BUU22591 Personal and Professional Development Programme (PPD)

(5 ECTS)

Lecturer:

Ulrich Leicht-Deobald

Email: leichtdu@tcd.ie 
Office Hours: By appointment via email

Career Advisor: Fiona Hayes, Careers Services
Email: fiona.hayes@tcd.ie

Module Description:

The module offers you a space to reflect on your personal and professional development and prepares for searching a summer internship. The course builds on the academic field of Positive Organizational Scholarship. Positive Organizational Scholarship is an interdisciplinary approach to leading and being in work organizations in ways that call forth high organizational performance simultaneous with bringing out the best in people. Positive Organizational Scholarship is an interdisciplinary approach to leading and being in work organizations in ways that call forth high organizational performance simultaneous with bringing out the best in people. Positive Organizational Scholarship draws from multiple theoretical perspectives in the interdisciplinary field of organizational studies. These include developments in positive psychology, positive applied organizational psychology, positive organizational behaviour, and appreciative inquiry. The module will include contributions from the Careers Services.

Learning and Teaching Approach:

This class incorporate research and practical knowledge, each of which can be accompanied by experiential and action learning methodologies; the course is highly interactive and participatory.

Learning Outcomes:

Successfully completing this module will help you to:

  1. Improve your self-awareness and self-knowledge and a deeper understanding of your strengths and interests;
  2. Take greater responsibility for your own personal and professional development;
  3. Identify a range of careers available, sources of information, internship prospects, and job search strategies;
  4. Identify, and reflect on your personal interests, skills, valuesyou’re your personality and deliberate how you can match them with your professional networks and future career aspirations;
  5. Understand how to creatively market and showcase the best version of yourself (i.e., write an inspiring CV and cover letter, prepare elevator pitch, hone interview skills, and utilise social media effectively).

Textbook and Readings

General Supplemental Readings:

Dowson, Paul (2015) Personal and professional development for business students. Sage. 

Dutton, J. E. & Spreitzer, G. M. (2014). How to be a positive leader: Small actions, big impact. Berrett-Koehler. 

Roberts, L. M., Spreitzer, G., Dutton, J., Quinn, R., Heaphy, E., & Barker, B. (2005). How to play to your strengths. Harvard Business Review, 83(1), 74–117. 

Spreitzer, G. M. & Cameron, K. S.  (2011). The Oxford handbook of Positive Organizational Scholarship. Oxford University Press. 

Spreitzer, G., Porath, C. L., & Gibson, C. B. (2012). Toward human sustainability: How to enable more thriving at work. Organizational Dynamics, 41(2), 155-162. 

Wrzesniewski, A., Berg, J. M., & Dutton, J. E. (2010). Turn the job you have into the job you want. Harvard Business Review, 88(6), 114–117. 

 Additional readings will be provided as required before each lecture. 

Assessment:

Part 1 – (10%): Participation 

Part 2 (60%): Individual Personal Reflection Paper 

Part 3 (30%) Group Project: Industry/Career insight