Syllabus for LDR-305

FOUNDATIONS OF LEADERSHIP

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Foundations of Leadership provides a broad framework for understanding and practicing leadership within multiple contexts or situations. It examines leadership from the perspective of the leader as individual, the leader in interaction with followers, and the leader and followers interacting in specific contexts. In addition, the course examines issues such as leadership ethics and social responsibility, power and politics, conflict resolution, knowledge management, and cultural diversity. Students will have the opportunity to assess their leadership skills and to put into practice what they learn during the course.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

After completing this course, you should be able to:

1. Explain the basic dynamics of leadership and how those dynamics function in interaction.
2. Assess their own leadership skills and style.
3. Analyze and discuss leadership scenarios from case studies as well as from real-life experiences.
4. Apply leadership skills to current work, community, or family contexts.
5. Discuss basic theoretical perspectives that have informed leadership thinking/research and synthesize them into a personal leadership orientation.
6. Summarize the role of ethics and social responsibility in leadership, and appraise their own ethical orientation in relation to personal leadership.
7. Describe the role of power in leadership, and evaluate how power plays out in contemporary business and political institutions.
8. Describe how leadership works in team-based situations, and apply team-based leadership to a real context.
9. Identify how creativity and innovation can be enhance leadership, and apply this to a real-life leadership scenario.
10. Describe means by which leaders can effectively manage knowledge and information.
11. Discuss ways leadership differs within different national or cultural contexts, and evaluate leadership within a selected nation or culture.

COURSE MATERIALS

You will need the following materials to do the work of the course. The required textbook is available from the College's textbook supplier, MBS Direct.

Required Textbook

1. Leadership: Research Findings, Practice, and Skills, 6th ed. by Andrew J. Dubrin (Mason, OH: Cengage/South-Western, 2010). 

ISBN-13: 978-0-547-14396-5

COURSE STRUCTURE

Foundations of Leadership is a three-credit online course, consisting of five (5) modules. Modules include learning objectives, study materials, and activities. Module titles are listed below.

1. Module 1: The Leader as Individual

2. Module 2: The Leader-Followers Interaction

3. Module 3: Leadership in Context

4. Module 4: Skills for Effective Leadership

5. Module 5: Leadership for the Twenty-First Century

Consult the course Calendar for assignment due dates.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

For your formal work in the course, you are required to participate in online discussion forums, complete written assignments, take quizzes, and complete a final project. See below for more details.

Consult the course Calendar for assignment due dates.

Discussion Forums

In addition to an ungraded "Introductions" forum, Foundations of Leadership requires you to participate in graded class discussions, two in each module.

Communication with the mentor and among fellow students is a critical component of online learning. Participation in online discussions involves two distinct activities: an initial response to a posted question (discussion thread) and subsequent comments on classmates' responses.

You will be evaluated both on the quality of your responses (i.e., your understanding of readings, and concepts as demonstrated by well-articulated, critical thinking) and quantity of your participation (i.e., the number of times you participate meaningfully in the assigned forums). Responses and comments should be properly proofread and edited, professional, and respectful.

Meaningful participation in online discussions is relevant to the content, adds value, and advances the discussion. Comments such as "I agree" and "ditto" are not considered value-adding participation. Therefore, when you agree or disagree with a classmate, the reading, or your mentor, state and support your agreement or disagreement.

Written Assignments

Foundations of Leadership has two types of written assignments. Each of these is described more fully in the Modules area of the course.

1. Case Studies For this assignment, you will read a case study in the text and answer questions about it. These case studies allow you to analyze leadership issues in real-world settings.

1. Application Papers. These activities ask you to apply leadership concepts in a 2- to 3-page paper.

For the assignment topics and questions, see the Modules area of the course Web site. Due dates for each assignment are listed in the course Calendar.

Your answers to the assignment questions should be well developed and convey your understanding of the readings and concepts. They should also adequately answer the questions posed. If you need help in writing, take a look at The Writing Center: University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Also, formulate responses in your own words. Do not merely copy answers from your reading materials. When quoting or paraphrasing from the text or other sources, be sure to cite the source of information properly according to APA guidelines (see also Basic Documentation Rules). If you have further questions, your mentor will guide you in accordance with the correct style of documentation.

Prepare your written assignments using whatever word processing program you have on your computer. Include your name at the top of the paper, as well as the course name and code and the semester and year in which you are enrolled.

Before submitting your first assignment, check with your mentor to determine whether your word processing software is compatible with your mentor's software. If so, you can submit your work as you prepared it. If not, save your assignment as a rich-text (.rtf) file, using the Save As command of your software program. Rich text retains basic formatting and can be read by any other word processing program.

Using the Textbook

Your textbook includes boxed features within each chapter. The exercises and scenarios you'll find in these features can be very useful. The following information will help you make the best use of these valuable resources:

1. Leadership Self-Assessment Quiz  Complete all of these. Each includes directions for self-scoring at the end. Please understand that these are designed for your benefit; whatever results you obtain on these will in no way affect your grade in the course. You are welcome to share your results with others if you wish, but you are in no way obligated to do so. Each quiz can be an interesting and even enjoyable way to learn something about yourself and your leadership style or potential. In addition, since the final paper for the course asks you to consider your own leadership style, what you learn about yourself from these exercises can help you significantly in writing that paper. Please take each quiz seriously.

1. Leadership Skill-Building Exercise Read these in each chapter and reflect on any suggestions offered at the end. You are not required to do anything with these, but they may help to clarify concepts within a chapter and allow you to focus on your own abilities, something that may again be useful as you frame the final paper.

1. Leader in Action Examine these scenarios in each chapter, and reflect on any questions offered at the end.

1. Internet Skill-Building Exercise Read through these exercises, and consider going online and doing what is directed. Many include references to sites with interesting information that can help you learn more about your own leadership ability. As with the other chapter features, you may find such insights useful as you write your final paper.

Final Project

This course does not have a midterm or a final examination. Instead you will be required to write and submit a final paper to your mentor. This project synthesizes what you have learned about yourself as a leader or potential leader during the course and allows you to outline a developmental plan to help you become the leader you want to be.

A full description of the paper and the requirements for completing it are found in Final Paper Module. Your final paper should be well developed and convey your understanding of the readings and concepts. Your paper should be organized, coherent, and unified; it should also be free of spelling and grammatical errors. If you need help in writing such a paper, take a look at The Writing Center: University of Wisconsin-Madison.

If you have questions about the requirements of the paper, be sure to discuss them with your mentor well in advance of the final submission. Consult the course Calendar for this paper's due date. It must be submitted by the last day of the semester.

Grading Rubric

If you are interested in knowing how your paper will be graded, click the Grading Rubric link. It shows the standards for grading, telling you what would constitute an "A" paper, a "B" paper, and so on.

GRADING AND EVALUATION

Your grade in the course will be determined as follows:

1. Online discussions (10)—15 percent
2. Quizzes (5)—10 percent
3. Case studies (5)—15 percent
4. Application papers (5)—25 percent
5. Final paper—35 percent

All activities will receive a numerical grade of 0–100. You will receive a score of 0 for any work not submitted. Your final grade in the course will be a letter grade. Letter grade equivalents for numerical grades are as follows:

To receive credit for the course, you must earn a letter grade of C or better (for an area of study course) or D or better (for a nonarea of study course), based on the weighted average of all assigned course work (e.g., exams, assignments, discussion postings, etc.).

STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS

First Steps to Success

To succeed in this course, take the following first steps:

1. Read carefully the entire Syllabus, making sure that all aspects of the course are clear to you and that you have all the materials required for the course.

2. Take the time to read the entire Online Student Handbook. The Handbook answers many questions about how to proceed through the course, how to schedule exams, and how to get the most from your educational experience at Thomas Edison State College.

3. Arrange to take your examinations by following the instructions in this Syllabus and the Online Student Handbook.

4. Familiarize yourself with the learning management systems environment—how to navigate it and what the various course areas contain. If you know what to expect as you navigate the course, you can better pace yourself and complete the work on time.

5. If you are not familiar with Web-based learning be sure to review the processes for posting responses online and submitting activities before class begins.

Study Tips

Consider the following study tips for success:

1. To stay on track throughout the course, begin each week by consulting the course Calendar. The calendar provides an overview of the course and indicates due dates for submitting activities, posting discussions, and scheduling and taking examinations.
2. Check Announcements regularly for new course information.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

Students at Thomas Edison State College are expected to exhibit the highest level of academic citizenship. In particular, students are expected to read and follow all policies, procedures, and program information guidelines contained in publications; pursue their learning goals with honesty and integrity; demonstrate that they are progressing satisfactorily and in a timely fashion by meeting course deadlines and following outlined procedures; observe a code of mutual respect in dealing with mentors, staff, and other students; behave in a manner consistent with the standards and codes of the profession in which they are practicing; keep official records updated regarding changes in name, address, telephone number, or e-mail address; and meet financial obligations in a timely manner. Students not practicing good academic citizenship may be subject to disciplinary action including suspension, dismissal, or financial holds on records.

Academic Dishonesty

Thomas Edison State College expects all of its students to approach their education with academic integrity—the pursuit of scholarly activity free from fraud and deception. All mentors and administrative staff members at the College insist on strict standards of academic honesty in all courses. Academic dishonesty undermines this objective. Academic dishonesty takes the following forms:

1. Cheating
2. Plagiarizing (including copying and pasting from the Internet without using quotation marks and without acknowledging sources)
3. Fabricating information or citations
4. Facilitating acts of dishonesty by others
5. Unauthorized access to examinations or the use of unauthorized materials during exam administration
6. Submitting the work of another person or work previously used without informing the mentor
7. Tampering with the academic work of other students

Academic dishonesty will result in disciplinary action and possible dismissal from the College. Students who submit papers that are found to be plagiarized will receive an F on the plagiarized activity, may receive a grade of F for the course, and may face dismissal from the College.

A student who is charged with academic dishonesty will be given oral or written notice of the charge. If a mentor or College official believes the infraction is serious enough to warrant referral of the case to the academic dean, or if the mentor awards a final grade of F in the course because of the infraction, the student and the mentor will be afforded formal due process.

If a student is found cheating or using unauthorized materials on an examination, he or she will automatically receive a grade of F on that examination. Students who believe they have been falsely accused of academic dishonesty should seek redress through informal discussions with the mentor, through the office of the dean, or through an executive officer of Thomas Edison State College.

Plagiarism

Using someone else's work as your own is plagiarism. Although it may seem like simple dishonesty, plagiarism is against the law. Thomas Edison State College takes a strong stance against plagiarism, and students found to be plagiarizing will be severely penalized. If you copy phrases, sentences, paragraphs, or whole documents word-for-word—or if you paraphrase by changing a word here and there—without identifying the author, then you are plagiarizing. Please keep in mind that this type of identification applies to Internet sources as well as to print-based sources. Copying and pasting from the Internet, without using quotation marks and without acknowledging sources, constitutes plagiarism. (For information about how to cite Internet sources, see Online Student Handbook > Academic Standards > "Citing Sources.")

Accidentally copying the words and ideas of another writer does not excuse the charge of plagiarism. It is easy to jot down notes and ideas from many sources and then write your own paper without knowing which words are your own and which are someone else's. It is more difficult to keep track of each and every source. However, the conscientious writer who wishes to avoid plagiarizing never fails to keep careful track of sources.

Always be aware that if you write without acknowledging the sources of your ideas, you run the risk of being charged with plagiarism.

Clearly, plagiarism, no matter the degree of intent to deceive, defeats the purpose of education. If you plagiarize deliberately, you are not educating yourself, and you are wasting your time on courses meant to improve your skills. If you plagiarize through carelessness, you are deceiving yourself.