LD325 Leaders & Leadership through History
This course, the foundational course for the Leadership Minor, will examine theories and examples of leadership covering the long span of history, from the ancient and the medieval worlds to the modern. The course will begin with a discussion of what the Rule of St. Benedict has to say about the subject, especially in its depiction of the role and duties of the abbot. The course will then survey texts from a variety of pre-modern cultures, including ancient Greece and Rome, as well as medieval Europe. Students will then move forward, examining leaders and leadership theory in the modern world. In addition to examples drawn from the worlds of religion, culture and politics, this course will include case studies of leaders and leadership in the business world, looking at figures who have revolutionized individual corporations and the economy at large. This combined approach will allow students to examine the continuing relevance in the twenty-first century of ideas about leadership developed in earlier times, particularly the Benedictine ideal of leadership as outlined in the Rule, and will provide students with a foundation upon which they will be able to build their own contemporary leadership style for their future lives and careers.
N.B. This course will be offered once every two years/four semesters.