This article provides an excellent orientation to the finer
distinctions of professional writing and communication. Also, after slogging
through Cornelissen’s panglossian take on the corporate world, I appreciate
Faber’s head on confrontation of ethics.
Faber takes great care to define professionalism, which may
be tiresome for some readers, but, for me, it was quite helpful. Professional(ism)
is term that is thrown around loosely, and Faber’s literature review concerning
the development of a strict, scholarly definition serves his purpose well. Subjectively
speaking, I favor Friedson’s treatment of professions as “characterized by two
general features: a) the acquisition and schooled application of an esoteric
and complex body of knowledge and skill, and b) orientation toward serving the
public.” I appreciate any nod to public service when considering professional
occupations like medicine, law, or even teaching. While these are revered and
sometimes well paid fields, they are often not spoken of as services,
especially law.
Faber mentions ethics as a “self-conscious discourse about
values, conduct, and what is perceived to be proper action.” This idea holds
professional to a high standard of responsibility given the relatively high “economic
and social status within their local and national cultures” professionals
enjoy. Highlighting this as an essential characteristic of professionalism is
something I appreciate.
These factors align well with his argument that emerging
professionals must be aware of the social and professional contexts in which
they will work and the people and communities they will serve. The elite status
afforded many professionals does indeed bind them to a responsibility to
counter the forces of territorial elitism, and Faber’s discussion of it
provides a nice counter balance to Cornelissen.
Personal note....I am so excited that I have to overshare....
My wife, Annie, and I welcomed our second child this week. Calvin Lonergan Grace Mortensen was born Wednesday morning at 1:27 AM. We are thrilled and exhausted.
While I am not sure I share your admiration for this article, I do appreciate the author's desire to holds professionals to a high standard of responsibility and ethics. This article made me realize I am more interested in the tactical aspects of technical and professional writing than the scholarly pursuit.
ReplyDeleteAnd CONGRATS! What an exciting time for you and your family. Take good care of your wife, she is doing the harder job :) Enjoy-- time flies and before you blink, they leave for college.
I also like the idea of professionals upholding a civic ethic as part of their responsibility. And yet, as I noted in response to Samantha's post, consider the difference in perception between a public defender and a law firm partner. The former doesn't fit Faber's definition of a professional, since he or she is a servant of the state. The latter does fit Faber's idea of an independent operator. But whose work do you consider to be, on average, more in the public interest?
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, Kevin. Glad to hear your news, and I hope the thrills outpace the exhaustion.
I think ethics should be a part of everyone's civic duty or every job that exists. I worry that people view ethics as only the big events that happen (e.g., Challenger disaster) and not in the every day activities that typically challenge our ethics more, I think.
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