Portfolio Genres

1. What are the genres?
2. What is a passing portfolio?
3. How many, how long?

1. Your portfolio must include:

• A textual analysis: an analytical essay that takes another text or texts as its subject matter.
• A researched essay: an essay that takes a position and presents a reasoned, thoughtful exploration of an issue, using outside sources; for example, expert opinion, eyewitness accounts, facts, reasons, etc. Careful documentation of outside sources is required.
• An in-class essay designed by your instructor and completed in one class session.

2. A passing portfolio will meet program expectations in each of the following areas:

• Rhetorical Skills: direction and purpose of the piece are clear; fulfills audience expectations; fulfills genre and assignment requirements; uses rhetorical strategies appropriate to the genre.
• Critical thinking: shows evidence of sound reasoning and analysis; goes beyond merely stating the obvious.
• Depth: develops ideas fully, with sufficient support and clear and convincing details; length is adequate.
• Organization: has a clear central point--implied or stated depending on genre expectations, paragraphing and transitions make the line of development easy to follow, there is no extraneous material.
• Style: word choice and sentence syntax are appropriate to the genre; language is precise, concise and fresh.
• Mechanics: follows rules of standard written English for grammar, punctuation and spelling; the writing shows careful proofreading and is virtually error free.

3. Your portfolio must include two or three revised essays. Each portfolio paper must be at least 800 words. The entire portfolio must be a minimum of 12 pages (250 words per page) of polished writing.

[pgs. 16-17, Program in Writing and Rhetoric Handbook 2001]