Student Portfolio

ANTH 492 - SENIOR PRACTICUM - PORTFOLIO  A 1-credit capstone course designed to help seniors develop and construct their senior portfolio.  Included in the course is the departmental "portfolio review." (Graded) PREREQ: senior standing

RATIONALE:

The purpose of the student portfolio is to provide both the anthropology major and the department an opportunity to develop a "best foot forward" evaluation of individual performance, ability and expertise outside of the GPA and individual letters of recommendation.  The portfolio will be useful not only for anthropology majors continuing on into graduate training, but it will also be useful for majors entering the job market in any area.  Students will begin their portfolios during their sophomore year and will seek preliminary counseling from their advisor regarding elements for inclusion and methods of review. During the junior year the faculty will collectively review all portfolios and provide critiques and suggestions. Prior to graduation, students will present their portfolios to faculty and students in much the same way that poster presentations at AAA annual meetings are presented.

OBJECTIVES:

The portfolio is designed to provide a student with an opportunity to present his or her ideas, accomplishments, creativity and critical skills to the body of work achieved during their years in the program. The following objectives should be considered in assembling a portfolio:

Creation of a portfolio that accentuates an individual's grasp of anthropological concepts and methods with maturity and critical acumen.

Assembly of materials that represent a breadth and diversity of abilities within the four fields of anthropology.

Development of an anthology of student work that represents the highest quality of research, fieldwork, synthesis and professional presentation.

Demonstration of an ability to communicate anthropological concepts and methods to audiences outside of the university community.

PORTFOLIO CONTENTS AND ORGANIZATION:

Each portfolio should be organized in a three-ring binder (or a file box or other suitable container) with individual items identified by tabs or labels. The items in the portfolio should be placed in the following order:

I.  Vita   The vita provides basic information about you--address, date of birth, educational background, work experience, etc. Usually a vitae is a 1-2 page document that provides a quick overview of who you are and what your experiences have been. Many people revise their vitae each time they apply for a job, stressing aspects of their background for the skills required. Vitae often contain information on the type of position desired and a one or two sentence summary of your professional interests.

II. Personal Goals Statement   The personal goals statement describes your career plans and how you plan to accomplish this.

III.  Papers and Published Materials    As a student you may not have a great deal of published material, but you may have contributed to a student project or field experience that results in publication. You should include this material as well as papers which received positive feedback from professors and other students. An effort to extend these written presentations to public forums (SSPA conference, Great Basin conference, AAA meetings) are encouraged. If you read a paper at a conference and received feedback on it, you might want to include a short summary of the feedback.

IV.   Field Materials or Reports     These materials may be included in somewhat raw form, but you might also want to add a personal statement or critique of what you did and how you did it. Solicit critiques of your work from supervisors and fellow students. You should also include reports and critiques of internship and independent study projects.

V.  Bibliographies or research materials    If you developed a way to locate and analyze research materials or you completed a bibliography or other research devices, include it with a short explanation.

VI.   Skills     List any skills that you deem appropriate. For example, skills in computer programs, statistical training, training in computer applications, skills in use of photographic equipment (standard, digital, video), skills in mapping and map making, skills in drafting or illustration, linguistic skills, a foreign language you have learned, or any other skills that you might think of as useful.

VII.   Photographs or artistic materials    Many anthropology students use photography, tape or videotape recordings, newspaper articles, diaries or other documentary materials as a part of their undergraduate work. You might want to select out of this material a representative sample of your work.

VIII.   Student organizational or governmental activities    Samples of announcements, flyers of lectures you have attended, reports or agendas that reveal your activities in student government or show your involvement with the department or university.

IV.   Letters of support     Letters of support, thanks and criticism for public or extra-university activities such as presentations, lectures or workshops. You might include here any letters of support or acknowledgment you received, particularly if they reflect your use of cultural insights and anthropological methods.

X.   Additional material   Anything that illustrates your personality and perspective that you think characterizes your undergraduate experience.  You may want to include any honors, certificates and awards you have received.

There are sample portfolios in the department office to look at to give you an idea of how to organize your portfolio and what kind of materials should be included.

SET-UP FOR CURRICULUM VITAE:

Student Name Vital Statistics Date of Birth Place of Birth Current Address Current Phone numbers E-mail address Education Degree and Major plus date (projected date) of graduation Other degrees or professional certificates Honors and Scholarships List any scholarships, Dean's list, certificates, or any other honors you may have received. Professional Experience/Laboratory Experience/Field Experience Describe your professional and occupational experiences that are relevant to your future employment goals. Include work study and research assistantships with name of supervisor and specific nature of the tasks you performed. List any laboratory experience or field experience you have done, and the name of your project director. Papers or Publications Include here any papers delivered and/or publications, site reports, monographs you have worked on. Give place, occasion and date. Language and Tools Skills List any skills that you deem appropriate References This is optional. All employers will want references, but in your vitae you may simply want to state that they are available upon request. For the purposes of the portfolio you should place these letters in the outside evaluation section of your materials if you would like them to be considered.