WRTG121 Substitution or Equivalency

RE: Inquiries into WRTG121 Substitution or Equivalency (updated 6/11/2014)

If you believe you have taken a course at another college or university that fulfills the requirement for WRTG121: Composition II: Researching the Public Experience, you may submit a portfolio of writing to the Department of English Language and Literature and ask that a portfolio of writing from the course be accepted in lieu of Eastern Michigan University’s WRTG121 General Education requirement.

A complete portfolio will contain

  1. the requestor’s name, EID, and email address; the name of the university or college at which the work was completed; the complete course title(s), including the prefix and number, for the course(s) associated with the work; instructor name(s); and the semester(s) in which the work was completed;
  2. a reflective essay of 750-1000 words that formalizes the substitution/equivalency request, introduces and describes the portfolio contents, and accounts specifically for the ways the collection of work documents fluency with the five Course  Outcomes for EMU’s WRTG121,
  3. two samples of substantial research-based writing you have done, with evidence of adherence to a specific documentation system (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.), including correct application of citation conventions,
  4. in-progress drafts representing the writing samples at different stages of development (e.g., proposals, notes, and drafts).
  5. grades and comments from a writing instructor, comments from a writing center consultant, and/or comments from peers enrolled in the course in which the writing was done.

At a minimum, a substitution/equivalency portfolio must include items 1, 2, and 3. Without the reflective essay or without two samples of writing as described above, the portfolio will not be considered sufficient to proceed with the review process.

Additional Considerations
Generally, successful portfolios reflect the ways a writer has

    • developed research questions about substantive, nonfiction topics and pursued those questions through significant research using (at least) nonfiction academic sources obtained from a university library, from observation, and from interviews
      You can demonstrate that you have developed substantive research questions by writing a reflection on how you arrived at the topic for your essay. You can demonstrate work with sources by bringing in evidence of your research processes (e.g., an annotated bibliography, notes from research, or a reflection on your research processes).
    • in at least two cases, written a substantial researched essay based on that research
      You can demonstrate this by bringing in researched essays (which should include a bibliography, a references list, or a works cited).
    • made conscious choices about the construction and presentation of those essays
      You can demonstrate this by discussing in your reflective essay the reasons why you chose the topic you did, what research you did to learn about the topic, and what you decided to include in your researched essay (from your research) and why.
    • revised writing based on comments from instructors, writing consultants and/or others, such as class colleagues
      You can demonstrate this by bringing in comments on early drafts of essays and by including in the reflective essay some discussion of how you used those comments in revision, or by highlighting revisions, based on comments, in the final draft.
    • adhered to conventions of researched writing (including conventions of standardized written English, citational systems [specifically MLA, APA, or Chicago] appropriately)
      You can demonstrate this by using standardized English, as well as other relevant registers, in your work, as well as by using a specific citational system (like MLA, APA, or Chicago) correctly in your researched essays.

When you have assembled a portfolio you would like to have us review, deliver it to the Department of English Language and Literature, 612 Pray-Harrold Hall. We do not accept electronic portfolios for review at this time, though we are currently exploring the option and hope to have this available by Fall 2017. Portfolios are reviewed by two faculty members within 10 business days of submission. If the reviewers are divided in their review, the portfolio will be reviewed by a third reader. Because the review process is time-intensive, each portfolio is given one-time consideration. We cannot consider resubmitted portfolios for substitution or equivalency credit.

If you have questions about the portfolio or would like to talk about what to include in it, please contact:

Dr. Derek Mueller
Associate Professor of Written Communication
Director of the First-Year Writing Program
derek.mueller@emich.edu
613M Pray Harrold
734-487-0971