Composing a Professional Identity

1 Course Unit

This course is intended for those who would like to focus on building their individual professional identity for job searches as well as professional recognition and advancement. The course will examine how professional identities are constructed and networked across different media within professional communities of practice. Our particular focus will be on the primary discourse communities, genres, and media involved in professional identity construction, including cover letters, resumes, LinkedIn profiles, and web-portfolios; we will also touch upon the role of other social media in creating a professional identity. The course will support students in developing rhetorical fluency with regard to job searches and career advancement, including identifying and researching potential employers, networking, and cultivating mentors. This writing- intensive course will be a combination of theory, acquired through a series of readings and analysis, and practice, implemented through hands-on guided writing exercises, peer and professor feedback, and reflection. By the end of the course, students will have developed a professional profile, including a foundational cover letter and resume, a LinkedIn profile, and a web-portfolio (whether published or not will be up to the individual student). 1 Course Unit