reading notes

Notes on Faber, "Professional Identities: What's professional about professional communication?"

The Easy Questions.

When and where was it published?

2002 in JBTC.

What group of scholars is the author addressing?

The readers of JBTC, or researchers (and teachers) who are interested in what Duin and Hansen would call "nonacademic writing". I wouldn't say that the article's primary audience is "just professional communication scholars / practitioners", because 1) It's too fuzzy of a field and 2) "Professional communicators" do not exist as a separate profession.

What is the genre and what type of research is the author doing?

Hmm. I'd call it "A critical discussion of professional identity". That's what Faber calls it. Is a "discussion" a valid genre of research?

The article has an empirical section about the meaning of professional communication in JBTC, JBWC and TCQ.

The Tough Questions

What was going on in the field when the author wrote it – how does the article reflect the conversation that has been taking place in the field?

Professional communication was a catchall phrase for workplace/business writing, and did not focus on or explore interesting issues like professional status and the process of professionalization.

What aspects of knowledge does the author focus on and why does the author focus on these aspects of knowledge?

Faber focuses on:

1) How researchers have used the term "professional communication" to describe the rhet. of professionals who communicate.

2) Institutional and content conflicts between rhetorical scholarship and professional powers.

3) Current issues: deprofessionalization and proletariatization.

The above focii help us to more deeply investigate the concept of professionalization.

What is the epistemological background?

What is the argument?
If professional communication research and teaching are going to be viable, professional communication scholars need to be aware of the conceputal underpinnings of professional work.

What evidence does the author bring?
Articles suggesting that professional communicators are distinct from workplace writers in their special relationship w/ a specific and known audience, social responsibility and self-reflexive ethical awareness.

What perspective does the author take?

What perspective is under-represented or missing?