NPR reports:
You can take a college course on just about anything nowadays. There's a class on Kanye West lyrics. And one about the American vacation.No word yet on whether Social Justice Warriors will condemn this as a plot by white male heterosexuals to secretly maintain capitalist hegemonic dominance against persons of color.
But some teachers think that crucial basic skills are being overlooked in the process. Things like showing up on time for class, meeting deadlines, dressing appropriately, working well in teams.
Some of those things might pop up indirectly in other courses — business or communications, for example. But a growing number of campuses are focusing specifically on "professionalism" — what it entails and how to achieve it.
At George Mason University in Washington, D.C., Dedra Faine teaches a six-week course called Professionalism and Civility. It's now mandatory for George Mason's hospitality students.
Among the subjects Faine covers are: dining etiquette, proper dress and behavior in the workplace, how to answer a phone properly or handle difficult people.
