Susquehanna University Department of Political Science

Department Portfolio Guidelines
The portfolio is an integral part of students' experiences at Susquehanna. Students have the opportunity to assess their own progress over their time at SU and, indirectly, to prepare for application to and interviews for internships, jobs, or law or graduate school. Moreover, the portfolio is a graduation requirement in the Political Science Department.

You will store your portfolio on Blackboard, an online program, which allows you easy access to the documents in your portfolio. This is beneficial for students who may want to send writing samples or updated resumes to potential employers or to graduate or law school.

On Blackboard, your portfolio can be obtained by entering through the University's Web site (http://www.susqu.edu). Under the heading "Academics and Library" you will find Blackboard. Click on this, enter your login and password (available through the IT Department). Once you have entered Blackboard, you should see "Political Science Department" under Organizations. Click on Political Science Department; your portfolio will be under "Communications." To access Blackboard directly, you can also go to http://www.susqu.edu/blackboard.

Instructions for posting documents to the portfolio are available in the "Information" page in the Political Science Department's Blackboard site.

Your portfolio will be periodically examined by your advisor or other faculty to confirm that it is up to date. The final assessment will come during the semester you take Senior Seminar. Your portfolio will be assessed on its completeness as well as the care you have taken in answering questions. There are no "right" or "wrong" answers, but there are answers which show greater or lesser degrees of reflection.

You may not be allowed to pass Senior Seminar if the portfolio is not complete and up to date. This means you will not graduate!

Each student must include in his or her portfolio:

"Goals and How to Get There" sheet during the first semester of Sophomore year. This sheet is available in the Political Science page of Blackboard under "Documents" or on the "Goals and Activities" page of this site.
· You should make every effort to complete this form before registration takes place for the spring semester so that you and your advisor can review the document when you meet for registration.
· Students may update the forms at any time they feel the need. However, each update must have a new form. Once you add a "Goal and How to Get There" sheet to Blackboard, it must not be removed (part of the purpose of the portfolio is to see how your goals and activities change over time).

"Assessment and Revised Goals" sheet during Junior year. This form is also available in Blackboard under "Documents" or on this site on the "Assessments" page.
· Assessments must be completed during the Junior year.
· This is a form to help you to assess your plans from Sophomore year and revise your goals for the remainder of your time at Susquehanna. This document should be completed halfway through your Junior year, preferably during winter break.
· Once you place an "Assessment" sheet on Blackboard, you should not change it. If you change your mind, add a new sheet.

Résumé. A copy of your résumé should be posted in your portfolio during your Sophomore year at the latest, and it should be modified over the course of your remaining time at Susquehanna. This is the only document that, once you put it on Blackboard, may be modified.

1 paper for each semester.
· In most cases, this should be a paper that you wrote for a Political Science course, unless you did not take any Political Science courses that semester.
· These papers must include the Research Design written for World Affairs and the Research Paper written for Data Analysis.
· You may always place more papers in your Portfolio if you choose.
· You must, for each paper placed, answer a few questions. These questions should be answered on the "Paper Assessment" sheet, which is available either on Blackboard or on the "Assessments" page of this Web site.
· Once you've put a paper up, you may not remove it or rewrite it. Part of the purpose of the portfolio is to watch how you have improved over your time at Susquehanna.
· Papers should be substantial essays (not a one or two page think-piece or summary of articles) that reflect your understanding of the subject matter and ability to analyze it as well as your writing ability. Take-home exams may be used instead of papers; however, you must include the exam questions as well as your answers.
· It is possible you will have semester in which no paper fits these criteria. In that case, you must write a statement reflecting this and explaining what you did write and why there was nothing relevant for your portfolio.

Senior Seminar paper. Upon completion of your senior seminar, you must include your senior seminar paper in your portfolio.

You may add other documents as you see fit.

If you declare a Political Science major after your first semester, you are only responsible for the papers and "Assessment" sheets for those semesters that you are a Political Science major. If you declare after the first semester of your sophomore year, you should complete the "Goals and How to Get There" form as soon as possible. Please see your advisor for details.