DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.

 

February 28, 2011

 

Dear Dr. Ashe,

 

The main purpose of this web portfolio is to submit a carefully constructed compilation of my undergraduate work to satisfy the external assessment graduation requirement in the English major at Elon University. The purpose of the Professional Writing and Rhetoric concentration within the English major at Elon University is to “prepare students to be more critically reflective, civically responsible communicators in their daily lives and, primarily, workplace contexts” (Elon University website). The goals of the program center on teaching students how to apply theoretical knowledge to practical professional situations. Students of Professional Writing and Rhetoric engage in hands on projects that reflect what they may encounter in a professional workplace environment.  

 

My primary goals in creating this portfolio are to receive a positive evaluation in my senior capstone course and to demonstrate how my undergraduate education has allowed me to make multiple connections between PWR, philosophy and my interest in law. I also want my portfolio to showcase my writing ability and my growth as a professional writer over the course of my undergraduate academic career. I want to highlight my familiarity with different types of writing, specifically research and analytical writing, as well as workplace writing from experience with real client projects. Finally, I want my audience to see that I am someone who enjoys writing, respects the writing process, and values writing as a task integral to every day life.

 

Throughout my portfolio, I try to demonstrate myself as someone who has significantly benefited from an education in Professional Writing and Rhetoric through my engagement with real client projects. However, perhaps more importantly, I am proud of my ability to connect what I learned in the classroom to my extracurricular activities involving rhetorical contexts other than the classroom. I have learned that every piece of writing is rhetorically situated, and I have taken this knowledge and applied it to the writing of a sponsorship letter for my sorority and a proposal for an after school program at the Boys and Girls Club, for example. Both of these documents are displayed in my "Collaborative Writing" section. The application of rhetorical techniques to work that is completely unrelated to classroom assignments, and the ability to approach any writing task with a Professional Writing and Rhetoric lens really attests to the practicality and versatility of the field. 

 

Additionally, my undergraduate educational background in English in conjunction with Philosophy has allowed me to explore my interest in the dynamic relationship between ethics and the law. During my undergraduate classroom experience, whenever possible, I studied issues of ethics as they pertain to the practice of law, and I remain eager to contribute to this ongoing discussion in both the academic and professional arenas. My interest in this subject area is displayed in the section of my portfolio entitled "Writing on Philosophy and Law." Finally, my academic concentration in the Philosophy and English disciplines has trained me to think theoretically and analytically, and has equipped me with the necessary skills to then apply that knowledge in practical situations. 

 

For your convenience, my portfolio is organized into four sections entitled: Writing about Rhetoric and Law, Writing on Philosophy and Law, Writing about Writing, and Collaborative Writing. Each section begins with an introduction to the documents in that section. The individual documents are explained in a contextual narrative that is subdivided under three headings: Context, Rhetorical Decisions, and Reflection.

 

I hope that you will find this portfolio interesting to read as I display who I have become through my undergraduate writing experience. Thank you for taking the time to review my Professional Writing and Rhetoric senior portfolio!

 

Best,

Erin B. Blackwell  

                  

DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.