PSY 295 : Honors Seminar in Community Leadership
In this interdisciplinary course, students review the scholarly literature on leadership to gain a concise grounding in major leadership concepts and theories, including a contemporary approach for leadership in groups, communities, and organizations. Working in groups, students practice problem-solving strategies and leadership skills by developing a project plan to help a nonprofit organization provide a service needed in the community, leading service-learning students to implement it, and assessing the project and their personal growth using guided-reflection techniques. Prerequisite: Enrollment in the Commonwealth Honors Program or permission of the instructor. Three hours of lecture per week.
Course Outcomes
- Discuss the characteristics and roles of leaders and followers according to historical and contemporary leadership theories.
- Explain why and how the relational approach is helpful for providing leadership in groups, communities, and organizations in our contemporary society.
- Explain why civic engagement and community leadership are important in our contemporary society.
- Complete a service project that identifies a service needed in the community; reflect on the root causes; implement the project; and assess the outcomes with a discussion including potential solutions.