Capstone

A student enrolled in the Joint M.A. Program in English at CofC and The Citadel may elect to fulfill their MA capstone requirement with a 3-credit ePortfolio Tutorial. The ePortfolio is an independent enrollment course in which students demonstrate, at a high level, the program’s core learning outcomes, which state that students in the MA in English will be able to:

  • Use close reading and textual analysis to interpret literary and cultural texts.
  • Convey sound research-based arguments in accordance with standard expectations in academic writing.
  • Select relevant critical, historical, cultural, and theoretical sources to inform contributions to scholarly conversations.
  • Understand how the MA in English can serve as preparation and/or credential to enter or advance within a range of career goals or paths.

The course also allows students to fulfill a set of related course-specific learning outcomes. By the end of the course, students will:

  • Understand best practices in constructing a professional ePortfolio, including design and platform selection.
  • Undertake the significant revision of previously completed coursework in a manner that fulfills the first three program learning outcomes related to research and writing.
  • Have the opportunity to translate previously completed coursework into new genres and modes. 
  • Reflect on how MA-level work in English Studies and in the joint program supports their personal goals and serves as preparation and a credential for a number of occupations/careers.

The ePortfolio will include three major artifacts and a public introductory statement that describes the thematic and generic choices made in relation to your personal and professional values and goals.  The three major ePortfolio artifacts will comprise a combination of three broad categories: academic, pedagogical, and public. One of the ePortfolio artifacts must be in the academic category; beyond that requirement, students can choose any combination of the 3 major categories. 

Academic genres could include a conference paper based on a seminar paper, a revised and polished seminar paper, or a scholarly review essay (covering recent contemporary scholarly books on your subject) related to the topic of one of your seminar papers, among other options. The academic artifact should be minimum of 2,400 words, and should demonstrate the first three program learning outcomes related to student writing and research skills.

Pedagogical genres could include a lesson plan, a lecture, a “how to teach” essay, or a detailed undergraduate or high-school course syllabus. Pedagogical artifacts will be grounded in primary and secondary research, and will be the equivalent of a 2,400-word (minimum) essay.

Public-facing genres include literary essays geared towards a broader, non-specialist readership as well as a range of multimodal projects (a podcast, a web resource, etc.) Public-facing artifacts will be grounded in primary and secondary research, and will be the equivalent of a 2,400-word (minimum) essay. 

Although much of the work that a student undertakes in the ePortfolio Tutorial will be independent, the course provides structured curricular guidance and opportunities for mentorship and collaboration as students consult closely with their respective program director, and engage in brainstorming and workshopping sessions with their peers in the tutorial and in other individual enrollment capstone courses.

Required Texts

Eric Hayot, The Elements of Academic Style: Writing for the Humanities (2014)

We will also refer to Williams and Bizup: Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace (available as PDF here)

Assignments

e-Portfolio Memo: Students will submit a formal proposal describing their goals for the ePortfolio, the categories chosen, and the thematic or other concerns that connect the various portfolio artifacts.  

Discussion Posts (arranged between program director and students)

Engaging in Peer Editorial Activities

Final ePortfolio

Grading Policy

Grades for ENGL 709 will be P/F. All final portfolios will be reviewed by the joint MA committee. Student portfolios will be evaluated with a rubric indicating “pass,” “high pass” and “fail” in relation to the four program learning outcomes. There will also be a fifth category on the rubric related to portfolio design and presentation. Students must achieve a “pass” or “high pass” in each category in order to earn a passing grade in the course.

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