Competency in Area of Study

Students competent in this area should be able to demonstrate that they are at an intermediate level of expertise with their degree emphasis. Students must show a level of passion for their area by proving accomplishments they have made in his or her field i.e, publications, awards, or proof of independent work outside of the classroom. They will need to show that they have passed all classes applicable to their degree program with somewhat high marks. Upon completion of their degree program, student should be able to make a smooth transition from undergraduate study to the work place or further schooling (i.e. Graduate programs). Most importantly:

• Students should prove that they are comfortable enough with their area of study to do it independently, outside of a classroom setting.
• Students should have a body of work that shows their familiarity with their area of study.

My first proof of this competency is a story that I was fortunate enough to have published in UAS's literary journal, Tidal Echoes. It is a factual account of a party I went to as an adolescent that I wrote during my second creative writing class. My area of study is a BA in English with creative writing emphasis. While most of the classes that I have taken were literary criticism courses, my real passion is in creative writing and intend to be a writer for the rest of my life. This is a link to my published story.

My second proof of this competency is a story that i wrote as part of my final project in Humanities 499 class. This story actually came to me nearly a week before the first class meeting and I obsessed about it everyday to the point where I thought it would fit in perfectly for this class. The story is still pretty rough and could do with some more peer review in a workshop setting or the like. THis is a link to that story.