Career Navigation: Constructing Possibilities

UC 20010
Kent State University
Fall 2020

COURSE DESCRIPTION
Navigating a career and life planning is highly complex. The course is designed to equip students with self-
awareness, knowledge, and skills useful in decision making about how to use opportunities to build meaningful
futures and how to maintain flexibility and adaptability in a complex work environment. Students learn how to
balance planning with uncertainty and navigate a lifetime of meaningful occupational realities. Through
experiential activities, discussions, and reflective exercises students gain self-understanding and connect
academic opportunities to careers and narrow down specializations in career fields in order to select a major or
evaluate career changes.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Upon successful completion of this course, students will:
1. Respond to the Career Construction Interview questions to identify and describe their life themes related
to career development.
2. Adopt an expanded definition of career as encompassing all life roles across the life span.
3. Use the language of Holland’s Typology to explain their personal preferences and preferred work
environments.
4. Make connections among life themes, interests, preferred environments, and academic and occupational
choices.
5. Identify major and/or occupational options that fit with their occupational self-concept
6. Compare and contrast suitable major and/or occupation options.
7. Explore the complex, dynamic, and unpredictable nature of work.
8. Reflect on personal career related life themes and motivations that influence their decision making
processes.
9. Demonstrate confidence in pursuing consultation, decision making, and authoring their futures.
10. Learn to avoid overly rigid, narrow, and restricting thoughts when planning one’s career and life.
11. Apply flexibility and adaptability to career and life planning in order to achieve personal goals.
12. Create a developmental plan and set career related goals.

UNDERSTANDING THE SYLLABUS

Your syllabus is your door to success in this and all of your courses in your college career. It is imperative to be
consistently reading and reviewing your syllabus to understand course expectations. Your syllabus is your
contract between you and your instructor, so please read this document carefully so that you may address any
concerns or questions during the first week of the semester. Once you have finished reading this syllabus, please
email me your favorite (appropriate) meme and candy bar. Not only will this get a few easy extra credit points,
but you never know when that information may come in handy.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Class attendance, participation, and college-level writing are expectations for the course, considered critical, and
required to realize the stated learning outcomes and to successfully complete the course.

ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION

All content is delivered in class, or added to the Blackboard course site as needed. Students will attend synchronous
class sessions in order to gain explanations for homework assignments, to complete any potential in-class
assignments, and participate in class discussion, which is vital to the enrichment of this course. I like to believe that
though I am the course facilitator, you all have the ability to be great teachers not only to the class, but also to myself
as an instructor for this course. The best way to learn in this class is through engaging with your peers in small and
large group discussion. Please try your best to do so.

Students will be graded for participation and attendance for each class session. No attendance points will be
earned if more than 5 minutes late to class, or 15 minutes after class has started. Credit for in-class assignments
will only be awarded for students in attendance.

Contact the instructor if you experience extenuating circumstances that prevent you from attending class. You
should discuss your situation with the instructor, prior to the due date if possible, for any in-class or homework
assignments you may miss due to your circumstances

CONFIDENTIALITY CLAUSE: Additionally, I value classroom confidentiality. It is not required that you
share vulnerable life experiences, but if you choose to do so, remember that this is a safe and judgement-free space
where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. Nothing that is shared in our time together should neither
leave nor be discussed outside of the classroom. If it is reported to me that any information shared by a student
during discussion in our class leaves the classroom, the person(s) responsible for discussing this information
without the permission of the student that originally shared this information, will automatically drop a
minimum of one letter grade and will be required to have a private meeting with me outside of class to discuss
confidentiality, and be given an assignment that explores the nature of confidentiality.

ASSIGNMENTS
Assignments are due by the due date indicated in your weekly schedule. With the exception of a couple assignments
during the Career Construction Interview portion of the course, all other assignments will be due on Sundays before
midnight.

Late Work: All assignments are expected to be submitted by the due date and time. Late work may not be accepted
unless supported by university approved absence, as well as the discretion of the instructor. For in-class
assignments, students must be present to receive credit.

Homework Assignments Overview:

1. Reflections: (15 points each)

Writing assignment topics will be introduced and explained in reading assignments, and further
discussion of assignments may be discussed by instructor in class. In-depth self-reflection and
examination of life events are necessary for all writing assignments. You are expected to be thorough
and detailed in each writing assignment. Guidance will be given regarding length (usually 1 paragraph
to 1 page).

2. In-Class Assignments: (10-25 points)

These assignments will only be completed during the scheduled class time, and may not be made up
outside of class. The in-class assignments will coincide with the lesson and activities of that day, and
may be assigned and completed within one class, or, in some cases, may begin during one class, but
finish during the next.

3. Take Action Assignments: (25 points each)

These will be in the form of “Take Action” assignments, in which students will choose from many
options, or create their own, in order to apply information discussed in class to their own personal career
development.

4. Genogram: (30 points)

Students will create a family genogram consisting of self, siblings, parents, aunts and uncles, and
grandparents. In addition to this family tree, students will add the occupation of each person in order to
 analyze any patterns they might discover.

5. ‘My Life’ writing Assignment (25 points)

Students will be required to submit this assignment via blackboard by the due date to receive credit.
Please Note: you are not able to meet with your instructor for your individual meeting, if you have not
completed the writing prompt.

6. Individual Meeting with your instructor: (30 points)

Students will sign up for a day and time to meet with the instructor to have a short conversation about
their My Life writing prompt. The instructor will send out information regarding sign-ups.

7. Informational Interview and Paper (50 points)

a. Students will select a person who is the age of 40 or above, and preferably employed in a
field/occupation of interest to them and interview this person about their career development and
journey. In the interview, students are looking for how change and adaptation have affected their
interviewee’s life story. Questions to ask the interviewee are listed under the “assignments” folder in
blackboard.
b. After completing the interview, students will write a 2 page summary of what they learned about the
interviewee and reflect upon how they might use that knowledge to help develop their own career
path. Students will incorporate the answers from their interview into this reflection. Students will be
required to submit this assignment via blackboard by the due date to receive credit.

8. Life Design Presentation Share (TBD)

Students will have a choice of how they wish to share particular information, based on assignment
requirements. It is a great opportunity to display all the objectives met throughout the semester.

9. Final (50 points)

Life Design writing prompt
Students will answer the questions listed in the LIFE DESIGN writing assignment listed under the
“assignments” folder in blackboard. Students will be required to submit this assignment via blackboard
by the due date to receive credit.

GRADING
Your grade will always be based on how many points you’ve received out of how many points possible. Your
assigned letter grade will be given according to the percentage of points earned divided by points possible. See
the next section below for the grades associated with given percentages.

Grading Scale
A 93%-100% B- 80%-83% D+ 67%-69%
A- 90%-92% C+ 77%-79% D 64%-66%
B+ 87%-89% C 74%-76% D- 60%-63%
B 84%-86% C- 70%-73% F 59% and Below

As always, please talk to your instructor about any questions you have regarding your grades. Remember, as you
should with every class you take, you have a right to know about where you stand in any course, and the right to
ask questions and/or share any concerns. I encourage to reach out to me with any inquiries.

GENERAL ACADEMIC INFORMATION

HEALTHY & SAFETY: The Flashes Safe Seven Principles have been implemented to protect your health as
well as the entire Kent State community.  When you are on campus you must follow the Flashes Safe Seven.  As
your instructor, I am committed to assuring a safe environment for all students.  Noncompliance by any student may
result in cancellation of the class session for the day and referral to the Office of Student Conduct.
STUDENT ACCESSIBILITY SERVICES (SAS)
Kent State University is committed to inclusive and accessible education experiences for all students. University
Policy 3342-3-01.3 requires that students with disabilities be provided reasonable accommodations to ensure equal
access to course content. Students with disabilities are encouraged to connect with Student Accessibility Services as
early as possible to establish accommodations. If you anticipate or experience academic barriers based on a disability
(including mental health, chronic medical conditions, or injuries), please let me know immediately. 
Student Accessibility Services (SAS) Contact Information:
Location: University Library, Suite 100
Email: sas@kent.edu
Phone: 330-672-3391; VP 330-968-0490
Web: www.kent.edu/sas 

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND PRIVACY

Any intellectual property displayed or distributed to students during this course (including but not limited to
PowerPoint presentations, notes, quizzes, examinations) by the professor/lecturer/instructor remains the
intellectual property of the professor/lecturer/instructor. This means that the student may not distribute, publish,
or provide such intellectual property to any other person or entity for any reason, commercial or otherwise,
without the express written permission of the professor/lecturer/instructor.  Additionally, students may not
distribute or publish recordings and/or links to live classroom presentations, lectures, and/or class discussions.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: As members of the community of higher education, we are all subject to the
standards of academic integrity. Students are subject to the Code of Student Conduct. Using another person’s
words, thoughts or ideas without proper attribution is plagiarism and a form of academic dishonesty. Academic
dishonesty is a violation of University policy. All students must become familiar with and abide by the
University’s policy on academic integrity, which prohibits cheating and plagiarism. For more information about
University policy see the University Policy Register at http://www.kent.edu/policyreg/index.cfm. Further, I
direct your attention to the APA style manual for a statement on plagiarism and a helpful example of how to
paraphrase. Finally, Indiana University offers a useful guide regarding plagiarism:
http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/plagiarism.shtml.

ELECTRONICS
*Use of cell phones, are not to be used in class, unless otherwise noted by the instructor for assignment/activity
purposes. Use of cell phones will result in zero points for attendance unless otherwise instructed.*