Topics Courses

March 17, 2026 to May 4, 2026
Instructor JoJamba Matthews
More information at Schedule Builder

In this 2-credit course, students will practice using Leadership Theory as a lens through which we can examine issues/situations seemingly “unrelated” to Leadership (demonstrating the interdisciplinary nature of Leadership). To do this, students will read Devon Price’s 2021 book, Laziness Does Not Exist: A Defense of the Exhausted, Exploited, and Overworked, and use Emergent Strategy to explore the ways in which Western socialized understanding of “productivity” provides both leadership challenges and potential opportunities for leaders to imagine new ways of being. For this course, we will be exploring potential issues related to productivity within the community of undergraduate students at the U, and imagine potential solutions/approaches that leaders could take to address some of these challenges.

This is a low-tech course, where students will be challenged to practice some of the concepts we will explore in their actual engagement with the course (of course, we will gladly work with the DRC to make equitable accommodations where necessary).

October 27, 2026 to December 16, 2026
Instructor Zoë Rodine
More information at Schedule Builder

Where do we go from here, a time and place that can feel so broken as to be irretrievable? How do we imagine a better world, with leaders we could respect? What would it take for us to envision being those leaders? This 2-credit course turns to some of our greatest thinkers on this topic—authors, particularly writers of speculative fiction—to examine how literary leaders behave in times of crisis. With texts like Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower as our inspiration, we’ll investigate characters and their leadership choices to recognize leadership practices in our own world and spark our imaginations about what is possible as we determine which kinds of leaders we’d like to be, and which worlds would be worth living in. This class will hone your critical reading and analysis skills, ask you to participate in class discussion, and exercise your imagination, inviting you to suspend the merely practical in favor of what’s possible—if we can envision it.

October 27, 2026 to December 16, 2026
Instructor Matt Ladhoff
More information at Schedule Builder

Over the course of seven weeks in this 2-credit course, students will move beyond the theory of leadership to explore the intersection of aspirational mission and operational realities, helping to transform personal passion into civic leadership competencies. Through the lens of Professional Community Leadership Programs, students will first identify their core values before "mapping" the complex systems—public, private, and nonprofit—that govern our communities. By engaging directly with community leaders and analyzing the financial and political constraints of real-world organizations, students will learn how to navigate the "gap" between what is desired and what is possible. Students will emerge with a sophisticated mental map of their community and the pragmatic leadership skills required to build sustainable, long-term impact in any field.

Practice research and analysis skills useful for future work, school, and future projects in LEAD 4994: Directed Research!

In LEAD 4994, you'll develop and execute a leadership-related research project with guidance from a Leadership Minor instructor. You decide the scope of your project as LEAD 4994 can be taken for 1-4 credits and can be repeated for up to 12 credits (Directed Research Policy). LEAD 4994 also counts as a Leadership Minor elective.

You are eligible to take this class after completing LEAD 1961W. To get the instructor permission needed, search for classes to find the current LEAD 4994 instructor and complete the Directed Research Contract with the LEAD 4994 instructor information added. Allow 3 business days between submitting your draft contract and receiving a permission number.

Contact [email protected] with additional questions.