Program Coordinator: Dr. Patrick Wadden
Program Mission: This interdisciplinary program will help students to gain knowledge of leadership techniques, and to develop the qualities necessary to become leaders in their public and private lives. The Rule of St. Benedict has a lot to say about leadership, especially in its description of the role and duties of the abbot. A thorough understanding of St. Benedict’s idea of leadership as described in the Rule will provide the focus for the required element of the program (6 credits). From this starting point, students will broaden their horizons to study both the theory and practice of leadership in a range of disciplines and contexts. The optional courses in which students will earn 9 of the 15 required credits will provide them with the opportunity to think about leaders and leadership in their own specific areas of interest, including politics, religion and business. A strong understanding of the qualities required of good leaders and of the techniques through which leaders have succeeded in the past will prepare students to become leaders in their careers, civic life and their faith communities.
Restrictions:
- No more than 6 credits counted toward this minor may be counted towards another major or minor program.
- No more than 6 credits from any one discipline may be counted towards the minor
- Students must achieve a grade of C or higher in the two required courses and an average of C across all courses counted toward the minor.
Required Courses:
HI/LD 320 Leaders and Leadership in the Pre-Modern World
HI/LD 321 Leaders and Leadership in the Modern World
Optional Courses:
- BU 300 Management
- BU 401 Organizational Behavior
- BU 407 Management Seminar
- BU 409 Sales and Sales Management
- BU 410 Business and Society
- BU 424 Government Economics and Policy Analysis
- BU 436 Operations Management
- HI 306 Socrates vs. Confucius
- HI 333 World War II
- HI 350 History of the Benedictine Tradition
- HI 380 Antislavery in the Atlantic World
- HI 403 Civil Rights Movement
- IB318 International Management
- MM 320 Administration and Governance Policy in Motorsport
- MM 340 Motorsport Facility and Event Management
- MM 410 Team Management in Motorsport
- PO332 The American Presidency
- PO 361 American Political Thought I
- PO 362 American Political Thought II
- SM 310 Organizational Theory and Leadership in Sport
- SM 399 Special Topics: Coaching Management
- *TH XXX Biblical Wisdom Literature
- TH 401 St. Paul and his Letters
Other courses may occasionally be approved for inclusion at the discretion of the program director.
HI/LS 320. Leaders and Leadership in the Pre-Modern World This course will examine theories and examples of leadership from the ancient and the medieval worlds. Beginning 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 premodern cultures, including ancient Greece and Rome, medieval Europe, and non-Western cultures such as ancient China. The examples to be surveyed will be drawn from the political, religious and cultural realms and will reflect a wide range of attitudes towards leadership, while maintaining a link with the Benedictine ideal outlined in the Rule and other texts. Students will learn about different theories of leadership, about successful leaders and their leadership styles, and about both the qualities of good leadership that have remained constant over time and those that have changed. Finally, they will consider how best they might embody leadership qualities in their own personal and professional lives.
HI/LS 321 Leaders and Leadership in the Modern World This course will pick up where the other left off, 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. In doing so, it will examine the continuing relevance in the twenty-first century of 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 leadership style.
N.B. These courses will be offered once each in alternate years.