Capstone Portfolio Description:

Students must select three papers or projects from three different classes that they took to complete the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies minor. Then, students must write a 2-3 page cover letter, addressed to the Director of the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program, explaining how the papers/projects within the portfolio demonstrate achievement of the five Student Learning Outcomes of the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies minor. You should email the cover letter and the three papers as attachments to the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Coordinator at wgs@uah.edu. 

The Student Learning Outcomes state that graduates of the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program will be able to:

  1. Demonstrate knowledge of women’s participation in, contribution to, and transformation of society.
  2. Analyze how gender and sexuality are embedded within social institutions and culture.
  3. Articulate how different academic disciplines investigate women, gender, and sexuality.
  4. Analyze how gender and sexuality intersect with other categories of identity.
  5. Explain how constructions of gender and sexuality affect individual lives.

It is not necessary that each individual paper or project reflect all five learning outcomes, but the portfolio as a whole should address all the outcomes. In other words, each learning outcome should be reflected in at least one paper and addressed in the cover letter.

Cover Letter Formatting Instructions:

  1. Write an introduction paragraph in which you reflect briefly on your experiences in WGS.
  2. Next, write one paragraph each on Learning Outcomes 1, 2, 4, and 5 as they are reflected in the portfolio. In these four paragraphs, you should discuss the ways in which your papers/projects demonstrate the Learning Outcome in question.
  3. Finally, in your conclusion paragraph, reflect on Learning Outcome 3. In this paragraph, you should discuss how your papers/projects illustrate the diverse ways different academic disciplines study women and gender. You may also discuss your experiences in different WGS courses, but try to stay focused as much as possible on your Portfolio work.

Capstone Conference/Defense:

For the Capstone Conference, students will meet with the WGS Director and two members of the WGS Program Advisory Committee to discuss the Portfolio. The student will offer a brief overview of her/his/their Portfolio and her/his/their selection process. Then the committee will ask the student questions about the Portfolio.

Questions?

Please contact Amy Guerin, WGS Coordinator at wgs@uah.edu with any questions as you prepare your portfolio.