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Home > Degree Programs > Teaching & Courses > 2009-2010 Course Listing > Becoming a Leader
MLD-325: Becoming a Leader
Faculty: David Gergen
Schedule
| Day | Time | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Day | 9/2 | ||
| Meet Day | M/W | 1:10 PM - 2:30 PM | L140 |
| Review |
Description
No course, on its own, can create leaders, but it can help students understand the path that others have taken and also advance on their own. This course seeks to do that by studying the lives of significant leaders of the past and by drawing upon the leadership literature. The course is not theoretical but reflective. Among areas of inquiry are: the role of ambition; achieving self-awareness and self-mastery; finding one’s true north; forging one’s character; developing social skill sets; achieving subject mastery; crafting a career; getting out from the wood pile; taking responsibility for others; dangers of self-derailment; overcoming adversity; seeking balance in life; and achieving self-renewal. Among those whose lives will be considered are Jane Addams, Winston Churchill, John Kennedy, Barack Obama, Richard Nixon, and Albert Schweitzer. The course will be in a lecture setting but will encourage conversation. Students should expect to spend additional hours beyond the classroom with possible workshops, films, and outside speakers.