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Course Syllabus – Fall 2007 |
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Course Number and Title:
1310 TU/TH |
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Instructor Information |
Name:
Mark Waters, PhD
Co-Instructors: Martin Dawson, PhD; David Chandler, MEd |
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Contact Information:
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Office Hours:
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Course Overview |
Catalog
Description: A discussion of the nature,
styles, and skills of servant leadership, utilizing historic and contemporary
models and emphasizing moral roots of responsible leadership. Students will
participate in a field experience in a service agency combined with
reflection and discussion in small groups on issues in service leadership.
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Course Overview: Servant
leadership represents the cutting edge of leadership theory and is the
approach to leadership that is most effective in the long term motivation of
people, changing circumstances, and actualizing vision. As a “real life”
approach, it must learned through experience (learning through doing) as well
as through academic study (theory). This course is designed to provide
theoretical learning in combination with experiential learning. Tuesdays will
focus on the theoretical dimension through lecture and discussion. Thursdays
will focus on experiential learning in the context of preceptor groups.
Additional experiential learning will take place through volunteer service
experiences in the community. |
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Pre-requisites: none |
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Course Objectives/Student
Learning Outcomes: ·
Articlulate an understanding of each of the
following leadership characteristics/qualities: integrity, respect, community,
communication, ethics, innovation, vision, collaboration, stewardship,
discipline (defined as Senge’s 5 disciplines) ·
Demonstrate competence and self-awareness in
exhibiting each of the above characteristics/qualities based on evaluations
by preceptor and peers. ·
Paraphrase, accurately, Robert Greenleaf’s
definition of servant leadership and contrast it with other leadership
styles. |
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Course Materials and
Resources: |
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Required Course Materials: ·
Greenleaf, Robert K. Servant Leadership: A
Journey into the Nature of Legitimate Power and Greatness, 25th
Anniversary Edition. ·
Sims, Bennett J. Servanthood: Leadership
for the Third Millennium. ·
An Overview of The Five Disciplines of Organizational Learning (These concepts
are explained thoroughly in Peter Senge’s book listed under Recommended Reading, below). The overview of the
disciplines may be found online at: http://www.solonline.org/organizational_overview/
(Students are expected to read the links following each discipline on the
preceding web page, the links midway down the page, and the interview with
Peter Senge at the bottom of the page.) |
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Optional or Recommended Course Materials: ·
Senge, Peter M. The Fifth Discipline: The
Art & Practice of The Learning Organization, Revised Edition. |
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AEC and Other Educational
Support Resources: |
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Course Policies: |
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Attendance: Class attendance is required. After TWO unexcused absences, the
covenanted grade – if achieved – will be dropped one-half letter (0.5 points
on a 4 point scale) for each additional absence. (Covenant grades are explained
under Learning Covenant, below.) Three
tardies equal one absence. Note that excessive unexcused absences could lead
to failure of the course regardless of the covenant grade level. Excused
absences include university sponsored extra curricular activities, an
illness documented by a doctor’s note or the campus nurse, or a documented
serious illness or death of an immediate family member. Class participation: Students are expected to participate in class by attending class and preceptorial groups, completing all assignments, engaging in class discussions and group assignments, and completing assigned readings. Class lectures will be informed by, but will not necessarily repeat, information from assigned readings. Students will be responsible for assigned readings whether or not details from assignments are repeated in class. Participation includes attention. Personal conversations (whispering), text messaging, note passing, etc., are not acceptable. Students disrupting class may be asked to leave after one warning and will be counted absent for the day. Expectations: Ideally,
the assignments listed under the “A” Learning Covenant, described
below, represent the expectations for this course. Each learning covenant,
however, is comparable to a job description in the “real world.” Some
employees are paid more than others based on job description and performance.
The B+ and C+ learning covenants are comparable to job descriptions for lower
paying jobs. An employee might choose a lower paying job with fewer responsibilities
for virtuous reasons like a commitment to spending more time with family. On
the other hand, an employee might choose a lower paying job for a
questionable reason like laziness. The same is true with students and
learning covenants. There are legitimate reasons for a student to choose to
covenant for a grade other than an “A.” One purpose of grading in this manner
is to encourage students to reflect upon and evaluate their commitment to
learning in this course and how their commitment coincides with other values
and commitments in their lives. |
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Grade Determination: A
pre-test and a post-test will be required of each student in order to assess
the effectiveness of the course in achieving learning goals. Pre/post tests
will not affect students’ grades, but students not completing the pre/post test will receive an Incomplete for the course. Learning Covenant: Servant Leadership For an A q Attendance and Participation q Personal Vision for Course (instructions
to be provided in class, vision developed in preceptorial group), Due September 27. q 28 Hours of Community Service in collaboration
with a Preceptor and a Preceptorial Group o
A
community service site will be assigned to each preceptorial group. The group
is encouraged to develop a team project at the site. Team projects require
the development of a shared vision and team learning as defined by Senge. If
a team project is not feasible, then each individual will work the minimum
number of hours. o
Alternative
community service projects may be developed by students whose life situation
requires them to work 20 hours per week or more. These projects will involve implementing
servant leader concepts in the student’s own workplace. q Preceptor Group Evaluations and Responses q
Each
student’s performance in the service learning project/assignment will be
formally evaluated by the student’s preceptor and preceptor group members.
Evaluation will be based on the learning objectives/outcomes listed on page 1
of this syllabus. Evaluations will take place in the group setting on November 15. q
Each
student will present a five to ten minute oral report to the class evaluating
herself or himself on the same objectives/outcomes. The report should exhibit
some of what the student has learned and indicate how peer/preceptor
evaluations impacted his/her own self-evaluation. Due after the Thanksgiving Holiday q Self-Reflection Essay on Senge’s Five
Disciplines, Due October 11. o
These
papers should be a minimum of 7 pages. One or more pages will be devoted to
introducing Senge’s five disciplines. One or more pages will be devoted to
each discipline with specific reflection on how the individual student has –
perhaps without knowing it – utilized this discipline in the past and how the
student anticipates utilizing this discipline in his/her life in the future.
A final page will conclude the paper. Throughout this syllabus, “page” refers
to a typewritten, double-spaced page with a maximum 12 point font. q Summary of Greenleaf’s Book, Due November 15. o
A
minimum of one page will be devoted to summarizing each chapter of
Greenleaf’s book. The conclusion to the summary should include reflections on
the impact of the book on the student’s life. q Self-Reflection Essay on Sims’ Book, Due November 27 o
Briefly
summarize Sims’ book in two or three pages and then devote a minimum of three
pages to a discussion of how spirituality/faith/being centered impacts your
ability to be a servant leader. o
One
does not necessarily have to adhere to a specific religious tradition or
religious institution in order to be spiritual or centered or grounded. You
will not be graded on the content of your spiritual perspective
but, rather, on the honest analysis of whatever ultimately GROUNDS your life and how this GROUNDING, LIFE-CENTER, or LIFE-SOURCE
impacts servant leadership in your life. q Final essay expressing and reflecting upon
how well the student fulfilled his/her personal vision for the course and how
the student will modify that vision for future servant-leader opportunities, Due December 11. q The preceding assignments will be graded P
(pass) or R (re-write). In order to earn an A for the course, the student
must pass each assignment. If it becomes clear to the student and/or the
instructor that the student cannot fulfill the terms of the covenant, then an
alternate covenant for a lower grade will be developed. For a B+ q Attendance and Participation q Personal Vision for Course (instructions
to be provided in class, vision developed in preceptorial group), Due September 27. q 28 Hours of Community Service in
collaboration with a Preceptor and a Preceptorial Group o
A
community service site will be assigned to each preceptorial group. The group
is encouraged to develop a team project at the site. Team projects require
the development of a shared vision and team learning as defined by Senge. If
a team project is not feasible, then each individual will work the minimum
number of hours. o
Alternative
community service projects may be developed by students whose life situation
requires them to work 20 hours per week or more. These projects will involve
implementing servant leader concepts in the student’s own workplace. q Preceptor Group Evaluations and Responses q
Each
student’s performance in the service learning project/assignment will be
formally evaluated by the student’s preceptor and preceptor group members.
Evaluation will be based on the learning objectives/outcomes listed on page 1
of this syllabus. Evaluations will take place in the group setting on November 15. q
Each
student will present a five to ten minute oral report to the class evaluating
herself or himself on the same objectives/outcomes. The report should exhibit
some of what the student has learned and indicate how peer/preceptor
evaluations impacted his/her own self-evaluation. Due after the Thanksgiving Holiday q Summary of Greenleaf’s Book, Due November 15. o
A
minimum of one page will be devoted to summarizing each chapter of
Greenleaf’s book. The conclusion to the summary should include reflections on
the impact of the book on the student’s life. q Self-Reflection Essay on Sims’ Book, Due November 27 o
Briefly
summarize Sims’ book in two or three pages and then devote a minimum of three
pages to a discussion of how spirituality/faith/being centered impacts your
ability to be a servant leader. o
One
does not necessarily have to adhere to a specific religious tradition or
religious institution in order to be spiritual or centered or grounded. You
will not be graded on the content of your spiritual perspective
but, rather, on the honest analysis of whatever ultimately GROUNDS your life and how this GROUNDING, LIFE-CENTER, or LIFE-SOURCE
impacts servant leadership in your life. q Final essay expressing and reflecting upon
how well the student fulfilled his/her personal vision for the course and how
the student will modify that vision for future servant-leader opportunities, Due December 11. q The preceding assignments will be graded P
(pass) or R (re-write). In order to earn a B+ for the course, the student
must pass each assignment. If it becomes clear to the student and/or the
instructor that the student cannot fulfill the terms of the covenant, then an
alternate covenant for a lower grade will be developed. The student may
choose to raise the covenant to an
A level anytime before October 11
(the due date for the Senge Self-Reflection paper in the A covenant). For a C+ q A personal conference with Dr. Waters to
explain why the student is not choosing to covenant for a B+ or an A. q Attendance and Participation q Personal Vision for Course (instructions
to be provided in class, vision developed in preceptorial group), Due September 27. q 28 Hours of Community Service in
collaboration with a Preceptor and a Preceptorial Group o
A
community service site will be assigned to each preceptorial group. The group
is encouraged to develop a team project at the site. Team projects require
the development of a shared vision and team learning as defined by Senge. If
a team project is not feasible, then each individual will work the minimum
number of hours. o
Alternative
community service projects may be developed by students whose life situation
requires them to work 20 hours per week or more. These projects will involve
implementing servant leader concepts in the student’s own workplace. q Preceptor Group Evaluations and Responses q
Each
student’s performance in the service learning project/assignment will be
formally evaluated by the student’s preceptor and preceptor group members.
Evaluation will be based on the learning objectives/outcomes listed on page 1
of this syllabus. Evaluations will take place in the group setting on November 15. q
Each
student will present a five to ten minute oral report to the class evaluating
herself or himself on the same objectives/outcomes. The report should exhibit
some of what the student has learned and indicate how peer/preceptor
evaluations impacted his/her own self-evaluation. Due after the Thanksgiving Holiday q Summary of Greenleaf’s Book, Due November 15. o
A
minimum of one page will be devoted to summarizing each chapter of
Greenleaf’s book. The conclusion to the summary should include reflections on
the impact of the book on the student’s life. q Final essay expressing and reflecting upon
how well the student fulfilled his/her personal vision for the course and how
the student will modify that vision for future servant-leader opportunities, Due December 11. q The preceding assignments will be graded P
(pass) or R (re-write). In order to earn a C+ for the course, the student
must pass each assignment. If it becomes clear to the student and/or the
instructor that the student cannot fulfill the terms of the covenant, then an
alternate covenant for a lower grade will be developed. The student may
choose to raise the covenant to a
B+ level anytime before November
27 (the due date for the Sims’ Self-Reflection paper in the B+ covenant). |
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Make-up Work: With
the exception of re-writing assignments as described above, make-up work
requires permission of the instructor and will only be granted in the event
of unforeseen and unavoidable stressors/emergencies in the student’s life.
Permission for submitting make-up work should be secured prior to the
due-date of the assignment in question unless a documented emergency
precludes seeking prior permission. |
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+/- Grade System: Based
on student covenants described above. |
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Academic Dishonesty: Plagiarism or cheating in any form may
result in (1) failure of the assignment or (2) failure of the course. Plagiarism
includes using someone else’s ideas or words and presenting these ideas or
words as if they were one’s own. Students should document sources and give
credit to the authors of these sources. Moreover, plagiarism includes cutting
and pasting someone else’s work from the Internet or elsewhere without giving
credit to the original author. Cheating – for the purposes of this
course – is the use of any form of dishonesty in order to appear to achieve
objectives or assignments for the course or to raise one’s grade. Cheating
also includes presenting someone else’s work – in any form – as if it were
one’s own (e.g. copying off of another student’s test) or allowing another
student to copy one’s own work. |
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Special Needs: McMurry University abides by Section 504
of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which stipulates that no otherwise
qualified student shall be denied the benefits of an education “solely by
reason of a handicap”. If you have a
documented disability that may impact your performance in this class and for
which you may be requesting accommodation, you must be registered with and
provide documentation of your disability to the Disability Services Office,
located in Old Main Room 102.
Arrangements will be made for students needing special accommodations.
Cell Phones, Calculators, and other
Electronic Devices:
Other Course Policies: ·
Students
will be respectful of classmates, guest lecturers, and the instructor at all
times. ·
Talking
that does not contribute to class discussions, whispering, or passing notes
will not be tolerated. |
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Major Projects, Required
Activities, and Assignments: Described in the “covenant”
section, above. |
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Tentative Course Schedule: As
noted in the course overview, Tuesdays will be devoted to lectures and content
learning and Thursdays will involve active learning in preceptor groups.
[Reading Key: SL=Greenleaf
book, S3M=Sims book, SOL=www.solonline.org]
q August
28: Introduction to the Syllabus and to
the Course
q 30:
Organizing Preceptorials and Service
Projects
q September 4: What is Servant Leadership?, SL 1-61
q 6: Preceptorial Group
q 11: Is Servant Leadership Effective in the Real World?, SL 147-175
& 262-303
q 13: Preceptorial Group
q 18: Disciplines of a Servant Leader: Centered in Faith, SL 326-359; [S3M
3-58]
q 20: Preceptorial Group
q 25: Disciplines of a Servant Leader: Personal Mastery & Mental Models,
SOL
q 27: Preceptorial Group (Personal Vision
Responses Due)
q October 2: Disciplines of a Servant Leader: Shared Vision & Team Learning, SOL
q 4: Preceptorial Group
q 9: Disciplines of a Servant Leader: Understanding Systems, SOL
q 11: (Self-Reflection essay on Senge’s five disciplines due)
q 16: Servant Leadership and Ethics
q 18: Preceptorial Group
q 23: Qualities of a Servant Leader, Review SL 21-61
q 25: Preceptorial Group
q 30: Servant Leadership in Business, SL 147-175; [S3M 113-130]
q November 1: Preceptorial Group
q 6: Servant Leadership in Education, SL 176-214
q 8: Preceptorial Group
q 13: Servant Leadership in Public Life, SL chapters III, VI, & IX
q 15: Preceptorial Group: Evaluations
(Summary of Greenleaf’s book due)
q 20: Servant Leadership in Communities of Faith, SL 231-261
q 22: Thanksgiving
q 27: Responses to Preceptor Group Evaluations
(Self-Reflection essay on Sims’
book due)
q 29: Responses to Preceptor Group Evaluations
q December 4: Responses to Preceptor Group
Evaluations
q 6: Responses to Preceptor Group Evaluations
q 10-14: Final Exams, (Final Essay due December
11 at 10:30 a.m.)