The CAMS Comps Portfolio

The CAMS Comps Portfolio aims to create a comps experience for students that is 1) comprehensive of their work in CAMS and at Carleton, 2) reflective of their areas of interest in CAMS, and 3) more effective as an assessment tool.  The Comps Portfolio allows students to tailor the comps process to their areas of expertise.

Students sign up for 6-credits of CAMS 400 in either the fall or winter term of their senior year.

The Comps Portfolio consists of the following parts and timeline:

1)  Proposal - due last day of classes the term before you plan to enroll for Comps (May 30, 2011 for fall term Comps; November 16, 2011 for winter term Comps). You will be notified about the approval of your proposal by the end of reading days.

2)  Analysis Paper - topic assigned on the first day of classes; due two weeks later.

3)  Definitions Exam - offered last week of classes.

4)  Project - due last day of final exams.

5)  Reflection Essay - due last day of final exams.

6)  Public Presentation of your Project – the term after you complete your Comps Portfolio.

The rationale behind the Comps Portfolio is rooted in an assessment process that draws upon the commonalities of the CAMS degree as well as areas of specialization. In addition, it assumes that students have achieved levels of competency as both scholars and producers, and the portfolio seeks to assess academic and creative work.

More details about the various components of the Comps Portfolio:

1)   PROPOSAL:  A 2-3 pp. essay in which students propose a comps project that serves as a synthesis or furthering of their work in the curriculum. In addition the proposal should identify two areas of specialization for the analysis paper, drawn from two 200-level topics classes in the CAMS curriculum.

2)   ANALYSIS PAPER:  Students develop and write a 10-12 pp. sustained critical analysis of a single media text, chosen by the faculty and based on the student's declared areas of specialization.  The object of study may be a film, TV series, radio broadcast, sound recording, photographic presentation or historical object, and the emphasis is on the production of an original analytical essay.  Due start of third week of the term. Students may be asked to revise their analysis papers if necessary.

3)   DEFINITIONS EXAM: A short-answer definitions exam will be given during the last week of the Comps term.  All Comps students are responsible for reviewing a master list of terms, from which approximately 30 final exam terms will be selected.  The definitions are derived from the required CAMS core courses (CAMS 110 & 111) and from the required history areas. Students may be asked to retake the definitions exam if necessary.

4)    PROJECT: Every CAMS student is expected to produce a small project (production project or research paper) as part of their Comps Portfolio. Students may choose from a short film (5-6 min.), a radio or audio project (5-10 min.), photo book (containing approx. 5-6 pp. text), blog/website (content amount TBD), photo project (content amount TBD), a research, creative, or theoretical paper (18-20 pp.), a revision of an existing project (with substantial new material), a revision of an existing paper (with substantial new material), or any other project germane to CAMS. Students proposing production projects are required to submit an action plan detailing technology needs and a timetable for completion.  Project proposals are vetted during the last week of the term prior to Comps enrollment. Students may begin working on the project as early as they like and the final project is due by the end of the Comps term.  Students may be asked to revise their projects if necessary.

5)  REFLECTION ESSAY: A final essay (2 pp.) that reflects on the comps process is asked of all students at the end of the Comps term.

6)  PUBLIC PRESENTATION OF YOUR PROJECT:  Students are expected to publicly present your Comps work the term after you complete your Comps Portfolio.  The format for Comps talks is a 20-minute presentation of your project, followed by about a 10 minute Q & A session.

Public Presentation Guidelines

Research Papers

The format for comps talks is a 20-minute presentation of your argument, followed by about a 10 minute Q & A session. We recommend using PowerPoint or Keynote with bulleted points and any graphics or clips needed to support those points. The first third of your presentation should identify your topic area, provide a clear statement of the thesis you've argued in your comps paper, and provide a brief summary of the theoretical framework you've used. The next ten minutes or so should then take us through some of the key points in your analysis, providing selected examples/illustrations to support those points. Use the last couple of minutes to wrap up with a brief takeaway section where you repeat your basic argument and leave us with any final, closing thoughts. Your audience should walk away from your presentation with a clear idea of what your paper is about, why it is important, whose work you are drawing from/responding to, and what the key points of your larger argument are.

Production Projects

The format for comps talks is a 20-minute presentation of your argument, followed by about 10 minutes of Q & A. We recommend using PowerPoint or Keynote with bulleted points and any graphics or clips needed to support those points. The first few minutes of your presentation should identify your subject matter and creative goals for your project and discuss the theoretical and aesthetic traditions informing your work. You should then walk your audience through some of the high points of your project, summarizing the creative strategies you have used to achieve your goals and illustrating these with examples/excerpts from your work to illustrate the strategies you've discussed. Use the last minute or so to wrap up with a few closing remarks where you repeat the key points you want your audience to take away from your project. Your audience should walk away from your presentation with a clear idea of what your project is about, why it is important, whose work you are drawing from/responding to, and what strategies you as an artist have used to realize your creative goals for this piece.