ROWAN UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF WRITING ARTS
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    • Required Courses >
      • General Education >
        • Science and Mathematics
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        • Literature, History, Humanities, and Language
      • Introduction to Writing Arts >
        • History & Materiality of Writing
        • Issues in Writing
        • Technologies & the Future of Writing
      • Methods Choice >
        • Communication Theory
        • How Writers Read
        • Tutoring Writing
      • Creative Choice >
        • Creative Writing I
        • Writing Children's Stories
      • The Writer's Mind
      • Writing, Research & Technology
      • Literacy Studies >
        • Situating Writing
        • Writing With Technologies
      • Senior Seminar: Methods of Analysis and Evaluation of Writing
      • Portfolio Seminar
      • Free Electives
    • Elements of Language >
      • American English Grammar
      • Editing for Publication
      • Introduction to Anthropological Linguistics
      • Linguistics
      • Rhetorics of Style
      • Semantics
    • Concentrations >
      • Creative Writing >
        • Creative Writing I
        • Creative Writing II
        • Film Scenario Writing
        • Fundamentals of Playwriting
        • Magazine Article Writing
        • Professions in Writing Arts
        • The Publishing Industry
        • Screenwriting I: Writing the Short
        • Screenwriting II: Writing the Feature
        • Tutoring Writing
        • Teaching the Writer's Workshop >
          • Publishing & Writing for the Public >
            • Applied Media Aesthetics: Sight, Sound and Story
            • Editing the Literary Journal
            • Environmental Writing & Rhetoric
            • Fiction to Film
            • Introduction to New Media
            • Media Law
            • Online Journalism I
            • Participatory Media
            • The Publishing Industry
            • Publication Layout & Design
            • Photojournalism
            • Professions in Writing Arts
            • Rhetorical Theory
            • Self Publishing
            • Writing for Popular Culture
            • Writing for the Workplace
            • Internship
            • Research Practicum
        • Writing Children's Stories
        • Writing Comedy
        • Writing Creative Nonfiction
        • Writing Fiction
        • Writing Genre Fiction
        • Writing Poetry
        • Writing the Young Adult Novel
        • Internship
        • Research Practicum
      • Technical & Professional Writing >
        • Developing Health and Scientific Literacy
        • Introduction to Technical Writing
        • Medical Writing and Rhetoric
        • Professions in Writing Arts
        • The Publishing Industry
        • Scientific Writing and Rhetoric
        • Tutoring Writing
        • Writing to Bear Witness
        • Writing for Nonprofits
        • Writing for the Workplace
        • Internship
        • Research Practicum
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    • Faculty Resources >
      • Best Practices in Online Learning
      • Syllabus Requirements
      • HyFlex/Remote Learning
      • Canvas Support >
        • Writing Comedy
      • Accessibility in Online Courses
      • Racial Equity Online
      • Supporting Developmental Writers Remotely
      • Building an Online Classroom Community
    • Acknowledgements
  • Blogs
    • Writer's Insider Blog >
      • Spring 2022 >
        • Writing Diverse Characters
      • Fall 2021
      • Spring 2021
      • Fall 2020
      • Spring 2020
      • Fall 2019
      • Spring 2019 >
        • An Interview with Devon James & Rachel Barton
        • Confession Travel Writer
        • Self-Publishing: A Change in Perspective
        • CCCA Career Fair: Having Your Future in Mind
        • Alumni Success: Entering the Working World
        • Behind the Scenes of Rowan's Hiring Process
        • Writing Comedy
      • Fall 2018 >
        • Singularity Press: Rowan's New Start Up
        • Writing Arts Club
        • How Can We Evaluate Creative Writing?
        • More Inclusive Events for Technical Writers
        • Guest Speaker Manuela Soares
        • Glassworks Reading
        • Spotlight: Taylor Henry, Recently Published Rowan Alum
      • Spring 2018 >
        • Publishing and Writing for the Public: A Reconstructed Concentration
        • What You Think You Know About Technical and Professional Writing is Wrong
        • The Toni Libro Medallion Award Winner: Myriah Stubee
        • An Interview with a Publisher
        • Excellence in Writing Arts Medallion Winner: Sara Skipp
        • The College of Communcation and Creative Arts 6th Annual Student Awards and Showcase Ceremony
        • Rowan Alum, Marissa Cohen, On Self Publishing and Advocacy
      • Fall 2017 >
        • Upcoming Classes in the Writing Arts Department
        • The Writer's Journey Blog by Earl Garcia
        • Rewriting The Department's Social Media Platforms
        • Rowan University Writing Arts Club Reinvents Mission
        • Glassworks Launches Issue Fifteen
        • For Futuristic Consideration: An Exploration of Careers in Writing
      • Spring 2017 >
        • Technical Communication: An Overview
        • A More Inclusive Future for Technical Writers
        • Easing the Tension: Breaking Down Technical and Professional Writing
        • Growing the Technical and Professional Writing Concentration
      • Fall 2016
      • Spring 2016
      • Winter 2015
      • Fall 2015 >
        • 2014 and Prior >
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  • Creative Writing
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    • 2022 Emerging Writers Scholarship
    • Denise Gess Literary Awards
    • Excellence in Writing Arts Medallion Award
    • AnToinette Libro Graduate Medallion Award
    • Past Awards >
      • 2008 Hollybush Writing Competition
      • Write Rowan, Right Now! Contest
  • Student Groups
    • Writing Arts Club
    • Avant Literary Magazine
    • The Whit Newspaper
    • Her Campus Rowan
    • Odyssey at Rowan
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    • Land Acknowledgement
    • Our Call to Action

Frequently Asked Questions: Students

General

1. What is PS?
Portfolio Seminar is one of two senior-level capstone courses (along with Evaluating Writing) in the Writing Arts major. Portfolio Seminar is a one-credit course for which you submit an electronic portfolio of work (five pieces) completed during your career as a Writing Arts major. The portfolio is then reviewed and evaluated by your advisor.

2. How come there are no meeting dates for PS on my schedule?
PS is set up much like an independent study. You will meet once as a large group with other PS students near the beginning of the semester (you will be contacted via email concerning possible meeting dates and times), but the rest of the work is completed at whatever pace works best for you.

3. How do I find out who my advisor is?
​Look at the list available on Canvas for your advisor. 

The Analysis Statement

4. What exactly is the analysis statement in PS?
The AS draws on your five portfolio pieces to demonstrate that you have achieved the outcomes of the core values. See ”The Analysis Statement” on the Portfolio Seminar webpage for more information.

5. I’ve finished a draft of my analysis statement. Now what do I do?
Contact Dr. Reed via email (reeda@rowan.edu) He will place you in a group who will peer review your statement (as you will peer review theirs) electronically via Canvas or Google Drive.

The Portfolio

6. When should I start my portfolio?
You should have set up your portfolio during the Technologies and the Future of Writing module of Introduction to Writing Arts. You should have begun, and continued until now, to store assignments, drafts, and important URL links there. If you aren’t saving your work someplace other than on a hard drive, you could lose everything if the hard drive crashes, rendering it impossible for you to pass Portfolio Seminar!

7. What should be included in my portfolio?
Information on what goes in the portfolio can be found at “Portfolio Contents and Uploading Hints” on the Portfolio Seminar page listed above.
Unless a paper falls under the situation discussed in question 9 below, it should be converted to a pdf before uploading it to your portfolio.

8. How do I save my files as pdfs?
Most applications like Microsoft Word give you the option to either “save as” a pdf, or to “print” the document as a pdf.

9. What if some of my “papers” exist digitally on the web?
No problem. Just supply the links as part of the portfolio.

Peer Review

11. How do I get placed into a group for peer review?
 You need to contact Dr. Reed when a draft of your analysis statement is complete. After she gets enough people to form a group, she will create the group in Blackboard and ask you to complete your group work within 7-10 days.

12. How do groups function in Canvas?
You will click on your group on the left hand side of Canvas, then find your Peer Review group. You should have options for discussions there.

13. How do I use the comment feature on Word?
With PCs, highlight the area of the text you want to comment on. On the “Review” tab, in the “Comments” group, click “New Comment.”
With Macs, highlight the area of the text you want to comment on, drop down the “Insert” menu and then open “Comment.”
This should be similar on Google Docs, if you are using that to complete your peer review.

14. What if I am not receiving feedback from all of my group members?

​As a group, set a date for how soon you want everyone to comment on the analysis statements. I suggest 7-10 days. Once the date has passed, try to contact anyone who hasn’t commented. If you don’t hear back, contact me. If after a reasonable amount of time, the person doesn’t get in touch with me or comment, we will consider them out of the group, and that person will not receive credit for group work. This will affect their grade in the course.

Sharing Your Portfolio

15. How and who do I invite to see my portfolio?
​You need to invite your advisor and me. Use the list of advisors and usernames in Canvas to determine your advisor’s correct email. Mine is reeda@rowan.edu.

Due Dates

16. When does this all need to be done by?
The checklist, found on the Portfolio Seminar webpage, sets general parameters for completion of your work.

17. What if I am currently enrolled in Evaluating Writing and my major assignments aren’t due until later in the semester?
This may cause problems in completing your work in a timely manner. You will need to be flexible. You can certainly begin and complete most of your Analysis Statement without having this one paper.

Evaluation

18. How am I evaluated in PS?
Your advisor evaluates your Analysis Statement based on the rubric found on the Portfolio Seminar webpage. As long as you have completed the group work, I will, in all likelihood, honor that person’s grade. If you did not participate in group work, your grade will be lowered by 1/3 of a grade (B becomes a B-, for example).

19. I received an Incomplete in Portfolio Seminar. How come?
​I cannot turn in any grades unless I turn in all grades. At the end of the semester, if I have not received a grade from an advisor, I enter it as an Incomplete so that others in the class receive their grades in a timely manner.
 If you receive an Incomplete, first attempt to contact your advisor to find out why your work has not been evaluated before contacting me.

Problems and Concerns

20. My advisor isn’t getting back to me. What should I do?
If after waiting a reasonable amount of time and having attempted to contact your advisor without success, contact me and I will find out what is going on.

When PS is Offered

22. Can I take PS during the summer?
​Yes. The department in no way wants to impede anyone’s progress towards graduation. Taking it during the summer may mean your advisor is not available, but that will be addressed on an individual basis.

Taking PS While Student Teaching

24. Should I take PS while student teaching?
The rule is: you must complete PS before you student teach. The AS is a substantial paper—twelve to fifteen pages on average—and as one of the culminating experiences of your WA career, writing it requires a lot of synthesizing of ideas you have learned previously. That said, certainly nothing prohibits you from starting your AS prior to the semester you take PS!

faqs-students.doc
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The Analysis Statement

​Core Values and Learning Outcomes

Questions Concerning Core Values

PS AS Peer Group Instructions

Portfolio Contents and Uploading Hints

Checklist for Portfolio Seminar

Holistic Grading Rubric for Portfolio Seminar

Commonly Asked Questions about Portfolio Seminar
By Students
By Instructors
  • Home
  • Programs
    • Creative Writing Minor
    • WA Major
    • Minors >
      • Publishing and Writing for the Public
      • New Media Minor
      • Technical & Professional Writing Minor
      • Writing Arts Minor
    • Certificates of Undergraduate Study >
      • CUGS in Creative Writing
      • CUGS in Publishing and Writing for the Public
      • CUGS in Technical and Professional Writing
      • CUGS in Writing Studies for Educators
      • CUGS in Professional Communication
      • CUGS in Writing for the Environment
    • 4+1 (B.A.+M.A.) Program
    • Degree in 3
    • Graduate Programs
  • Advising
  • WA Major
    • Writing Arts Journey
    • Required Courses >
      • General Education >
        • Science and Mathematics
        • Social and Behavioral Sciences
        • Literature, History, Humanities, and Language
      • Introduction to Writing Arts >
        • History & Materiality of Writing
        • Issues in Writing
        • Technologies & the Future of Writing
      • Methods Choice >
        • Communication Theory
        • How Writers Read
        • Tutoring Writing
      • Creative Choice >
        • Creative Writing I
        • Writing Children's Stories
      • The Writer's Mind
      • Writing, Research & Technology
      • Literacy Studies >
        • Situating Writing
        • Writing With Technologies
      • Senior Seminar: Methods of Analysis and Evaluation of Writing
      • Portfolio Seminar
      • Free Electives
    • Elements of Language >
      • American English Grammar
      • Editing for Publication
      • Introduction to Anthropological Linguistics
      • Linguistics
      • Rhetorics of Style
      • Semantics
    • Concentrations >
      • Creative Writing >
        • Creative Writing I
        • Creative Writing II
        • Film Scenario Writing
        • Fundamentals of Playwriting
        • Magazine Article Writing
        • Professions in Writing Arts
        • The Publishing Industry
        • Screenwriting I: Writing the Short
        • Screenwriting II: Writing the Feature
        • Tutoring Writing
        • Teaching the Writer's Workshop >
          • Publishing & Writing for the Public >
            • Applied Media Aesthetics: Sight, Sound and Story
            • Editing the Literary Journal
            • Environmental Writing & Rhetoric
            • Fiction to Film
            • Introduction to New Media
            • Media Law
            • Online Journalism I
            • Participatory Media
            • The Publishing Industry
            • Publication Layout & Design
            • Photojournalism
            • Professions in Writing Arts
            • Rhetorical Theory
            • Self Publishing
            • Writing for Popular Culture
            • Writing for the Workplace
            • Internship
            • Research Practicum
        • Writing Children's Stories
        • Writing Comedy
        • Writing Creative Nonfiction
        • Writing Fiction
        • Writing Genre Fiction
        • Writing Poetry
        • Writing the Young Adult Novel
        • Internship
        • Research Practicum
      • Technical & Professional Writing >
        • Developing Health and Scientific Literacy
        • Introduction to Technical Writing
        • Medical Writing and Rhetoric
        • Professions in Writing Arts
        • The Publishing Industry
        • Scientific Writing and Rhetoric
        • Tutoring Writing
        • Writing to Bear Witness
        • Writing for Nonprofits
        • Writing for the Workplace
        • Internship
        • Research Practicum
    • WA Learning Community >
      • Publishers
  • Internships
    • Internal Internships
    • External Internships
  • Careers
  • Faculty
    • Faculty Resources >
      • Best Practices in Online Learning
      • Syllabus Requirements
      • HyFlex/Remote Learning
      • Canvas Support >
        • Writing Comedy
      • Accessibility in Online Courses
      • Racial Equity Online
      • Supporting Developmental Writers Remotely
      • Building an Online Classroom Community
    • Acknowledgements
  • Blogs
    • Writer's Insider Blog >
      • Spring 2022 >
        • Writing Diverse Characters
      • Fall 2021
      • Spring 2021
      • Fall 2020
      • Spring 2020
      • Fall 2019
      • Spring 2019 >
        • An Interview with Devon James & Rachel Barton
        • Confession Travel Writer
        • Self-Publishing: A Change in Perspective
        • CCCA Career Fair: Having Your Future in Mind
        • Alumni Success: Entering the Working World
        • Behind the Scenes of Rowan's Hiring Process
        • Writing Comedy
      • Fall 2018 >
        • Singularity Press: Rowan's New Start Up
        • Writing Arts Club
        • How Can We Evaluate Creative Writing?
        • More Inclusive Events for Technical Writers
        • Guest Speaker Manuela Soares
        • Glassworks Reading
        • Spotlight: Taylor Henry, Recently Published Rowan Alum
      • Spring 2018 >
        • Publishing and Writing for the Public: A Reconstructed Concentration
        • What You Think You Know About Technical and Professional Writing is Wrong
        • The Toni Libro Medallion Award Winner: Myriah Stubee
        • An Interview with a Publisher
        • Excellence in Writing Arts Medallion Winner: Sara Skipp
        • The College of Communcation and Creative Arts 6th Annual Student Awards and Showcase Ceremony
        • Rowan Alum, Marissa Cohen, On Self Publishing and Advocacy
      • Fall 2017 >
        • Upcoming Classes in the Writing Arts Department
        • The Writer's Journey Blog by Earl Garcia
        • Rewriting The Department's Social Media Platforms
        • Rowan University Writing Arts Club Reinvents Mission
        • Glassworks Launches Issue Fifteen
        • For Futuristic Consideration: An Exploration of Careers in Writing
      • Spring 2017 >
        • Technical Communication: An Overview
        • A More Inclusive Future for Technical Writers
        • Easing the Tension: Breaking Down Technical and Professional Writing
        • Growing the Technical and Professional Writing Concentration
      • Fall 2016
      • Spring 2016
      • Winter 2015
      • Fall 2015 >
        • 2014 and Prior >
          • Archive
    • The Bulletin Board
    • RU Writing? Podcast
  • Creative Writing
    • CW Faculty Publications
    • CW Course Offerings
  • Writing Center
  • Alumni
    • Undergraduate
    • Graduate
  • Awards
    • 2022 Emerging Writers Scholarship
    • Denise Gess Literary Awards
    • Excellence in Writing Arts Medallion Award
    • AnToinette Libro Graduate Medallion Award
    • Past Awards >
      • 2008 Hollybush Writing Competition
      • Write Rowan, Right Now! Contest
  • Student Groups
    • Writing Arts Club
    • Avant Literary Magazine
    • The Whit Newspaper
    • Her Campus Rowan
    • Odyssey at Rowan
    • Singularity Press
  • Events
  • ECCCA
    • RU Deptartment of Writing Arts - Home
    • News & Announcements
    • Rowan University - Home
    • Ric Edelman College of Communication & Creative Arts at Rowan University - Home
    • Student Groups
  • About Us
    • Our Vision and Mission
    • Land Acknowledgement
    • Our Call to Action