Biola University expects all its graduates to write well.  Before graduating, a student must pass the Writing Competency Requirement.  This requirement is not offered apart from the required course work.  Instead, the university has incorporated the requirement within the regular curriculum.

Each department has the freedom to create a requirement that suits the writing demands of its discipline.  Sociology majors can satisfy the Writing Competency Requirement by submitting a portfolio of written work.  This sheet explains the procedures that Sociology majors must follow in preparing and submitting his or her Writing Competency Portfolio.

Writing Competency Portfolio

The portfolio should contain papers that have been prepared for upper-division (300 and 400 level) Sociology courses. It must include one paper from the SOCI 441: Social Theory and 2 papers from 2 different Sociology classes. Students are eligible to submit portfolios beginning with the first semester of their senior year.

When submitting portfolios, students should follow these instructions carefully:

1. The papers in the portfolio must not have a grade or any comments from the professor written on them.  Before submitting assignments to the professor, it would be wise for the Sociology major to make copies of any papers that he or she intends to include in the Writing Competency portfolio.
2. The papers in the portfolio must have the student number on the title page.  The papers must not have the student's name on any part of them.
3. A Writing Competency Petition (PDF) needs to be included with the portfolio.  Petitions are available in the Sociology department office.
4. Completed portfolios must be submitted no later than the 3rd week of the students last semester of school.  The portfolio should be sent to:  Writing Competency Coordinator, Sociology Department, Biola University.
5. You are advised to keep a photocopy of all your papers that are included in your portfolio until you receive your results.

Evaluation Procedure

After a portfolio has been submitted, the department will evaluate it by using a 5-point rubric (see the backside of the Writing Competency Petition).  Two professors will read a portfolio.  Each of these two professors will give a single score for the entire portfolio.  A combined score of 5 or more will be considered a pass.

When the grading is finished, the Sociology major will be informed whether or not he or she has passed the Writing Competency Exam.  A student's transcript will identify the semester when the exam was passed.  Students who fail the exam must resubmit another portfolio of work during the following semester.

Advice for Sociology Majors

Upon entering upper-division courses, a Sociology major should be thinking about collecting materials for the Writing Competency portfolio.  It would be wise for a student to discuss a strategy for the portfolio with his or her advisor. 

Sociology majors should make copies of any papers that they wish to include in their portfolios.  The copy that is included in the portfolio should not have the student's name or any written comments on it.  It should be identified only by student number.  Sociology professors will assume that the portfolio represents a student's best work.

A portfolio should have a professional appearance.  Sociology majors should:

1. Carefully proofread their work.  Double check for grammatical mistakes, misspellings, etc.
2. Pay attention to manuscript format.  Submit papers with consistent margins, centered titles, and proper use of footnote or parenthetical notes.  (Documentation, unless specified otherwise by the professor, should follow the most recent format established by the American Sociology Association.)

Questions

Students with questions about the portfolio are encouraged to discuss them with their advisors or the coordinator of the Sociology Department's Writing Competency Requirement.