Leadership and the Humanities LDST 101-05 Fall 2009 Course Syllabus Instructor: Dr. Douglas A. Hicks Offices: Jepson Hall, Room 134 E-mail: [email protected] Phone: X-6891 (287-6891) (office) Office hours: Wednesday, 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Friday, 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. and by appointment Class meeting time Section 5: Wednesdays & Fridays 9:00-10:15 a.m. Class location Jepson Hall 107 Introduction This course is designed to engage students in essential intellectual questions relating to the study and practice of leadership, particularly as scholars in the humanities have addressed them. These questions include the following: What is leadership? What is good leadership? How do people become effective leaders and/or effective followers? What insights into leadership do some of the great minds in the humanities provide? How do factors of race, gender, education, and class relate to leadership? How do coordinated efforts best effect social change? The various components of the course are intended to challenge students to think critically and imaginatively about the elements and dynamics of leadership. This course is a shared intellectual enterprise between the students and the instructor. It is the aim of this course (and other Jepson School courses) to move beyond the traditional classroom learning environment and to weave together actual leadership problems and scenarios, interaction with leaders, guest speakers, and critical reflection on the course texts. This course serves as an introduction to the curriculum of the Jepson School of Leadership Studies. It is a companion course to LDST 102: Leadership and the Social Sciences, and it also complements LDST 205: Justice and Civil Society. These courses provide students with basic vocabulary, concepts, and approaches that can serve as a foundation for a major or minor in Leadership Studies. The instructor will be pleased to discuss the Jepson School curriculum2 with any student interested in integrating Leadership Studies into her or his academic program. Course Objectives This course seeks to enable students to: * develop a broad and sophisticated understanding of the process of leadership; * acquire knowledge of various humanistic approaches to leadership, especially in great texts from Western political and philosophical traditions; * apply these theories, concepts, and approaches to leadership situations in their own lives and in current events; * become familiar with the multidisciplinary approaches to leadership; * develop critical thinking skills. Texts The textbooks for the course are: J. Thomas Wren, Douglas A. Hicks, and Terry L. Price, editors, Traditional Classics on Leadership, Vol. I of The International Library of Leadership (Cheltenham, UK and Northampton, MA, USA: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2004). Jean-Jacques Rousseau, On the Social Contract (Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, 2003 [1762]). Jo Ann Gibson Robinson, The Montgomery Bus Boycott and the Women Who Started It, ed. David J. Garrow (Knoxville, TN: University of Tennessee Press, 1987). In addition, several readings, as indicated below, are assigned as required texts for the course. Copies of these selections are on online reserve. The mid-term and final examinations will cover the readings on reserve as well as the textbooks—in addition to material covered in class. Leadership, Newspapers, and Contemporary Society Students are strongly encouraged to read a daily newspaper, in printed form or online, in order to follow stories that provide concrete examples for the study of leadership. Several assignments in the course will require attention to contemporary problems as covered in the press. Students can receive educational discounts on The New York Times, The Washington Post, or The Richmond Times-Dispatch, or they can access these publications online at www.nytimes.com, www.washingtonpost.com, or www.timesdispatch.com. These newspapers are also available in the reading area of Boatwright Library and in the Bonner Center3 for Civic Engagement. On Fridays, two students will be asked to present a recent newspaper article, analyzing connections to the readings of the course, the story’s implications for leadership, and/or the insights that leadership studies offers into the story. Course Requirements Class Participation and Contribution The first mark of a successful course is the active participation of each member of the class. Students are expected to attend—and arrive promptly for—all class meetings and to engage fully in the discussions and activities. The course also includes three required events outside of class time. The key element of class discussion is quality, not quantity, of participation. Cell phones, Blackberrys, etc., must be turned to ―all sounds off‖ mode. Students are permitted to use their laptops to take notes, but they are not permitted to use any electronic device for texting, sending IM, emailing, Web surfing, etc. Students are allowed one unexcused absence from class and then will be penalized by three percentage points from their final grade for each additional absence. Reading Assignments The classroom discussions and activities depend upon the timely completion of the assigned readings, both those found in the books assigned for the course and the selections placed on online reserve. Coming to each session prepared for discussion of the texts of the day is a necessary condition for individual and group learning; thorough preparation will also result in a strong evaluation of class participation. Further, reading with care will enable successful examinations, essays, and other work. Individual Writing Assignments Each student will write two essays of approximately four pages (due September 23 and November 13) that analyze particular dimensions of leadership. Detailed instructions will be distributed sufficiently prior to each due date. Examinations There will be two examinations in this course: a midterm (October 14 in class) and a final (Section 5: Friday, December 11, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon and Section 6: Monday, December 14, 2:00 – 5:00 p.m., as assigned by the Registrar, as listed below). The written exams will cover material from the assigned readings and the in-class discussions. Evaluation Grades will be determined as follows:4 Class Participation and Contribution 15% Individual Writing Assignments