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Most university departments or disciplines have a process for measuring students’ knowledge and skill at the end of their work toward the major. In the past, undergraduate students have been required to complete EN 410 English Seminar prior to preparing and writing a comprehensive essay to demonstrate their understanding and application of literary analysis to a variety of works. However, beginning in the Fall of 2019, our department will now require students to demonstrate what they have learned by selecting essays from previous English courses and, with the help of their professors, revising those essays to make them even better.

This collection or portfolio of writings is then submitted for a comprehensive grade. Since this “comps” or capstone experience builds off students’ earlier work, English majors (and students considering a major in English) should save all their writing from each English course taken and would be well advised to keep the literary works they have written about. Students will be required to complete EN 410 Senior Portfolio Project where they will have the opportunity to revise their essays in a workshop-style class setting prior to final professor review.