Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies

Wednesday, 6-8:50 PM
2107 Au Sable Hall, Allendale Campus
 

Barbara Kellerman
Leadership: Essential Selections on Power, Authority, and Influence

Howard Gardner
Leading Minds: An Anatomy of Leadership

Hannah Arendt
The Origins of Totalitarianism

Sigmund Freud
Civilization and Its Discontents

Niccolo Machiavelli
The Prince
 

This course will expose you to 2,500 years of dynamic thinking about leaders and leadership, from the classical world to the post-modern.  You will come to understand ten big ideas about leadership; ever-changing sources and deployments of authority; iterations of the leader's and follower's place in society; and the latest thinking on leader-follower synchronicity, pervasive leadership, and leaderlessness.

In the first half of the semester, special attention will be drawn to the challenges of modernity and ideas about leadership and followership that culminated in World War II totalitarianism – a watershed development that left us searching for new answers to age-old questions about human nature, interaction, and leadership.  In the second half, we will refocus on these questions and examine post-modern hypotheses rising out of the social, natural, and formal sciences.

Throughout, will will interact with the leadership canon and encounter numerous examples of leadership by men and women, living and dead.  We will see how dynamic ideas are put into practice in the real world – famously, infamously, and anonymously.

20 PTS PREPARATION | There are no exams in this course.  Your in-class participation will reveal your preparation, which will be graded on a curve: 10% of students receiving 20 points, 40% receiving 18, 40% receiving 16, and 10% receiving 14.  You are also asked to establish a Twitter account and tweet potential class discussion questions throughout the semester.

20 PTS REFLECTION | Sign up to complete two unassigned readings from the syllabus and write brief (2-3 page) reflection papers relating them to assigned readings and our ongoing exploration of leadership.  Tweet 1-5, 140-character "ideas worth spreading" from your article and reflection.  To earn up to 5 extra points, you may choose to forgo one of the two papers and instead deliver an 18-minute, TED-style talk based on your reading and reflection.

25 PTS PAPER I | Write a 5-10 page paper drawing on Niccolo Machiavelli, Sigmund Freud, or Hannah Arendt and supporting readings.

35 PTS PAPER II | Write a 10-15 page paper advancing at least one of the broad themes of this course, or an approved theme of your own choosing.  Draw on relevant assigned readings and at least six unassigned readings.

Brian Flanagan is associate director of the Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies at Grand Valley State University, where he has worked since 2003.  He serves as program director of the Peter Cook Leadership Academy and adjunct professor of public, nonprofit, and health administration.  He earned his BA in English from the University of Notre Dame and his MPA in public management and urban/regional policy from Grand Valley State University.

Email | flanagab@gvsu.edu

Phone | (616) 331-2770

Office | 527C DeVos Center

Office Hours | 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Monday through Friday