MW 11:00-12:20
General Learning Goals: • Teambuilding and collaboration to achieve group objectives. These objectives will be practiced as students work in teams to analyze leadership scenarios and cases and complete skill-building experiential exercises. Students will also work closely in teams to analyze film clips demonstrating leadership concepts and to interview, observe, and evaluate the leadership approach and style of successful leaders in the community. Instructor observation, project evaluation, and feedback from team members will be used to assess these abilities. • Competency in speaking and writing for common business scenarios. Students will practice their oral presentation skills by discussing leadership cases, participating in experiential exercises, presenting a film analysis, and interacting with local leaders. The student’s ability to speak clearly and to engage an audience will be reflected in the student’s participation grade and in presentation grades. The written Leadership Profile paper will be used to assess writing ability. • Problem solving and decision-making abilities through critical analysis, evaluation, and interpretation of business information. This course is designed not only to introduce students to leadership concepts, but to help students apply these concepts to their professional and personal lives. Students discover their own leadership style and potential through the Leadership Profile project and develop new skills to enhance their leadership ability by participating in skill-building exercises, examining leader behavior in video clips, and by observing and interacting with successful leaders in the Leader Spotlight project. Problem solving, decision-making, and critical analysis abilities will be assessed by examination, instructor observation, team feedback, team presentation, and in written analyses.
These general learning goals are among those established by the Dillard College of Business Administration. General learning goals represent the skills that graduates will carry with them into their careers. While assessing student performance in obtaining these general learning goals, the Dillard College is assessing its programs. The assessments will assist us as we improve our curriculum and curriculum delivery.
Course Specific Learning Goals: After completing this course, students should: • Understand key leadership concepts ranging from individual leadership traits and behaviors, to team coaching and conflict skills, to organizational issues, like managing culture, crisis, and change. • Gain considerable self-awareness concerning their leadership traits, approach, and style and how they impact potential followers. These insights should promote self-development. • Develop and refine new leadership skills to enhance their leadership effectiveness. • Apply leadership concepts and skills to recognize, analyze, and develop solutions to specific leadership problems encountered at work and at home. • Develop team skills by working in groups in experiential exercises and group presentations and by working with practicing leaders.
Student's performance will be assessed using the following methods:
Exams (3): Each exam will consist of 50-60 multiple choice questions. Examinations are designed to assess knowledge of key concepts presented in lectures, exercises, cases, and in the text as well critical thinking skills in applying key concepts. See Missed Examination Policy above.
Projects (3): The following projects are assigned. Project details are provided later in this syllabus.
1. Leadership Assessment – Individual Surveys
2. Leader Profile Paper – Individual Paper
3. Leadership in the Movies – Team Presentation
Assignments are due at the start of class on the due date. Late surveys and papers must be received before the end of the next class session. A letter grade penalty (e.g., A reduced to B) is assessed for late homework and papers without documentation of a university-approved absence.
Final grades will be determined as follows:
Course Grade Determination 3 Exams @ 20% each 60% Leader Profile Paper 15% Leadership in the Movies 15% Homework (Surveys) 5% Participation 5% 100% Grade Ranges 90-100 A 80-89 B 70-79 C 60-69 D Under 60 F
The grade ranges are firm. Standard rounding rules apply – only decimals of .5 or greater round up. For example, 79.4 is a “C” but 79.5 rounds up to a “B”.
Participation and Attendance Policy: Since this is a discussion-based course, part of your grade is based on participation. You must read assigned chapters, complete assignments before coming to class, and offer informed, insightful comments during class discussions. Further you must be an active participant in team projects. Obviously, you must be present to participate. You will be dropped from the course with a grade of WF after three (3) consecutive absences or six (6) total absences have been recorded. Tardiness is also strongly discouraged because it disrupts the class. If you are not in your assigned seat when the roll is checked at the beginning of each class, you will be counted absent! Exceptions are granted only for documented university-authorized absences and tardiness that is due to documented physical disabilities. See MSU Student Handbook (2009-2010) page 39-40, for University Class Attendance Policy.
Missed Examination Policy: If a student misses a scheduled exam, the student must immediately contact the instructor to schedule a make-up exam. Students must make up a missed exam before they are allowed to return to class. Students who miss a scheduled exam will not be given the original exam (Form A). Instead, they will take a make-up version of the exam (Form B) that is substantially different from the original. It is in everyone’s best interest for students to take the exam as scheduled if at all possible.
Assignment Submission Policy: All assignments are due in class at the beginning of class on the specified due date. Assignments submitted after the instructor collects them from the class will be counted late, even if they are submitted during the class session. Assignments will not be accepted via e-mail without the prior consent of the instructor. Late assignments may be placed under the instructor’s office door if not submitted in class. Multi-page assignments must be stapled!
Academic Dishonesty
With regard to academic honesty, students are referred to the “Student Honor Creed” on p. 19 of Midwestern State University Undergraduate Catalog, Vol. LXXVIII, No. 1. Your name on any exam or assignment is your pledge that all work contained therein is yours alone. Collaboration in graded assignments is allowed only in the “Leadership in the Movies” team project in this course. Academic dishonesty (cheating, collusion, and plagiarism) is taken seriously and will be investigated. Serious violations will result in you being dropped from the course with an “F” and may trigger disciplinary action by the college or university. The university academic dishonesty policy, outlined in Section VI of the MSU Student Handbook (2009-2010), includes a student appeal process, but all incidents require written notification of the incident to the Department Chair, College Dean, and the Dean of Students with copies placed in the student’s file.
Americans with Disabilities Act
If a student has an established disability as defined in the Americans with Disabilities Act and would like to request accommodation, that student should please see me as soon as possible (i.e., within the first two weeks of the semester). Refer to my office hours and phone number shown on page 1. This class follows the guidelines suggested by MSU Disability Support Services for those students who qualify for disability services. See Midwestern State University Undergraduate Catalog, Vol. LXXVIII, No. 1, p. 21.
Food and Beverage Policy
No food of any kind is allowed in classrooms in the Dillard Building. All beverages are prohibited except bottled water that is capped at all times when not taking a drink. Policy is strictly enforced!
Syllabus Change Policy
This syllabus is a general outline of material covered, learning goals, grading procedures and student performance requirements. Material covered, dates of tests, and percent of total grade will vary as necessitated by the pace at which material is covered and any unforeseen class interruptions, such as weather cancellations, guest lecturers, or instructor illness. This syllabus and the attached class schedule are guides for the course and are subject to change. Changes to the syllabus and/or class schedule will be communicated in class.
Additional Information
Grade Appeals: Any student who believes a grade has been inequitably awarded should first contact the instructor who awarded the grade to discuss the issue and attempt to resolve the differences. A student has 30 days following the first day of the succeeding semester to file a written appeal with the dean of the instructor’s college in which the course was taught. Refer to the Undergraduate Catalogue for further details. See the MSU Student Handbook for University policy on grade appeal.
Grade Changes: No grade except “I” may be removed from a student’s record once properly recorded. Changes are not permitted after grades have been filed except to correct documented clerical errors. Requests for error correction must be initiated immediately after the close of the semester for which the grade was recorded.
Awarding and Removal of I: A grade of I (incomplete) is a non punitive grade given only during the last one fourth of a semester and only if a student (1) is passing the course; (2) has reason beyond the control of the student why the work cannot be completed on schedule; and (3) arranges with the instructor to finish the course at a later date by completing specific requirements that the instructor must list on the grade sheet. A student may remove a grade of I within 30 days by completing the stipulated work.