Humanities-Religious Studies Track

What is a Portfolio?

A portfolio is a sampling of your best work neatly packaged for presentation to evaluators. Often visual artists prepare portfolios of their creative work for juried competitions, entrance to schools, or for potential employers. Your Religious Studies portfolio will consist of essays and research papers that you have written organized for presentation to a Department faculty committee.

Portfolio Requirement Guidelines for Preparation and Submission

The one-credit course, HUM 4393: Humanities Portfolio, is required of all Humanities students graduating under the 2000-2001 or more recent catalogue. This includes all students majoring in Religious Studies by completing a B.A. in Humanities-Religious Studies Track. Students should enroll in this course in their final semester of study at UCF and seek an advisor to work with them on preparing this project. Following, however, are some answers to frequently asked questions regarding this requirement.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Should Go Into My Portfolio?
Your portfolio should include the following items, in order:

1. Title Page:
   The title page should list the following:
   • Your name
   • Date submitted
   • Semester of graduation (eg. Fall 2003, Spring 2004);
   • Your social security number
   • Your academic program (Humanities-Religious Studies Track)
   • Anticipated date of graduation
   • 3 faculty signature lines

2. Preface:
   This should be 500-1000 words long and describe briefly the contents of the portfolio. In describing the essays, research papers, or other contents, you should indicate
   • the class for which each piece was originally written
   • the role that class and that assignment played in your Religious Studies major. For example:
     • Was it a foundations, traditions, or applications course?
     • What information and skills were emphasized in that course? (i.e. what were the course objectives?)
     • How did this specific assignment assist you in synthesizing or critically assessing course information? In developing relevant skills? (i.e. how did this assignment help you to meet the course objectives)
   • how that class and that assignment related to your other studies.
   • a description of work you have done to revise, develop or edit the included papers since they were originally submitted as coursework.
   • how the combined contents of your portfolio demonstrate your process of learning about Religious Studies and your present knowledge of Religious Studies. For example:
     • Did you come to understand yourself, your education and/or what it means to be human differently in the course of your academic study of religion?
     • How did your perspective(s) of the world change?
     • What personal, spiritual and/or intellectual goals have you achieved by pursuing the academic study of religion?
     • What values and goals arising from your studies will you continue to pursue or do you expect will shape your life?
     • Are there goals and values previously held that you have set aside or decided not to work towards?

3. Essays, Research Papers, or other Creative Work:
   Your portfolio should include 3-5 pieces of your best work, along with a copy of the assignment to which the included work responds. (Request this from the relevant faculty member if you do not still have a copy of it.) The contents must include:
   • At least one paper written for a course among Foundations in the Study of Religion
   • At least one paper written for a Traditions: Religion in a Global World course
   • At least one paper written for an Applications: Topics and Issues in the Study of Religion course
   • At least one research paper, including a works cited page prepared according to a recognized style guide (either the MLA or the Chicago Guide to Style)
   • At least 25 total pages (typed, double-spaced) of writing.
   
   
   Your portfolio may also include other written work assigned for relevant courses (e.g. journal writing, poetry etc.) or non-written creative work (e.g. software creation, visual art, audio or video productions) in addition to the required Foundations, Traditions and Applications papers. However, portfolios should not include examinations.

How Should Material Be Arranged for Submission?
Please arrange materials in the order given above, namely: A title page followed by your preface, followed by your papers. Papers may be arranged either (a) in the order in which they were written, in order to demonstrate your chronological sequence of learning; or (b) according to the three parts of your curriculum, namely, Foundations, Traditions, and Applications, in order to highlight this conceptual sequence. Be sure to note in your preface which principle of ordering you have used. All Humanities-Religious Studies portfolios should be submitted in a thin, blue, three ring binder. Please place your name, an indication of contents, and the term of submission on the binder spine (e.g. Josephine Doe, Portfolio Submission, Spring 2002)

When Is My Portfolio Due?
Your portfolio is due no later than one month prior to the last day of classes, in the semester of graduation. This is to allow time for evaluation to occur and, moreover, time for you to make revisions if the evaluation committee decides this is necessary. Failure to submit your portfolio in a timely fashion may result in a delayed graduation, if evaluators deem the contents unsatisfactory. Please do not put yourself or the committee in this situation.

To Whom Do I Submit my Portfolio?
Your final portfolio should be submitted to the Chair of the Department of Philosophy, who will convene a committee of faculty members to evaluate your submission. You are strongly encouraged to work with a faculty advisor during the process of compiling and editing your portfolio, prior to final submission.

What is the Process of Compiling and Editing my Portfolio?
Your portfolio should go through several revisions during the semester Here is a timeline that should keep you on track. During a semester course, this timeline will include specific dates. You are encouraged to submit items noted in blue in order to gain ongoing feedback on your portfolio during the term. However, it is not a mandatory part of the course. Mandatory submission dates are in red below; failure to submit quality materials required by these final dates puts your graduation at risk.

• Week 1: Find and read the various papers that you have submitted for Religious Studies classes. Determine which papers best represent your learning in each of the areas of Foundations, Traditions, and Applications. Determine which paper will additionally serve as your research paper.
  If you desire feedback: Submit list of papers. For each paper listed, identify the class for which it was written, the area requirement it fulfills, and the type of paper it is (e.g. critical review, journal entry, research paper, etc.) Remember that at least one entry should be a research paper.

• Weeks 2 and 3: Begin revisions on these works. Start by correcting any typographical, spelling, and grammatical errors and responding to any comments received by the instructor for whom you originally wrote the work. Make sure references are provided where appropriate and that your research paper and any other relevant papers include a works cited page, properly formatted. Make sure that your research paper has a clear thesis and an argument supporting that thesis.
  If you desire feedback: Submit the first page of your research paper to be reviewed for a) clear thesis statement and b) writing style.

• Week 4: Complete revisions on all contents, except your research paper and preface. Continue working on your research paper.
  If you desire feedback: Submit one or more of these papers for review.

• Week 5: While awaiting feedback on your other papers, work on your research paper. This should be 7-10 pages long, have a clear thesis and clear supporting arguments in support of that thesis. It should indicate the ability to anticipate counter-arguments to your claims and respond to these. It should reference both primary and secondary works. Respond to feedback received earlier on your thesis statement and writing style.
  If you desire feedback: Submit your research paper for review.

• Weeks 6 and 7: Continue revising and developing all of your papers. Spend time at the Writing Center if this has been recommended. Proofread each paper carefully for spelling, grammar and clear use of language. Once you have received feedback on your research paper, respond carefully to this feedback. Spend time doing further research at the library if needed. Provide further argumentation in support of claims where needed. Clarify lines of argument where these are unclear. Ensure you have referenced all sources used and that your works cited page is properly formatted. Review your works cited page to ensure it includes primary as well as secondary sources.

• Week 8: Organize your papers in the binder. Write your preface. Paginate works in your binder consecutively (with Preface starting at p. 1 and subsequent works beginning at whatever page number follows the last page of the previous entry.) Prepare a table of contents and your cover page.
  If you desire feedback: Submit a draft of your preface for review.

• Week 9: Submit your portfolio for evaluation by departmental committee.

• Weeks 10-11: You will be contacted and told either (a) that your portfolio is satisfactory (Good job! You are done!) or (b) that further work is needed in order to receive a grade of satisfactory (Time is running out.)

• Weeks 12-13: Respond to any concerns and suggestions offered by the committee on your submitted portfolio.
  Your final draft must be submitted no later than week 13 in order to enable a second review by the committee prior to the deadline for grades.

How Will My Portfolio be Evaluated?
Your portfolio will be evaluated by a three-person faculty committee as either "satisfactory" or "unsatisfactory." In the case of an unsatisfactory rating, you will be given an opportunity to revise and develop your portfolio further for resubmission, as described above. In determining whether a portfolio is satisfactory, the committee will examine it according to the following criteria:

• Inclusion of required contents
• Professionalism in appearance
• Clarity and organization of writing
• Knowledge of Religious Studies foundations, traditions, and applications. More specifically:
  • Demonstrated familiarity with facets of non-European as well as European cultures and religions
  • Demonstrated familiarity with facets of past as well as present cultures and religious communities
  • Demonstrated ability to engage in interdisciplinary modes of interpretation by making connections between various forms of cultural expression (e.g. art, music, dance, theatre, literature), religious beliefs, and communities.
  • Demonstrated ability to apply knowledge and skills from the academic study of religion to understanding contemporary situations and values.
  • Demonstrated ability to critically assess religious traditions and values and their applications to contemporary issues.
• Self-reflection concerning one's own process of learning

What Will Happen to My Portfolio?
Your portfolio will be kept on display in the Philosophy Department library as a sample and for future reference by students doing research in your areas. As it will not be returned to you, you are encouraged to make a copy for yourself.