PERSONAL REFLECTION JOURNAL
BACC7161/4135

The goal of teaching a course that pertains to values, ethics, social justice can be realized by getting students to reflect on who they are, what theirr values happen to be, and how they compare with the values of business and accounting professions. One can learn about rules and regulations but acting according to them or even challenging them at times depends on your personality and intellect. This is the reason for including this assignment as a part of the course requirements.
This assignment is driven by a desire to make students be more reflective, about the material taught in the course and about themselves. As described by a wise person: an unexamined life is not likely to be worthwhile! Since accounting is not so much about counting as it is about accountability, it is important to not limit it to just the “generally accepted accounting principles,” but also to understand how those principles are implemented and how they impact global commerce as well as human lives for better or worse.
This part of the course is largely modeled on a model used at St Thomas University in St, Paul, MN. They in turn have relied on other traditions such as Jesuit Examen that seek to use self-reflection as a major instrument in the development of one’s person and identity. I am also uploading an example of how such Examen has been adapted to suit the needs and work done by organizational managers/leaders in 21st century..
Given that this sort of exercise is not something usually required in accounting courses, I hope the following directions would help. The ultimate goal is to get you to reflect about what you are seeking to accomplish. What follows in the way of directions is one way—you may want to modify it if it is more convenient. There are always more than one way to get to your destinations! Please keep in mind that this is something personal and it would not be shared with other members of the course, still it, or a copy, needs to be “shared”/turned in at the end of the semester to the instructor. The grading is to help induce you to do two things: first, one hopes that you will work on this throughout the semester and not just leave it for the last week of the semester; second that you will see the exercise as worthwhile.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR FINAL INTEGRATIVE ESSAY 1. Your Past and Your Work/Leisure: The objective of this part of the essay is to encourage you to reflect on your life, work, education, job and other choices you have made. Hopefully such self- reflections will allow you to see patterns that influence your life choices and hopefully make them more meaningful. Why do you want to be an accountant? What events in your life made you want to pursue your career path? 2. In light of your life stories (family, education, religion, work etc.), what main influences and motives have shaped your future work decisions? When answering this question, please discuss your categories of interests, gifts, talents, and needs. What are the things that you find most interesting? What kinds of gifts/talents do you have? What are you good at? What do you see as the critical needs of our society? Have you given any thoughts to help those needs of the society? 3. Consider the impact the following kinds of experiences you have had on you: a. Family Experiences: What are the central values of your family as it relates to work and leisure? What experiences within your family embody these values? b. Faith/Religious Experience: What experiences of faith and religion have formed you? c. What sort of training do you think will foster your chosen kind of work? 4. Educational Experiences: What are the driving principles of your education, especially as it relates to your work? 5. Work Experiences: In terms of your experiences of work thus far, would you describe your future work as a job, a career, or a vocation? 6. Your Future and Your Employer/Institution: Discuss the purpose of the institution in which you plan to work and how it relates to your undergraduate major field. 7. In light of your understanding of the purpose of this institution, what principles do you think can guide you toward being a ‘‘highly principled’’ leader? What impact do you see your field having on organizations, society, and the development of individual persons? 8. Challenges: Discuss some social, political, and other institutional obstacles that could make it difficult for your major field to promote the common good. Discuss ways such as reading, hobbies, travel, that you believe could effectively mitigate the obstacles you identified.