Foundations of Leadership 481 Instructor: John Sands, Ph.D.
Course Description
This course serves as an introduction to leadership theory and practice. The course will examine the research and literature regarding organizational leadership and provide an opportunity for examining and developing personal leadership skills. The course features relevant readings, case studies, projects, and class discussions. The purpose of this course is to identify the fundamental leadership behaviors that enable people to excel in their careers and to help students apply these behaviors to personal and professional success. The course builds from the basic premise that leadership is learned. It looks at the theory and practice of leadership at the individual and organizational levels. The course will explore definitions of leadership, the importance of leadership, leadership styles, the role of vision and integrity, the importance of giving and receiving feedback, how to lead change and solve problems, effective teamwork, and communication strategies.*
Text:
Northouse, P.G. (2009). Leadership: Theory and practice (5th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Harvard Business Review on Leadership (Harvard Business Review Paperback Series). Harvard Business School Press.
Harvard Business Review on Change (Harvard Business Review Paperback Series). Harvard Business School Press.
Harvard Business Review on Leadership (Harvard Business Review Paperback Series). Harvard Business School Press.
Harvard Business Review on Change (Harvard Business Review Paperback Series). Harvard Business School Press.
Syllabus:
481_syllabus.pdf | |
File Size: | 440 kb |
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Reflections:
I saved this course for my last, thinking that it would be fairly easy which is what I needed while simultaneously taking Biostatistics, however, although the content was not difficult, the time required and the number of deliverables were a bit excessive. In retrospect, I am not sure what I would eliminate since I found value in all of the assignments. When I registered for the Foundations of Leadership course I was curious to see how leadership could be taught in a classroom setting. I honestly thought there really is not that much to it, you are either good at it or not, and what can we possibly do for ten weeks. Surprisingly, I was completely wrong. This course has opened my eyes to the vast array of information and research available on so many aspects of leadership. In this course, leadership theories and techniques were introduced while research validated and disputed some of these theories. The applications of leadership theories as well as leadership skills and techniques have been presented highlighting both strengths and criticisms of these techniques. Northhouse’s leadership evaluation instruments have allowed for self-reflection and self–awareness of my current approach to leadership and provides the opportunity to use this information to improve my skills as a leader.
Artifacts:
leadership_philosophy.pdf | |
File Size: | 98 kb |
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