As you might have guessed from the last readings (viewings?) and quiz, this assignment asks you to create a mindmap of your chosen profession.
Description and Rationale: One of the most important things you can do to prepare yourself for entering the field you plan to pursue as a profession is to understand the communication conventions, practices, and important organizations that govern it. As such, for this assignment you will be required to “map” your field.
Assignment: Specifically, you will be required to research several areas of your field (listed below) then construct a mindmap that makes connections between these areas. Successful mindmaps will be visually designed in either a physical or digital format, and will address each of the following areas of your field:
- Governing bodies/Gatekeepers: Who oversees the practices in your field? Who establishes the code(s) of ethics and other standards? Are these organizations run by academics, industry professionals, the government, or some combination of them? Who reviews or oversees malpractice and procedural/ethical violations in the field?
- Current Research Trends and Controversies: What are some of the major topics being discussed today and (perhaps) in the last decade? What advancements/improvements seem to be made in your field? What still needs to be learned? What controversies exist in your field?
- Landmark Discoveries and “Paradigms”: What do scientists in your field consider “normal” or common knowledge? What are some of the important and foundational discoveries in your field? What might be new or groundbreaking?
- Well-known or Important People: Who is, perhaps, the person or persons responsible for developing your field? Is it a relatively new field, or centuries old? Who are some of the prominent researchers and what are they working on?
- Other Trends, Issues, and Conventional Practices: As you conducted your research, what other particularly interesting trends or practices did you come across? Do scientists and practitioners in your field do anything particularly unique or unusual? Are there any current major dilemmas, serious issues, cases, or peculiarities that someone entering the field may be interested in?
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