MODULE 1: PUBLIC & PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY (SEPTEMBER 05 & 07)

By the end of this module, you will complete the following:

• Personal Introductions

DISCUSSION TOPIC 1:

During the next four weeks, we will be working on the Personal Essay. Our first task is to introduce ourselves. It is always a good idea to have a written form of introducing yourself. For instance, a job or a school application or for scholarship opportunities require written cover letters. I will get the ball rolling here with my own introduction.

Example: Anna Copeland Wheatley Introduction

Shortly after beginning my doctoral studies at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, I made a life-changing discovery. Over the Thanksgiving holidays I read a novel entitled Three Farmers on Their Way to a Dance by Richard Powers. It was big and brilliant and literally took my breath away. It also changed my life because I feel deeply in love with science, which led to my becoming an editor for Omni Magazine, which led to moving to New York City, which led to launching my own magazine, AlleyCat News, which covered science, technology, and finance, which led to working as an editor of an independent feature-length film, Illinois, which led to work on a documentary on the history of the Alabama Hospital for the Insane. In addition to teaching, my passions include listening to audiobooks and roaming around my neighborhood in Chelsea in New York City or wandering the back roads of Alabama whenever I go back home.  (Word Count: 159)

A Note about Word Count: In your college classes, word count is a standard measure that is used to gage the level of detail you need to include in assignments. In general, the more advance the class, the higher the word count. The key term to focus on here is “details.” In writing, details are extremely important because they provide a context or a sort of backstory. The audience needs the information to understand what is happening next!