Leadership in America – cultural and political perspective 4219-RS205
the course will be devoted to the examination of varieties of leadership types in American politics, society and business through the years in many stages of development of American society. We will look at such leaders as Founding fathers, key presidents (Jackson, Lincoln, TR, FDR, RR), most important social movement leaders: Martin Luther King, business leaders: Carnegie and other Captains of Industry, Ford, Jobs, Buffet, cultural leaders and celebrities as leaders. We will be looking for political, cultural and psychological determinants of their successes and failures asking a question whether leadership is a peculiar feature of American development. We aill also look at various conceptualizations of the notion of leadership in America.
Schedule of topics:
conceptualizations of leadership
theories of leadership
american culture and leadership
effective and failed leadership - determinants
culture of leadership in USA
american attitudes to leadership
leadership and followership in American history; case studies (choice of students)
presentation of team research work:
Type of course
Prerequisites (description)
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
After completing this course, the student will possess:
1. KNOWLEDGE:
- will be able to distinguish basic leadership roles;
- knew the key moments in the development of American democracy
- become familiar with the most important scientific discussions relating to the scope of power at an introductory level;
- will become acquainted with the factors that create the complexity of Washington politics;
- learn the basic terminology used to discuss the phenomenon of leadership;
- understand the role of leaders in current US policy;
2. SKILLS:
- the student will be able to properly use tools for describing leadership;
- detect relationships between various actors on the political scene;
- independently acquire knowledge about contemporary American politics;
- read and understand the speeches of leaders and interpret them in the light of social and cultural tendencies;
3. SOCIAL COMPETENCES:
- the student will be aware of the limitations of power in modern democracy;
- will be able to take a position towards them and present it publicly in a discussion;
- will be aware of the need to control power by institutions and citizens established for this purpose
Assessment criteria
term paper (60%); execution and presentation of team research (30%); participation in class discussions (10%)
Bibliography
Kellerman, Leadership, A reader
many academic journal articles and book chapters (students' choice)
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: