Course Descriptions

• PRLC 1810: Individual Leadership and Ethics (3 credits; meets A&S Ideals and Values Core Requirement)
  • Course Description: In the first semester, PRLC 1810 students will study the power of self-assessment, self-awareness, presentation and persuasion. They will also develop the six skills we consider fundamental to effective leaders:  oratory, writing, quantitative reasoning, informational literacy, critical thinking and group process. While all these skills take years to master, students who are dedicated can expect to see marked improvements in their abilities.  These skills provide a foundation for the ultimate product of the PLC program:  a student who can identify leadership challenges, research solutions, develop a plan for implementing an intervention and sell this proposal through writing and quality public speaking.

• PRLC 1820: Community Issues in Leadership (3 credits; meets A&S Contemporary Societies Core Requirement)
  • Course Description: While the first semester in PLC is focused on personal strengths needed to become an extraordinary leader, PRLC 1820 is focused on specific skills and attributes. Students will experience and participate in a study of information and analysis, and continue focusing on power, especially the powers of vision, money, and integrity. We will delve more into the concept of group process and the strategies needed to maintain the existence of communities once formed. These considerations will allow students to build on the skills learned in the fall and enhance their ability to work effectively as leaders in group settings, by building and sustaining teams to accomplish their objectives. 

• PRLC 2820: Multi-Level Issues in Leadership (3 credits)
  • Course Description: PRLC 2820 is designed to supercharge students’ ability to think critically and communicate effectively about complex social problems.  Students explore varieties of ways a complex problem manifests in the world, varieties of ways a problem is approached methodologically and ideologically, and varieties of ways leaders creatively respond to complex challenges. This exploration takes place through: a semester-long individual project, direct instruction and “real life” reflection from the course instructor and guest speakers, collaborative learning among students in small recitations, and ongoing practice in writing and speaking explicitly, precisely, and compellingly about complexity. 

•  PRLC 3810: Global Issues in Leadership (3 credits)
  • Course Description: This course is about leading in a dynamic 21 Century world. It is designed to help scholars think broadly about global issues and continue their preparation for leadership positions in business, government, and non-profit organizations.  The course work examines a broad range of issues such as population, energy, security, investment, disease, illegal drugs, and terrorism. The focus is on improving students’ personal leadership skills and emphasizing the importance of leadership consistent with the highest ethical principals and values.