Guidelines for Portfolios

1. These consist of four parts:

• Personal & Professional Development Plan (created in week 1 and looked back at the end)
• Glossary entries (one entry/week, at least) (guidelines)
• Annotations (one/week, at least, added to the course wiki) (guidelines)
• Sketches of ways that the concepts, methods, and problems of that week might be applied to a research/policy question in your own area of interest (one page/week, weeks 2-13; see below)

2. The portfolios may be assembled on your personal course wikis or offline in files on your own computer.

3. If you work offline, you need to email me (not the whole class) with Glossary entries, annotations, sketches, and revisions/updates for me to read. If you use the wiki, I'll check each week for updates to your wiki, but give me a nudge if you think I've overlooked anything.

4. In order for me to view your personal course wiki (if you use this for your portfolio) and for me to possibly make comments online, you need to invite me to become a member (click the manage wiki link when you have a personal wiki set up).

5. Some of you might be experienced using wikis; others might be brilliant at finding ways that wikis don't work on the browser or computer you're on. If you try to use a wiki and find yourself having spent more than five minutes being frustrated, STOP. We will have peer coaching sessions in class. If there's a wiki-posting deadline you want to meet, send the text to me and I'll post it for you.

6. If you do a wiki portfolio, you can simply list the articles for which you have submitted annotations to the course wiki -- no need to duplicate them in your portfolio.

7. Sketches: There are no models for these (yet). This is an experiment. Use the broad guidelines to write something that shows that you are thinking about the week's concepts and how they apply (or do not) in some particular situation. Due by the next class. My comments will affirm what you have done and make suggestions for revision -- revision and resubmission is a standard part of my courses -- and that's how we'll evolve expectations for your sketches.
Even if you use the wiki, please submit a hard copy of each sketch in the next class unless you arrange for delivery by email in specific weeks.

8. For the final portfolio assignment, identify 6-10 examples from the portfolio that capture the process of development of your work and thinking about the subject of the course (see course description below). These do not have to be simply your best products. Write a 1000-1500 word essay that explains your choices and discusses them in relation to the various aspects of the course description, insofar as it represents the goals of the course.

• Introduction to the concepts, methods, and problems involved in analyzing the biological and social influences on behaviors and diseases and in translating such analyses into population health policy and practice. Special attention given to social inequalities, changes over the life course, and heterogeneous pathways. Case studies and course projects are shaped to accommodate students with interests in diverse fields related to health and public policy. Students are assumed to have a statistical background, but the course emphasizes epidemiological literacy with a view to collaborating thoughtfully with specialists, not technical expertise.

Complete draft due Week 13 -- two copies, for instructor and peer commentator; comments due by week 14. Final version due one week after last class.