leadership foundations: coen 3050
Building on 1810 and 1820’s foundation of inquiry, communication and collaboration skills, COEN 3050, a condensed version of PRLC 2820: Multi-Level Issues & Leadership, moves at a challenging pace of daily cycles of research, analysis, critique and revision. Each student chooses a topic—a “complex social problem”—of interest and importance to them. Throughout the semester, the topic is scrutinized through different “lenses”, from illuminating how it manifests at the level of the individual human being, to how it is perceived in different cultures, to how it relates to complex global systems. Each lens requires not only new research conducted by different methods (e.g. secondary research, interviews) but also expression of analysis by different modes (e.g. written narratives, visual models, oral presentations). Students critique one another’s’ work and meet in discussions to focus on the personal leadership implications of each week’s lens. At the end of the semester, each student completes a meaningful final project of their choice and submits a portfolio of the entire semester’s work. Students complete COEN 3050 equipped to lead with greater agility, grit and expertise about especially compelling and complex social issues.
COEN 3050: Complex Leadership Challenges
Leadership Foundation Objectives
Leadership Foundations recognizes that effective leadership, and followership, requires positive self-awareness, positive self-discipline, positive self-esteem, and a deep sense of integrity and moral reasoning.
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Evaluate multiple ethical and moral reasoning theoretical perspectives
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Construct an intrapersonal dialogue evaluating one's intellectual, social, and emotional strengths and weaknesses
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Hypothesize one's likely response to challenging moral and ethical dilemmas
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Evaluate and choose appropriate self-regulatory behaviors that enhance and improve one's life
Building on 1810 and 1820’s foundation of inquiry, communication and collaboration skills, COEN 3050, a condensed version of PRLC 2820: Multi-Level Issues & Leadership, moves at a challenging pace of daily cycles of research, analysis, critique and revision. Each student chooses a topic—a “complex social problem”—of interest and importance to them. Throughout the semester, the topic is scrutinized through different “lenses”, from illuminating how it manifests at the level of the individual human being, to how it is perceived in different cultures, to how it relates to complex global systems. Each lens requires not only new research conducted by different methods (e.g. secondary research, interviews) but also expression of analysis by different modes (e.g. written narratives, visual models, oral presentations). Students critique one another’s’ work and meet in discussions to focus on the personal leadership implications of each week’s lens. At the end of the semester, each student completes a meaningful final project of their choice and submits a portfolio of the entire semester’s work. Students complete COEN 3050 equipped to lead with greater agility, grit and expertise about especially compelling and complex social issues.
My Leadership Lens
I am really looking forward to this course. I have only heard great things! Well, I also heard there would be a lot of work. This is a Maymester class, so I am nervous for the amount of work I will have in such little time. What really interests me about this course is looking at a complex social problem through a variety of "lenses." I know that my views will be challenged, but I hope that I learn how to address potential issues that may arise. What I hope to gain is the ability to take on a task with multiple perspectives in mind. I also hope to become a better communicator and more efficient at critiquing the work of my peers.
Course Reflection
This course was lucky enough to fall a few months before my wedding, so it was only fair that my complex social issue was LOVE. Yep, you guessed it! I had such a fun time researching love and marriage. It was something I could obviously relate to.
When I first enrolled in COEN 3050, I was stressed. I heard many people saying how much time and work they put into the class. (A lot.) I think this mindset stressed me out more than it should have the first week of class, especially since I knew writing was not my strong suit. The stress definitely ceased throughout the next few weeks. The days went by so fast. Three hours was definitely not long enough, and I could have spent at least two more hours in class listening to Ang or researching my topic. It was just so exciting! I discovered that when I focus on something I enjoy, I do a better job writing about it and don't feel worried or anxious about getting it done. The research on my topic was just so fascinating and relevant that I wanted to write and create these lenses, whereas in other classes I feel that I write on a topic because I have to.
Personally, I don't feel like I communicate my ideas onto paper very well. When I write, it's kind of all over the place. This was challenging for me. I was able to overcome this challenge with the feedback from both Angela and my peers. What makes sense in my head doesn't always make sense to everybody else, and hearing this criticism was actually rather meaningful! The hexagons we completed the first day of class also allowed me to visualize the different areas I struggled in. I enjoyed this exercise because I could see my progress over the course of the class. I improved in all areas on the hexagons, even the ones where I thought there would be no hope, like communication and generation of original insights. The feedback helped me with my communication, and honestly, the constant research allowed me to generate original insights in my topic.
I was so pleased with my topic! My lenses came out better than I could have imagined. But that's not what I was most proud of in the class. I was most proud of my process. Like Ang said on the first day of class, leadership appears to be "magic." But what really makes successful leadership is the process behind the final product. I took the process for granted. My eyes were always on the prize at the end, but what I learned from this course is that the process is a million times more meaningful. This new appreciation for what goes on behind the scenes has made me a better leader. Researching, writing, criticism (giving and taking), researching again, rewriting, more criticism, rewriting again. This made me a better leader (and writer), and I am exceedingly grateful for it.
The next step for my topic on love and marriage is to experience marriage first-hand. I am assuming there is still quite a bit more to the practice than I have presented in my lenses. It is a challenge I can't wait to tackle. I just want to thank my fellow classmates and Angela for all the help and support they have given me this semester. I really could not have done it without them! It is to them whom I owe my success. THANK YOU!
Course final deliverable: click here