Featured Course
2009 Spring Term (2094)

Special Topics: Ethics and Leadership in Organizations (HONORS 1510)

Instructor

Ray Jones

Course description

This seminar is based on a simple assumption, namely that the performance of an organization is shaped and ultimately determined by leaders who take an "ethical" approach to their role - meaning that they have an acute awareness of the broad social context in which their enterprise operates - as well as the tools necessary to navigate the dilemmas and controversies that are a natural part of any organization's operations.

An Interesting Set of Ideas and Examples:
In the seminar, we address seven main topics on specific leadership contexts that present specific ethical concerns and challenges. We explore these contexts by reading excerpts of work from social science and philosophy.

Challenging Ideas on Leadership from Philosophers:
Aristotle. Nichomachean Ethics; and Virtues and Vices
Immanuel Kant. Introduction to the Metaphysics of Morals
Friedrich Nietzsche. Beyond Good and Evil
John Rawls. A Theory of Justice
Machiavelli. The Prince
Confucius. The Five Classics

Challenging Contexts Faced by Leaders in Organizations:
George Orwell. Animal Farm
Colette Dowling. The Frailty Myth: Women Approaching Physical Equality
James Jones. Bad Blood: The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment
Stephen J. Gould. The Mismeasure of Man
Christopher Browning. Ordinary Men: Reserve Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland
Robert Pirsig. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

Students who may be interested in the course

The seminar has typically generated interest from a variety of students in the past, from Politics and Philosophy majors who are seeking to apply their academic background to practical issues and concerns to students who hold leadership positions in student organizations that are seeking to reflect and analyze the interesting challenges they have faced in their roles. Any student with an interest in engaging in lively discussion of the interesting ethical challenges of leadership can enjoy this seminar and make a contribution.

Course requirements and evaluation

The main work for the class is a series of short papers that are designed to elicit examples of challenging leadership and ethics examples from current events, popular culture, and students personal leadership experiences. The final product of the seminar is a project or paper in each student’s area of interest/focus.