OVERVIEW | ProfessionalDev

COURSE OVERVIEW

The objective of this course is to increase doctoral students’ awareness of key academia cultural skills central for success in graduate school and beyond. This will include identifying appropriate professionalism practices, career exploration, and interpersonal relationship building approaches that enhances well- being. The course content centers empowerment approaches that advance students' intellectual curiosity and self- advocacy skills. Upon completion of this course, students will be to equipped to actively pursue their varied professional and personal graduate school goals.

This course utilizes a participatory, adult education approach to facilitate learning. The success of this course experiences relies on students' preparation, participation, interaction, and reflection. Assuming this is a shared goal, there will be a strong emphasis on student engagement through online activities within the sessions to practice and apply concepts covered in the readings, lectures, and discussions.

UNIT 1: Situating Ourselves
This unit will focus on students' positionalities and engagement across various graduate school contexts. The emphasis will be on developing an empowered lens for negotiating professional relationships, power dynamics and cultural norms of graduate school.

Graduate School Cultures 101
Faculty Advisors, Mentors & other Supervisory Relationships
Developing your Academic Identity
School/ Life Integration
Cultivating your Support System

UNIT 2: Strategies & Skills Development
This unit of the course will help students maps out skills, strategies, and goals they need to acquire during this phase of their academic and career journey. Key areas explored include research skills and knowledge, responsibilities management, and productivity.

Developing your Academic Identity
Politics of Publishing & the Publishing Process
Exploring Grant & Funding Processes
Service for your Passions

UNIT 3: Conceptualizing YOUR Career

The ways to showcase the core competencies across multiple career paths is the focus of this final unit. Skills and steps you can take to develop and enhance your post graduate career path will be discussed in depth.

Post Doctoral Positions
Academic Career Job Search
Non Academic Career Job Search
CVs & Digital Portfolios