Professionalism: The Golden Years
Publication: Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice
Volume 130, Issue 1
Abstract
This paper presents a detailed exposition of professionalism, carefully situated within the social, theoretical, and temporal context of the decades immediately following World War II. This classic conception of professionalism involves three attributes—knowledge, organization, and the ethic of professional service. Such an approach presumes a functionalist view of society specific to the middle years of the Twentieth Century, a time characterized by a high degree of occupational specialization, shared norms and values, stability, and the tendency to maintain equilibrium in the presence of social change. A clear picture of this classic view of professionalism is the first step toward understanding the contemporary meaning of professionalism for today’s engineering education and practice issues.
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Published In
Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice
Volume 130 • Issue 1 • January 2004
Pages: 26 - 36
Copyright
Copyright © 2004 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jun 28, 2001
Accepted: Feb 26, 2002
Published online: Dec 15, 2003
Published in print: Jan 2004
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