UNST 242, Leading Social Change
Spring 2015

GA Instructor: Robin Baker
rlbaker@pdx.edu

Mentor: Sarah Curtis
curtiss@pdx.edu
Office Hours: I am available by appointment or catch me after class on Thursdays. My office is located on the 6th floor of the Urban Center. When you enter the 6th floor office, please ask the front desk to show you to my cubicle.

Communication Policy: I am online frequently and often get back to students fairly quickly. That said; please allow 24 hours for a response during the week and 48 hours for a response during the weekend. If after that time, you have not heard back from me, feel free to email me again.

Class Meetings: T & TH CH 225 11 AM – 12:15 AM
Mentor Sessions: Tuesday CH 249 9 AM – 9:50 AM
Tuesday CH 249 T 10 AM – 10:50 AM
Thursday CH 249 TH 10 AM – 10: 50 AM
Required Readings:
Wagner, W., Ostick, D., and Komives, S. (2009). Leadership for a Better World: Understanding the Social Change Model for Leadership Development

Course Description
This course will provide a foundation of leadership theory and will examine models of leadership in relation to the theory and concepts of change. There will be opportunities for practice, application, and documentation of leadership, and reflection on individual responsibility for and potential in leadership roles. This SINQ leads to the Leading Social Change Cluster that explores theoretical frameworks of leadership studies across academic disciplines, preparing students to understand the different forms leadership takes and grapple with the fundamental question of what it means to be a leader.

Objectives
Leading Social Change is designed to support the University Studies objectives. By the end of this course, students should be able to:
• Describe and analyze leadership theories and models and apply leadership concepts to historical, current, and personal contexts;
• Describe and analyze the components, advantages and challenges of working in groups;
• Explain and justify social perspectives different from one’s own;
• Describe social and political mechanisms for moving social change and critically evaluate their personal role in social and political structures;
• Synthesize concepts of leadership, collaboration, civic engagement, and social justice, and develop a plan to respond to a community need.

University Studies Goals:
• Inquiry and Critical Thinking: Students will learn various modes of inquiry through interdisciplinary curricula—problem-posing, investigating, conceptualizing—in order to become active, self-motivated, and empowered learners.
• Communication: Students will enhance their capacity to communicate in various ways—writing, graphics, numeracy, and other visual and oral means—to collaborate effectively with others in group work, and to be competent in appropriate communication technologies.
• The Diversity of Human Experience: Students will enhance their appreciation for and understanding of the rich complexity of the human experience through the study of differences in ethnic and cultural perspectives, class, race, gender, sexual orientation, and ability.
• Ethics and Social Responsibility: Students will expand their understanding of the impact and value of individuals and their choices on society, both intellectually and socially, through group projects and collaboration in learning communities.

Course Requirements & Evaluation
Students are expected to complete all requirements for the course. Grades are assigned based on points earned for each assignment. Details about expectations and evaluation of specific assignments will be included in the corresponding handouts.

% of Grade Due Date
Main Session Attendance/Participation 20% —
Mentor Session Attendance/Participation 20% —
Autobiography 5% 4/16
Creative Learning Group Assignment 20% varies
Final Project Total – 35%
• CBL hours + stakeholder interview 10% —
• Final paper 15% 6/4
• Poster Presentation 10% Week 9 or 10

Final grades will be assigned according to the following categories:
A 93-100 C 73-76
A- 90-92 C- 70-72
B+ 87-89 D+ 67-69
B 83-86 D 63-66
B- 80-82 D- 60-62
C+ 77-79 F < 60
Course Format and Requirements
Regular class sessions will include small group discussions, class activities, and group work based on required readings. It is essential that students complete reading assignments prior to coming to class, so that they can benefit from and engage in discussions. In general, students should plan on spending about two hours of class preparation outside of class for each hour in class: about 4-6 hours per week. If you need assistance for the writing assignments, please contact the course mentor or me in advance. Your grade in this class will be assessed through the following means:

Attendance and Participation (40%) This class is designed for students to learn from one another. This class is NOT lecture based, but instead relies heavily on student participation and group work. Thus, attendance and participation are mandatory. Students must read all assigned materials in advance of class meetings and come prepared to discuss the assigned materials, insights from other resources, and personal reflections. Attendance and participation are graded for main and mentor session and make up 40% of the overall grade combined. Students who miss two or more weeks should consider dropping the course. Please note that mentor session is REQUIRED, not optional.

Autobiography (5%) This should be at least two pages in length, double-spaced, regular 12-point font with 1-inch margins. This paper does not require citations but please note that grammar, punctuation, and spelling do matter and I will deduct points for poorly organized papers. Please refer to handouts for specific requirements for this paper.

Creative Learning Group Assignment (20%) In the second week students will sign up to participate in building a creative learning group assignment for the class based on the course reading for their assigned week. You will sign up once during the term. Group members will come prepared to lead the creative learning assignment and discussion. Please refer to handout for more information regarding requirements and grading criteria.

Final Project – (35%) The final project will focus on you as a leader – your view of the world, your vision of progress, and your beliefs about your role as an agent of change. You will be expected to use key leadership concepts from the readings and class discussion to critically analyze factors in your own life that shape your beliefs about leadership as well as your view of yourself as a leader. Integrating your CBL experience and interview with a leader, you will build your own model of leadership that can guide your future leadership endeavors. Papers should be 5-7 pages (double-spaced, regular 12-font). This does NOT include any models, graphs, or charts you wish to include or your reference page. Please refer to handout for more details regarding requirements and grading criteria.

Classroom Policies

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