for one of the required advanced writing courses.
One work from a 3000 or 4000 level English course, written within the student’s chosen specialization (e.g. creative writing, technical writing, pedagogy, etc.).
*Note: One of the previous three works must include the use of secondary sources/research.
Remove the student, instructor, and course identity from each work.
Create a table of contents on the opening page that includes the titles and page numbers of all four portfolio pieces.
Use MLA manuscript and citation conventions unless the genre conventions of a particular work dictate otherwise (e.g. a technical report, short fiction, etc.).
Use continuous pagination.
Place page numbers in the top right header.
Save the portfolio as a PDF.
Email your completed PDF (and any questions) to the Department Chair by the due dates noted below:
Candidates for the Bachelor of Arts in Spanish (with or without teacher certification) are required to complete all sections of the departmental field test, written and oral, in order to be eligible for graduation. Students may take this examination during the semester immediately prior to graduation, or after having completed all foreign language requirements for a major. The oral exam will be a proficiency exam that does not test knowledge of facts, but rather the ability to communicate in the target language. The written examination will consist of a multiple choice test on language, literature and culture, and composition in the target language. Contact Mrs. Maria de los Santos Onofre-Madrid for further information on the schedule of this field test.