This e-portfolio collects writing materials and activities used in Spanish 300 (Introduction to Literary Analysis). They include low-stake assignments, take-home exams and an scaffolded final project. Since in a class on literary analysis, writing academically is the most essential skill students must acquire, I with my writing fellow Rocío Gil, devised Spanish 300 this semester around generic clusters focused intensively in exposing students to a wide range of writing activities. But also, we devised the class to force them to use writing in different formats and registers.

Spanish 300 poses special problems concerning writing. First, because students have to write academically in Spanish. This would seem innocuous, since most of them are Spanish native speakers. However, many of them had, if any, previous limited exposure to written registers in Spanish. In addition, they are required to write about literature when none of them is equipped with technical vocabulary to analyze literary texts. Therefore, they must acquire specialized vocabulary to write academically about literature. Finally, literature is in itself alien to them, so strategies are needed to make it a relevant aesthetic experience.

This e-portfolio is the product of the specific challenges posed by Spanish 300, but it is indebted to ideas acquired in the WAC seminar. The main questions that structure this e-portfolio are then, shaped by WAC philosophy, mainly:

1)     How can I improve writing skills in Spanish in students who were not exposed formally to those registers?

2)     How can structured writing assignments help students to engage with texts fostering interest in literature and promoting deep and critical thinking?

Finally, on a personal note, this e=portfolio also reflects my interest in the relation between creative and academic writing prompted by a simple question.  In what ways non-academic writing (creative writing) can help students to gain competence in academic writing?