School of English & Liberal Studies, Faculty of Arts

EAC 553: DEFINING NORMAL: ILLNESS & HEALTH IN MODERN

WRITING
Professor Maria Guadagnoli
E-mail: Maria.Guadagnoli@senecacollege.ca
 Portfolio 45%

Purpose:

The Portfolio is a unique and creative opportunity for students to engage with this course. Drawing on
course content and/or lived experiences, students will analyze and dissect notions of health, illness,
normal and abnormal. In addition, students will complete weekly mini activities within their Portfolio,
building on critical thinking skills and combining experiential/ alternative learning opportunities.

By the end of the semester, students will have compiled a health and illness portfolio that can be
utilized in future educational or employment opportunities.

The weekly mini activities may take different formats and will contain a written component. These
activities will correspond with one of the three portfolio submissions this semester. Each portfolio
submission is worth 10% of the final grade and will be marked out of 30. These are to be submitted as
per the below expectations, mini activity tasks, and submission dates. Overall, the Portfolio is worth 90
Marks and 45% of the final grade.

Submission Expectations:

Students are to create a portfolio presented in a creative format of their choosing. The chosen format
should include the following:

1. Contain a Title Page

2. Contain a Table of Contents

3. Be typed, double-spaced (where applicable), contain page numbers and the date/ topic and/or
question related to the weekly submissions. The reader should be able to identify the relevant
entries.

4. Each entry (typically a total of 4 with each Portfolio Submission) is between 250 and 450 words
in length. This means the total Portfolio Submission would be between 1000 to 1800 words in
length.

5. All entries are connected in some way to the weekly course content (i.e., readings, power-
points, guest speakers, etc.) and/or personal experiences.
 6. Where applicable, contains screenshots, photographs, images, tables, etc.

7. Follows APA formatting (i.e., for all direct quotes, paraphrased materials, in-text citations, etc.).

8. Follows proper writing conventions and mechanics.

9. Contains a Reference List/ Page (i.e., includes lectures, power-points, guest speakers, readings,
etc.)

Be sure to read and complete all portfolio requirements and expectations carefully.

Please see Owl Purdue for APA details and specifications. Also, please be mindful of Seneca College’s
Academic Integrity Policy.

All portfolio submissions are to be submitted through Blackboard. All portfolio submissions will be
available online via the “Assignments” folder. Be sure to submit your Portfolio to the relevant weekly
submission portal. For details on submitting, please Watch this Instructional Blackboard Video on
YouTube. If you have issues with Blackboard, it is your responsibility to ensure you have these
resolved well in advance of the due date with the assistance of the IT department. Assignments
submitted via e-mail will not be marked. Late assignments will be penalized 5% per day unless
arranged in advance. Be advised that Safe Assign will be enabled.

If you require additional writing support feel free to contact the Learning Centre.

Students will be provided synchronous class time and asynchronous time to complete the mini-writing
activities. Be sure to take advantage of these opportunities and ask any questions.

Weekly Mini Activities:

The weekly mini-writing activities are graded based on quality, not quantity. For this reason, students
are encouraged to be intentional with their writing. Be sure to properly source, in APA, at all times.

Week Topic Weekly Mini Activity

1 Introduction to Health Complete the Integrity in Action Tutorial and Quiz and the
& Illness APA Tutorial and Quiz. These are located in the “Portfolio”
Jan folder under “Assignment.” In your Portfolio, indicate that this
9-13 has been “Completed.”

2 The Power of Discuss one of the following concepts raised by Wendell

(1996):
Week Topic Weekly Mini Activity

Jan Medicine
16-20 Alienation
Epistemic Invalidation OR
Social Abandonment

How is the concept you have chosen related to the Social

Determinants of Health and/or Intersectionality?

3 Healthcare Using one of this week’s course readings identify the qualities
Professionals: Doctors of a “good” healthcare professional (i.e., doctor or nurse). What
Jan & Nurses factors can influence the experiences individuals have with
23-27 healthcare professionals and why?

4 Pharmaceutical & Find an advertisement related to any pharmaceutical or

Prescription Drugs prescription drug (i.e., online, in a newspaper, on the news, in a
Jan commercial, etc.). Critically analyze the advertisement and
30- discuss what it depicts about health and illness (i.e., what is
Feb 3 implied or explicitly stated). Then, include the advertisement
(i.e., image, link, photograph, etc.) in your Portfolio.

Portfolio Assessment #1 (15%)*: Weeks 1-4

Due, February 8, 2023, by 11:59 PM

*Note: The Integrity in Action and the plagiarism and APA Quiz account for 3% of this
submission

5 Indigenous Health & Choose and discuss one Indigenous health and/or healing
Healing Practices practice. What is unique about this health and/or healing
Feb 6- practice and how is it utilized in promoting health and
10 wellness?

6 Artistic & Media Locate a health/ illness artifact (i.e., image, representation,
Representations of item, phrase, word, etc.). Place an image or photograph of this
Feb Health & Illness artifact into your Portfolio. What is this artifact? Explain why it
13-17 is considered a health and/or illness artifact.
Week Topic Weekly Mini Activity

8 Reproductive Choose one of the readings from this week and discuss the
Technologies, Genetic controversies or dilemmas in utilizing reproductive
Mar Testing, Childbirth & technologies OR genetic testing.
6-10 Midwifery

9 Sexuality, Sexually What are the social and medial views surrounding sexuality OR
Transmitted Illnesses sexually transmitted illnesses OR HIV/AIDS? Have these
Mar & HIV/ AIDS views changed or remained the same? Why or why not?
13-17

Portfolio Assessment #2 (15%): Weeks 5-9

Due March 15, 2023, by 11:59 PM

10 Disability & Locate an image or symbol related to disability or impairment.

Impairment Analyze the image or symbol. How does it reinforce or
Mar challenge understandings of visible and/or invisible disabilities
20-24 or impairments?

11 Chronic Illness & Write a poem, prose or blog about chronic illness OR cancer.
Cancer What experience are you trying to convey in your poem, prose,
Mar or blog?
27-31

12 Mental Health & Create a basic infographic or visual representation that

Addiction discusses mental health and/or addiction. Explain what is on
Apr your infographic or visual and why you included what you did.
3-7 Be sure to add your visual to your Portfolio.

13 Death, End of Life & Utilizing this week’s documentary, discuss how death OR end
Euthanasia of life OR euthanasia are portrayed. What information is the
Apr documentary conveying? How does the information relate to
10-14 health and/or illness?

Portfolio Assessment #3 (15%): Weeks 10-13

Week Topic Weekly Mini Activity

Due April 12, 2023, by 11:59 PM

Grading Rubric:

Each portfolio submission will be graded as per the following rubric:

Completion:

 The portfolio requirements are complete

 Question(s) are thoroughly answered 5 Mark

Creativity:

 Self-expressive; demonstrates a unique voice

 Presentation of Portfolio in creative format(s) 5 Marks

Content/ Connections:

 Substance/ depth of writing; quality

 Use of critical thinking; ability to make connections and advance 10 Marks
ideas/ arguments in the weekly topic areas
 Ability to demonstrate evidence/ support in the mini-weekly
writing activities
 Mini writing activities are connected to lived experience(s) and/or
course content/ material(s)

Organization/ Writing Conventions:

 Clearly organized; easy to read/ follow

 Proper writing conventions/ mechanics (i.e., spelling, grammar, 5 Marks
sentence structure, paragraphs, punctuation, etc.)

Citations:

 Proper use of in-text citations in APA

 Proper use of References in APA 5 Marks
 All citations are correct & complete

TOTAL: 30 Marks