Any student who declares a major in French, German, Japanese, or Spanish must participate in the portfolio assessment program as a requirement for graduation. This assessment program has been adopted in response to:
Students ready to prepare the portfolio must enroll in WLL 400 (World Languages Program Assessment) that semester.
(1) A personal statement written in English (2-3 pages in length) which provides:
(2) A research essay (and specifically one written for a class that you took in the program) in the target language (minimum of 3 pages in length for the papers written in French, German or Spanish and 1200-1300 characters for the papers in Japanese) on a cultural, linguistic or literary topic that must include references to sources and demonstrate mastery of MLA, APA, or Chicago citation style, and must reflect computer literacy and use of the internet.
(3) Besides the personal statement and research essay, please submit one of the following items in the target language. If the item is not a research essay that follows the parameters described in the previous bullet point, it a) must approved by a faculty member in the language program in which you are studying prior to submission and b) be at least 3 pages in length for the papers written in French, German or Spanish and 1200-1300 characters for the papers in Japanese unless approved by the faculty member with whom you consult:
Portfolios are not assigned grades, but are reviewed by faculty of the program and perhaps by an external evaluator. The student will receive no evaluation of the portfolio.
You have worked hard for your language skills and now you get to show them off! Be sure to add your Language Proficiency Testing results as well as the of Biliteracy certificate to your resume and job application. Be sure to mention your language skills during job interviews and you can negotiate between 5% to 20% more earnings.
