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This page is my gift to you! (grin) - Joan Aitken   You will be provided a free hardcopy of this material.  Please bring the hardcopy to class meetings to facilitate your note-taking and participation in learning activities.  To search the page, use Ctrl F or your computer's search function. Dr. J. E. Aitken, Professor, Communication Arts 229 Copley, 8700 NW River Park Drive, Parkville, MO 64152.  Office or message: (816) 584-6785 Office hours as posted on office door.  joan.aitken@park.edu

Tentative Syllabus located here:  click here COURSE INFORMATION SUBJECT TO CHANGE DURING COURSE:  REFER TO WEBPAGE FOR UPDATES.

No pre-requisite and no required academic standing.  Whether a Freshman, Senior, or in between, you are welcome in this course! 

The purpose of this course is to study research-based principles of leadership, which the student will then apply to his or her life in order to become an exemplary leader. 

Photo Credit

"Life's most urgent question is: What are you doing for others?"

Martin Luther King, Jr.
 

By the end of the course, the student will be able to:

• Define leadership based on communication and leadership research principles.

• Demonstrate exemplary student leadership through participation in service learning. 

• Synthesize course learning and reflect on implementation of exemplary leadership strategies used during the service learning project. 

• Measure and analyze communication and leadership behaviors by completing measures found in the SLPI.

·      Find ways to model the exemplary leadership way through self analysis.

• Plan and implement exemplary leadership behaviors based on course materials, which includes (a) modeling the way, (b) inspiring a shared vision, (c) challenging the process, (d) enabling others, and (e) encouraging the heart.

• Analyze exemplary leadership principles through exemplary leaders.

1.  Participation, team building, experiments, learning activities, discussion, in-class writes, and engagement:  60% (2 points per meeting for 60 points)  There will be a daily 3-2-1 assessment.  Participation assignments include the following:

• Bring a guest to class, lead the class in discussion with the guest, and send a thank you note.

• Speech presentations.

• Lead Baldoni discussion about exemplary leaders.

• SLPI weekly work (Please bring this material to class meetings).

2.  Part 1:  Student Leadership Practices Inventory (SLPI) printout, workbook, analysis, plan, implementation, and reflection summary 10% (10 points) Due week 7.  The Core Assessment is a thorough measure and analysis of your student leadership compared to the Kouzes and Posner exemplary leader model.   You will submit this evolving assignment during week 7 and 12. Details below.

3.  Part 2:  Core Assessment (Individual Leadership Project).  Details below.  Actually participate in a leadership or service learning project during the course.  This may be on or off campus.  Include a reflection.  In this project you will actively work as an exemplary leader for Park University (or some other venue).  30% (30 points)  Due week 12.  For a list of the many organization available to join at Park, where you can serve in a leadership capacity, see the Park University Student Organization, click here.

PART 1 DUE WEEK 7 Student Leadership Practices Inventory (SLPI)

DUE WEEK 7:  SLPI printout, analysis, plan, implementation, and reflection summary. (Student LPI is the required inventory in this course)

a.  Collect data on your leadership behaviors, enter into the software, and provide printout of data.

b.  Analyze your student LPI results in a summary of at least 100 words.

c.  Analyze the sources of power at Park and where you work, your personal power, and how to increase your power and influence. 

d.  Evaluate your ethical leadership.

a.  Combine theoretical knowledge and practical skills to plan how you will resolve organizational issues and improve your decision-making.  This section is where you can draw upon your LPI Workbook, readings, and in-class activities. 

b.  Organize and propose a plan in which you will experiment with specific behaviors you have changed or will change over the next five weeks so that you become an exemplary leader according to the K & P model.    Remember to link the behaviors directly to the five principles.  WHAT WILL YOU DO TO CHANGE YOUR BEHAVIORS!?!?  Instead of making general comments about what you should do, give a specific plan of what you will do. 

Example According to Five Principles

Make sure you link to each principle you plan to improve, as in the example below.

To increase inspiring a shared vision, I will do the following:

1.  Put inspirational posters up in my office.

2.  Include the company’s vision statement at the top of each meeting agenda.

3.  Have note cards printed up with the department’s annual goal printed on the front and use them for thank you notes.

4.  Put the division’s vision in my email tag.

5.  Spend two minutes in every meeting asking a different person to explain their vision of our vision.

Example behaviors:

·         Each Monday, I will find a way to experiment and take risks by generating a small win in one of my courses.

·         At 4 PM on Tuesdays, I will contemplate my mistakes for fifteen minutes.  I will think about a way I can make my place of work safer for others to experiment. 

·         On Wednesdays, I will embrace any criticism by thanking the other person(s) for taking the time to give me their perspectives. 

·         On Thursdays, I will read this statement to myself once an hour:  “I believe that I can influence and exert control at Park University.”

·         On Fridays, I will become more powerful by giving my own power away by encouraging John to . . .

Example Calendar-style Plan