The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life by Erving Goffman, Working by Studs Terkle

On August 3, WIP students returned to the classroom at Georgetown University for a more traditional session after weeks of learning through field trips at think-tanks, museums, television studios, theaters, and other cultural and intellectual institutions. During this class, taught by Dr. Bayer, students discussed ways to improve every internship, how to turn a volunteer position into a paid one, the challenge of finding subsequent work, and proper conduct in the American workplace versus other norms abroad. Students reviewed two assigned texts:  The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life by Erving Goffman, which applies a dramaturgical model to office interactions, and Working by Studs Terkle, which is a collection of interviews with employees from various professions. Terkle’s book seeks to illustrate that most modern jobs are too small for the people who occupy them.

Back to activities main page