Spring 2003 Syllabus
| Dr. James B. Hunt
Office: (509) 777-4368 Home: (509) 476-0487 E-mail: jhunt@whitworth.edu Office hours: by appointment |
Class Meetings Rosauer 130: Saturdays, 8 a.m. - Noon
January 18 February 1 & 15 March 8 (March 22 class to be rescheduled) April 5 & 12 Additional class session TBA |
This course will focus on the theme of leadership within unique historical contexts. The theoretical framework of the course is informed by James MacGregor Burns' work on transformational leadership, Stephen Greenleaf's work on servant leadership and Ronald Heifitz’s Leadership Without Easy Answers. The course will consider the significant issues and dilemmas confronted by religious leaders, civic leaders, political leadership, reform leadership, female leadership, and business leadership. The historical contexts will span from 17th century Massachusetts Bay Colony to the 20th century United States using a biographical and case study approach to examine leadership dilemmas. Class members will prepare case studies to present to the class. Class members will also prepare and write a ten to twelve page research paper that will utilize primary sources, significant and high quality secondary works and scholarly articles.
Course Goals and Objectives
| As a result of this course students will: | |
| 1. | Gain an understanding that leadership styles and values are historically grounded and contextually situated. |
| 2. | Understand that values shape leadership styles and processes and in turn values reflect a specific historical culture. |
| 3. | Learn about the historical content of how specific leaders functioned in their milieu through close investigation of: John Winthrop, Anne Hutchinson, Benjamin Franklin, Political leaders of the Early National Period, James Madison, Frederick Douglass, Sarah and Angelina Grimke, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Abraham Lincoln, Jane Addams, John D. Rockefeller, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Max DePree. |
| 4. | Understand and apply key concepts of theories of historical leadership articulated by James MacGregor Burns, Stephen Greenleaf and the authors of Common Fire. |
| 5. | Develop abilities to locate, synthesize and articulate in speech and in writing one's findings regarding leadership in historical context through case studies and a research paper in primary sources. |
| 6. | Develop ability to do research and writing in primary source materials, secondary works and scholarly articles in the form of a formal, ten to fifteen page research report. This paper should focus on a specific problem of historical leadership in religious, civic, educational, political, feminist, business or reform contexts using the APA or Chicago manual of style formats. |
Required Texts
Addams, Jane. Twenty Years at Hull House. New York: New American Library, 1961. ISBN 0451523830.
Banning, Lance. The Sacred Fire of Liberty: James Madison and the Founding of the Founding of the Federal Republic. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell U. Press, 1998. ISBN 080148524x
Daloz-Parks, Laurent and Sharon et al. Common Fire, Lives of Commitment in a Complex World. Boston: Beacon Press, 1996. ISBN 0807020052.
Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of a Slave, the Life of Frederick Douglass. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard U. Press, 1960. ISBN 0674601017.
Franklin, Benjamin. Autobiography and Other Writings. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1958. ISBN 0553210750.
Gerber, Robin. Leadership the Eleanor Roosevelt Way. New York: Prentice Hall, 2002. ISBN 0735203245.
Greenleaf, Robert K. Servant Leadership. New York: Paulist Press, 1977. ISBN 0809125277.
Morgan, Edmund S. The Puritan Dilemma, the Story of John Winthrop. New York: Harper Collins, 1962. ISBN 067339347X.
Thomas, Benjamin P. Abraham Lincoln, a Biography. New York: Barnes and Noble, 1993. ISBN 1566193605.
Optional:
Burns, James MacGregor.
Leadership
. New York: Harper, 1978. ISBN 0061319759.
Heifitz, Ronald A. Leadership Without Easy Answers. Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press, Harvard University, 1994. ISBN 0674518586.
Case Studies
Class
members will select at least one case study that they may do either individually
or in teams of two or three. The case is to be researched as thoroughly
as possible using primary sources, secondary works and scholarly articles.
Each case will have a minimum twenty-minute presentation. In the
case of teams each member is to contribute at least 8 to 12 minutes of
oral presentation. Each case should present an outline and an annotated
bibliography for distribution to the entire class. The case study should
also include a brief paragraph summary of the person or group's findings
relative to the issues of leadership, conflict management and/or major
results and consequences of the historical leadership work in this case.
Listed below are some suggested cases, but class members should feel free
to propose and develop others that may be of personal interest or significance.
The case can be related to the research project, but does not need to.
Case 1: Puritanism, Community and the cases of banishment: Roger Williams or Anne Hutchinson. Must a community accept all that seek membership? What are the legitimate parameters for a community that would justify exile or banishment? Were Williams and Hutchinson treated fairly within the context of their times?
Cases 2: Civic Virtue and Benjamin Franklin. What reasons prompted Benjamin Franklin towards an "early retirement" in order "to do good?" Why to people remained committed towards serving the public good? What influence did Abigail Adams have on the character formation of her husband and children? How did they structure their character, their support systems and their education to exercise influence on others in their public service projects? When did they fail and how did they handle failures? What were their accomplishments and how did they handle success? How important was religion in the formation of their "secular virtues?"
Case 3: Framing the United States Constitution. How do values, views of human nature and reading habits shape the men who fashioned the United States Constitution? How did they interact, debate and settle for compromises on key issues? To what extent was the Constitution a reflection of differing economic interests among those who drafted its provisions? To what extent were ideas and ideology regardless of economic interests more determinative of its result?
Case 4: The Debate over the Ratification of the U.S. Constitution. What were the key intellectual, economic and political issues relative to key states ratifying the Constitution? How did leaders mobilize support and opposition to the Constitution? What compromises were worked out and how were these implemented?
Case 5: Jefferson and Hamilton in the Washington Administration. How do values, views of human nature and views of power shape Washington's policies in the first presidential administration? How would you assess the vision, achievements, and failures of Hamilton and Jefferson in their cabinet debates regarding domestic and foreign policy?
Case 6: Lincoln as Visionary or Pragmatic Politician. How did Lincoln go about shaping his cabinet and his policies towards the threat of secession? To what extent was Lincoln a visionary leader or a pragmatic politician? How did Lincoln's vision or political views regarding the purposes of the war begin to change over time? How did Lincoln lead America through its most difficult time of civil war?
Case 7: Reform Leadership: The influence of ideology and pragmatism. To what extent were reformers like Frederick Douglass, Sarah and Angelina Grimke, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Jane Addams influenced by ideology or pragmatic political considerations in their reform activism? To what extent were their values a product of their religious heritage or their intellectual struggle for freedom and autonomy? Some class members may wish to explore Native American leadership issues under this case. How do the features of reform leadership differ or are similar between male and female experience within a specific historical milieu?
Case 8: Women and the Exercise of Power. How do women effectively exercise their power in cultures defined and structured by males? What are the differences and similarities among female reformers in different contexts such as Anne Hutchinson in the 17th Century? Abigail Adams in the 18th Century? The Grimkes or Elizabeth Cady Stanton in the early 19th Century? Jane Addams in the late 19th and early 20th Century? Eleanor Roosevelt in the mid 20th Century?
Case
9: Presidential Leadership: Lyndon Johnson and Ronald Reagan.
How did early life experience shape the political values of each presidential
leader? How did each leader get things done in Congress? To
what extent did each "mirror" the times and to what extent did they "define"
the times in which they lived? How did each handle failure?
Achievement and Success?
Case 10: Moral Leadership: Eleanor Roosevelt and Martin Luther King, Jr. While both had different kinds of access to power, each worked outside the legislative process yet wielded considerable influence. What motivated each to seek to improve the condition of their race or of humanity? How did they exercise their influence? How did they handle setback or difficulties? How did they seek to exercise power?
Case 11: Business Leadership: From Competitive Social Darwinism to Communitarian and consensus decision-making. John D. Rockefeller has been characterized as a "robber baron" and a "captain of industry," to what extent are these labels both accurate and inaccurate in light of historical evidence? How do Rockefeller's practices differ from that of a late 20th century businessperson such as Max DePree in which leadership is an "art?"
Case 12: Educational Leadership: Horace Mann and John Dewey. How did each define the purposes of the public school and thereby reflect the values of their historical milieu? To what extent is Dewey's vision informing the character of the public school and to what extent is his vision being challenged? What forces are seeking a change in the nature of the public school from the days of Horace Mann, to John Dewey's day, to the late 20th century?
Case 13: Personal Choice: Class members may choose to formulate their own case topic and set of research questions consistent with the learning goals of the course. While topics in American history and culture are encouraged, class members may wish to consider some cases in ancient, medieval or modern history beyond the parameters of American culture. Class members are certainly encouraged to consider topics that address leadership of women, minorities, ethnic groups, the disadvantaged or disabled and/or non-western cultures. Hopefully, an early choice of a topic may allow placement of this case study presentation in a contextually relevant sequence in the course.
Research Paper
Each
class member is to identify a research topic in historical leadership,
research it as thoroughly as possible consulting primary sources, secondary
works and scholarly articles, and write it in a form appropriate to graduate
level work. The paper should be twelve to fifteen pages in length.
Class members may use the APA standard or the Chicago Manual of Style format.
Those interested in local topics of interest might wish to use the archives
of Gonzaga or the Eastern Washington Historical Society to provide a new
area of investigation, research and writing. The paper should include
a cover page with the class member's name, title, date, course number (DPLS
751), my name and stapled in the upper left corner. The paper should
be typewritten, double-spaced, with one-inch margins on each side.
Footnotes with a Bibliography or internal citations with a Works cited
section should also be provided. The paper will be graded on the
basis of content, cogency and style. Content is evaluated on the
relevance, quality and substance of the sources used to support one's generalizations.
Cogency is evaluated on the assessment of the extent to which the writer
successfully, elegantly and persuasively maintained his or her thesis argument.
Style is evaluated on the basis of spelling, grammar, syntax, diction and
typographical errors. All students will give a short, 3-5 minute
oral presentation on the research project during one of the last
two meetings of the class. The following percentages will constitute
the overall evaluation of the course:
Attendance: Very important.More than two misses for a class may constitute a significant impact on the grade and possible withdrawal from the course.
Class discussion and Participation: 20%Course Outline and Due Dates
Research Paper: 40%
Case Study: 30%
Oral Report: 10%.
Jan. 18: Introduction
The Nature of History and Historical SourcesFeb. 1: John Winthrop and the Puritan Style of Leadership.
History and Leadership -- A Transformational Perspective
Background to Puritanism and John Winthrop
Begin reading: Morgan, A Puritan Dilemma and Franklin, Autobiography and Other Writings .
Religious Leadership: "A Modell of Christian Charity"Feb. 15: Leadership as Public Service: Benjamin Franklin.
Read: Morgan, Puritan Dilemma; "A Modell of Christian Charity."
Parks Daloz, Common Fire, Chaps. 1-3.Optional: Burns, Leadership, Chap. 1.
Heifitz, Leadership Without Easy Answers, Introduction, Chaps. 1-3.Sample Case Studies:
The Banishment Problem.
Women and Power: Anne Hutchinson
Civic Leadership: Civic Virtue and Character Formation.March. 1: Political Leadership
Read: Franklin, Autobiography and Other Writings, pp. 163-176.
Greenleaf, Servant Leadership, Chaps. 1, 3 and 8.
Daloz Parks, Common Fire, Chap. 3, interlude (optional), Chaps. 4-5.Optional: Burns, Leadership, Chap. 2.
Heifitz, Leadership Without Easy Answers, pp. 67-124.Suggested Case Studies:
The Problem of Leadership and Moral Character: The Case of Benjamin Franklin.
Women and Power: Abigail Adams
Paradoxes and Ironies in the Enlightenment, the Democratic Republican Experiment (Hamilton, Madison, and Jefferson).March. 8: Forms of Political Leadership: From Deferential to Participatory Politics.
Read: Banning, The Sacred Fire of Liberty.
Greenleaf, Servant Leadership, Chap. 2, 5 and 6.
Parks Daloz, Common Fire, Chaps. 6-7.
The Enlightenment Models:March 22: No Class, Substitution TBA
Hamilton, Madison and Jefferson.
The Democratic Model: Abraham Lincoln.
Read: Thomas, Abraham Lincoln. Note specially, Debates with Stephen Douglas, the Gettysburg Address, the 1st and 2nd Inaugural addresses, his religious views, his selection and use of the cabinet his political decision-making and his role as commander in chief in being an architect of war and selection of generals.Optional: Burns, Leadership, Chaps. 5-6.
Heifitz, Leadership Without Easy Answers, pp. 125-180.Suggested Case Studies:
Framing the Constitution
Ratifying the Constitution
Jefferson versus Hamilton
Lincoln the Visionary or PoliticianOral Reports on Case Studies
April 5: Reform Leadership: Ideology and/or Problem-solving as a means of change.
Frederick Douglass, the use of ideological power.April. 12: Female Leadership in a Male Defined World.
Jane Addams, the making of a reformer.
Read: Douglass, Narrative of a Slave; and,
Addams, Twenty Years at Hull House (begin).
Greenleaf, Servant Leadership, Chap. 7.Optional: Burns, Leadership, Chaps. 7 & 10.
Oral Reports on Case studies
Suggested Case Studies:
Reform Leadership
Female Leadership in a Male defined world.
Women and the Exercise of Power: Elizabeth Cady Stanton or Jane Addams.
Moral Leadership.
Jane Addams, a pragmatist and power.TBA date:
Eleanor Roosevelt, In the shadow and in her own right
Read: Addams, Twenty Years at Hull House (finish); and Gerber, Leadership the Eleanor Roosevelt Way.Suggested Case Studies:
Women and the Exercise of Power: Jane Addams, Eleanor Roosevelt
Case studies of women who exercise leadership in several areas such as Higher Education, HealthCare, Business, Military, Religious Organizations and Churches, Sciences, Governmental and Political Organizations and the Non-Profit sectorsOral Reports on Case studies:
Business Leadership: From Competitive Social Darwinism to artful and relational leadership.
John D. Rockefeller, Social Darwinist
Read: Greenleaf, Servant Leadership, Chap. 5.
Parks Daloz, Common Fire, EpilogueOptional: Burns, Leadership, Chaps. 4, 9, 11 and 14.
Suggested Case Studies:
John D. Rockefeller’s business values and decision-making
Rockefeller and Carnegie’s philanthropy
Victorian business ethics and contemporary business ethics compared and contrasted
“Leadership” as viewed by Carnegie and Max DupreeOral Reports on Case studies
Research Paper Due