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Psychology 194
Psychology of Leadership: Theory and Application
Fall 2011 – Course Syllabus
Professor: Valerie I. Sessa, Ph.D.
Phone: 655-4401
Office: 237 Dickson Hall
Email: [email protected]
Office hours: M 5-7
Required text:
Northouse, P.G. (2007). Leadership: Theory and Practice, 5 th edition. Sage Publications.
Also required:
3 ring binder for assignments, projects, papers and journal.
Course Overview
This course allows students to begin to understand and articulate their own theories of leadership and
develop their own leadership styles. While receiving a grounding in historical and contemporary
psychological theories on leadership, students will practice leadership through community service and
assess themselves based on theories, assessment instruments, and behaviors. Students will be exposed to
leadership research and thought to assist them in broadly understanding what constitutes a leader from a
variety of different psychological perspectives including traits, skills, style, situational, contingency, pathgoal, leader-member exchange, transformational and social change theories. Students will develop, gather,
and receive information and data in a variety of ways (readings, assessment instruments, community
projects, and class projects) to begin to assess their own leadership knowledge, skills, abilities, and
characteristics to gain a better understanding of themselves as a leader.
Course Objectives
1.
2.
3.
Explain/articulate 3 principles of leadership (Personal dominance, Interpersonal Influence,
Relational Dialogue) and theories that fit into each principle.
Identify own leadership resources and competencies using instruments and reflection
Articulate personal, civic, and leadership learnings through critical reflection.
Attendance and participation (20 pts)
The format for this classroom portion of this course will be seminar style. This means that class members
are expected to be prepared for and present for every class and take an active role in class discussion,
exercises, and group projects. Instructors will attempt to create an atmosphere that allows for open
discussion. Your participation is included in your total participation points. If students are unable to come
to a class or two, they must let the instructor know before class or the absence will be unexcused and count
against your total participation points.
In addition, you will be participating in a service learning project. Attendance at these weekly sessions is
mandatory. If you must miss one session, you must let the instructor and the service learning coordinator of
your project know AHEAD OF TIME. Again, any unexcused absences will count against your total
participation points.
Theory Quizzes (20 pts)
There will be 10 short essay quizzes based on the readings. Each quiz will ask basically the same questions.
For the first 15 minutes of each day for which reading is required, students will answer the following essay
questions:
o Describe the general idea of this theory—in fair detail and as objectively as possible.
o Describe an instance where you have seen this theory “in action” from your own experience.
o What are the strengths of this theory?
o What are the weaknesses of this theory?
o According to this theory, what would you do to make sure your organization had effective leadership?
o
Based on your experiences, what do you think of this theory? What is 1 question you have.
Reflection on Community Service (14 pts)
There are 6 written reflections (2 pts each, final one is 4 points). Each student is expected to participate in
20 hours of community service (2 hours a week for 10 weeks). As discussed in class, you will be signing up
for projects on-line. Throughout the semester, students will receive, hand in written reflection questions,
and discuss reflections in class based on their service project.
Group presentation on movie (6 pts)
As a final project, the group will watch a movie, analyze the leadership in it using learnings from this
course, and make a group presentation. The presentation will include 1.) a brief summary of the plot of the
movie; 2.) a discussion of the leadership challenge, 3.) who the leaders are, 4.) where you see leadership
occurring, and 4.) what theories of leadership are reflected in the movie.
Additional Assignments
 Leadership symbol (2 pts)
In a half a page or less, describe what you mean by leadership. Choose some sort of visual symbol (object,
picture, etc.), song, or poem that represents that leadership to you (and make sure you explain this on your
page). Bring your leadership description and visual symbol, song, poem to class. Be prepared to present
and discuss both your definition and your symbol/song/poem to the class (5 minutes or so). Be prepared to
hand in your leadership description and your symbol (a picture of it), poem, song.
 Leadership timeline (2 pts). Instructions forthcoming
 What my instruments tell me about my leadership (8 pts). Instructions forthcoming
 Group leadership paper based on movie experience (8 points). Instructions forthcoming
Final project (20 pts)
In your final reflection paper, you will articulate your personal, civic, and leadership learnings over the
course of the semester in detail. You will turn in a rough draft as part of your regular reflections. After
receiving feedback from me, you will turn these into a multi-media powerpoint slide show. Additional
instructions will be forthcoming.
Attendance and participation
Quizzes
Reflection on community service
Group presentation
Assignments (total)
Final project
Total
20 pts
20
14
6
20
20
100 pts
Guidelines for written assignments
Unless otherwise noted, written assignments are to be typed, double-spaced, in 12 point font with 1”
margins. All citations must be in APA format. Websites must be cited in their full and accurate URLs.
Academic Conduct
Class members are expected to abide by the University Code of Conduct which prohibits acts of cheating,
plagiarism, fabrication, or facilitating an act of academic dishonesty. The instructors take academic conduct
very seriously—we expect the students in this class to take it seriously as well. Any questions regarding
academic conduct should be raised with the instructors prior to the completion of an assignment.
Violations, depending on their severity, can result in losing points or even course failure. For more
information on the Code of Conduct, please see:
http://www.montclair.edu/deanstudents/studentconduct/codeofconduct.html
Disability Accommodations
Consistent with the University’s policy regarding students with disabilities, accommodations will be made
to those requesting them based on collaboration with the Office of Disability Services. Please feel free to
discuss the accommodations and make requests prior to needing them in case support personnel or
equipment are required.
Week
Week 1
Day
Sept 7
Sept 7
Sept 10
Week 2
Sept 12
Sept 14
Sept 14
Week 3
Sept 17/Sept 18
Sept 19
Sept 21
Sept 21
Week 4
Sept 26
Sept 28
Week 5
Sept 28
Oct 3
Oct 5
Week 6
Oct 10
Week 7
Oct 12
Oct 17
Week 8
Week 9
Week 10
Week 11
Week 12
Oct 19
Oct 24
Oct 26
Oct 31
Nov 2
Nov 7
Nov 9
Nov 14
Nov 16
Nov 21
Nov 23
Topic
“Recognizing leadership in thoughts,
words, and actions”
Syllabus, class expectations
2:30-5:00—Opening Reception,
Machuga Multipurpose room
All day—Service Day (not
mandatory, but encouraged)
Short debrief of Service Day
Class introductions and what is
leadership
Introduction to service learning,
Introduction to reflections
2:30-5:00—Heights opening
ceremony
Overnight retreat/service project
Reflect on expectations for service
project, prep for quiz 1.
Trait theory
2:30-5:00—Educational Divide, what
can ELLC members do about it?
Machuga Multipurpose room
Skills and Style theories
Prep for class
Due
Chapter 1
Leadership symbol
Ash1 & Ash3 on
blackboard.
take on-line surveys
Chapter 2
Education readings
on blackboard
Quiz 1
Chapters 3 and 4
Quiz 2
Introduce MSU leadership
competencies and discuss (reflect on
how students will use these in their
service)
2:30-5:00—Site orientations
Situational and Path Goal
Debrief trait, skills, style, situational,
and path-goal. Prep for reflection 2
Go over feedback report
Discuss service project from a systems
level perspective (from reflection
paper)
Transformational theories
Authentic leadership
Leadership
competencies
worksheet (in class)
Reflections 1 (get to me by
9:00 am)
Chapter 5 and 7
Quiz 3
Leadership Timeline
Debrief transformational and authentic
Ethics and values (Fatima DeCarvahlo)
Gender and Leadership (Esmilda
Abreu/Sean her intern)
Debrief Ethics and Values, Gender
Drath’s Chapter
Debrief Drath
Social change theory
Debrief social change
Team leadership, prep for reflection 5
Debrief team leadership, introduce
movie project
Work on movie project—on your own
Reflections 2
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 15
Chapter 13
Blackboard
Quiz 4
Quiz 5, What my
instruments tell me about
leadership paper
Reflections 3
Quiz 6
Quiz 7
Reading from Web
Quiz 8—worth extra points
Reflections 4
Quiz 9
Chapter 11
Quiz 10 (extra for those
who need it)
Reflections 5
Week 14
Nov 28
Nov 30
Week 15
Week 16
Dec 5
Dec 7
Dec 12
Cross cultural and leadership (Alyssa
and Bonners)
Go over final project, debrief service
learning
Movie Presentations
Movie Presentations
Wrap up
Chapter 14
Personal, Academic,
and Civic Learning
objectives; Critical
Thinking rubric (on
blackboard) for final
paper
Quiz 11 (extra for those
who need it)
Reflections 6: WRITTEN
rough draft for final project
Group leadership papers due
Group leadership papers due
Final projects due