This last portfolio project will be a culmination of the work you have done in the course and at the same time, my goal for you is to have a project that helps you advance your personal goals. Therefore, this project allows you to pick what you would like to do. You may choose to write a more traditional academic paper or choose a creative project. Either project will require you to demonstrate that the project is research-driven. Ideally, your project will use the topic you selected for your annotated bibliography. However, if you want to switch topics that is completely fine! Here are the requirements/guidelines for both the traditional paper or the creative project. Remember you only pick one option!

Traditional Paper – Literature Review
The traditional paper will be five double-spaced pages (12 point font) using at least 5 academic sources. You may use other sources (newspapers, magazines, nonacademic books) but they will not count towards your five sources. The paper will forward an argument (thesis statement) and it will be supported by your sources. The paper should have an introduction, body paragraphs, conclusion, and reference page. This paper can be either informative – teaching us about a concept/topic or persuasive – attempting to change our attitudes or behaviors about a concept/topic. The context/topic is up to you as long as both gender and communication play a central role in your writing.

OR

Creative Project
The creative project requires you to create “something” that represents the specific context or concept you have chosen to learn more about. The context or concept should be what you identified for the article abstract assignment (portfolio project #3). You are allowed to change your concept/context. The creative project should be a tangible deliverable of high quality. Some creative projects in the past have included: short films/documentaries (3-5 minutes long), training materials, workshop curriculum, poetry chapbooks, original song recordings, digital art. This is just a list of ideas and previous projects. If you have an idea you want to run by me, please reach out. Along with the tangible deliverable, you will also produce a 400-word max paper and a reference page showing me how your 5 academic sources guided the project.

Grading
Regardless of the option you choose (paper or creative project), the grading criteria are the same. See the criteria below:

Did the paper/project utilize research articles effectively?
Did the paper/project increase our understanding of the specific concept/context related to gender?
Did the paper/project reflect high-quality collegiate level work?
Did the paper/project reflect the understanding of gender communication?