Chapter 10. Engaging with professional organizations
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Heidi Byrnes
Abstract
In this article I argue that contributing to professional organizations is a particularly beneficial way of finding personal and professional enrichment and opportunities for creative and meaningful engagement toward addressing language-related societal issues. Such an engagement can continue to shape, often in unexpected but deeply rewarding ways, one’s identity in applied linguistics over an entire professional career. I exemplify this position by tracing my own involvement with five professional organizations, in each case asking three interwoven questions: What were the language-focused societal – the ‘real world’ – issues as I perceived them at the time when I was most deeply involved with them? What focused projects and opportunities for enlarging my understanding of the field presented themselves? And what were the long-term lessons that I took away from the experience?
Abstract
In this article I argue that contributing to professional organizations is a particularly beneficial way of finding personal and professional enrichment and opportunities for creative and meaningful engagement toward addressing language-related societal issues. Such an engagement can continue to shape, often in unexpected but deeply rewarding ways, one’s identity in applied linguistics over an entire professional career. I exemplify this position by tracing my own involvement with five professional organizations, in each case asking three interwoven questions: What were the language-focused societal – the ‘real world’ – issues as I perceived them at the time when I was most deeply involved with them? What focused projects and opportunities for enlarging my understanding of the field presented themselves? And what were the long-term lessons that I took away from the experience?
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Chapter 1. On the state of professional development in applied linguistics 1
- Chapter 2. Demystifying the process 7
- Chapter 3. Navigating graduate school and academia 21
- Chapter 4. Making the most of your applied linguistics conference experience 41
- Chapter 5. Towards achieving work-life balance in academia 49
- Chapter 6. Towards the successful completion of a doctoral dissertation 65
- Chapter 7. Navigating the academic job market 79
- Chapter 8. Handling interpersonal and departmental dynamics 99
- Chapter 9. Reviewing manuscripts for academic journals 113
- Chapter 10. Engaging with professional organizations 139
- Chapter 11. Supervising doctoral students and managing the supervisor-supervisee relationship 153
- Chapter 12. Crossing over 165
- Chapter 13. Preparing for tenure & promotion 181
- Index 203
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Chapter 1. On the state of professional development in applied linguistics 1
- Chapter 2. Demystifying the process 7
- Chapter 3. Navigating graduate school and academia 21
- Chapter 4. Making the most of your applied linguistics conference experience 41
- Chapter 5. Towards achieving work-life balance in academia 49
- Chapter 6. Towards the successful completion of a doctoral dissertation 65
- Chapter 7. Navigating the academic job market 79
- Chapter 8. Handling interpersonal and departmental dynamics 99
- Chapter 9. Reviewing manuscripts for academic journals 113
- Chapter 10. Engaging with professional organizations 139
- Chapter 11. Supervising doctoral students and managing the supervisor-supervisee relationship 153
- Chapter 12. Crossing over 165
- Chapter 13. Preparing for tenure & promotion 181
- Index 203
