Professional Critical Consciousness: Bridging Classroom Theory with Workplace Practice

ABSTRACT

In this Methodologies and Approaches piece, I introduce the concept of professional critical consciousness (PCC). PCC combines professional consciousness and critical consciousness to form a workplace praxis centered on social justice. I describe PCC using work and classroom experiences and provide instructors with assignment ideas to promote PCC. By learning how to increase one’s power and legitimacy in the workplace, technical communicators can use PCC in ways that are more intentional and socially just.

KEYWORDS:

• Workplace studies
• professional practice
• social justice
• ethics
• academic programs
• program administration

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Margaret Hsiao

Margaret Hsiao is a doctoral student in the Technical Communication and Rhetoric program at Utah State University. She received her Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Utah and currently works as a policy advisor at Western Governors University.