Assessment Methods

English 484 Feature Story Writing
Portfolio Reviewer: Dr. Joseph Cosco
Contact: jcosco@odu.edu

The following guidelines provide information from a typical course syllabus for ENGL 484 and detailed requirements of what students should include in the portfolio. Students who have been approved to complete ENGL 484 via portfolio should contact their faculty assessor to review the portfolio expectations in detail.

Course Description and Objectives:

This course is designed to introduce students to the craft and business of newspaper and magazine feature story writing. Skills learned in this course can also be applied to public relations work and writing for the web. Students will learn to identify feature stories, where to look for them, and how to capture them in lively prose. They will be exposed to the elements of various forms of feature writing, such as the profile, trend piece, roundup, travel story, and personal narrative. Students will be encouraged to explore different writing styles and voices, and to appreciate the fact that fine writing balances creativity and discipline. Finally, students will acquire an appreciation for the profession/business of writing and the challenges of freelancing.

Current Text:
Wilber, Rick. Magazine Feature Writing. St. Martin's Press.

Portfolio Guidelines

Summary of Requirements:

1. Collection of four feature stories
2. Process analysis for each feature story
3. Analysis of feature story writing vis-à-vis other types of writing
4. Magazine analysis

Collection of four feature stories and process analysis:

Students are required to submit four in-depth feature stories ranging from 1,000 to 2,000 words each. While these stories may (and probably should) include information gathered from written sources, the stories should be developed primarily from interviews and personal observation.

Students can choose the four feature stories from the following feature genres: profile, trend story, roundup, travel piece, and personal narrative.

For each feature story submitted, students must identify a specific market for the piece, either a particular newspaper, magazine, website, or company/association newsletter or magazine.

For each feature story submitted, students must provide a one-page narrative detailing the process of putting the piece together, including: identifying and developing the story idea, the gathering of the information, problems encountered, solutions developed, and a bit of the thinking behind the story's approach and style.

Analysis of feature story writing vis-à-vis other types of writing:

For the portfolio of four stories, students must provide an one- to two-page analysis detailing how their feature writing was similar to or different from other types of writing they have done for either school or work.

Students should talk specifically about how the intended audience/market and type of writing is related to form and style, and discuss elements such as point of view, voice/tone, language, and use of other fictional techniques in the writing of nonfiction.

Magazine analysis:

Students are required to research a magazine of their choice by reading at least three issues of that magazine (and also paying attention to ads), looking at that magazine's website, checking out the entry for that magazine in Writer's Market, and obtaining the magazine's writer's guidelines.

Based on their research, students are required to write a two-page analysis of the magazine, discussing among other things, the magazine's audience (age, gender, education level, socio-economic background); purpose (information, entertainment, intellectual stimulation, etc.), orientation (political, social, cultural, etc.); themes/subjects (what does it cover regularly); tone (toward subject matter, the reader, life); language (formal? casual? simple? sophisticated? etc.). Students should be sure to indicate on what they are basing their conclusions.