71-219-18 Dr. David Leitner
Leadership, Strategy and Politics
Bar-Ilan University
Last updated: 14 May, 2015
Faculty of Social Sciences
Leadership, Strategy and Politics
71-219-18
Dr. David Leitner
BA Seminar
Year: 2015-2016
Semester: 1+2
Credits: Two Credits
Class day and hours: Semester 1& 2: Wednesday 14:00 – 16:00
Contact Information
Email: david.leitner@biu.ac.il
Office Hours: Before class by request via email
Office: Building 109 Room 5
Mailbox: 91 in same building
Course Introduction
This course provides an in-depth look at Leadership, Politics and Strategy. These three topics are
important components to the success, integration, and implementation of policy – be it national,
international or organizational. The course is designed for students who already have a working
knowledge of politics.
The course is highly rigorous and demanding. Students should expect to read approximately 150 pages
per week as well as watch between 1 and two hours of video regarding the course topic per week
during the first semester.
This course is divided into three major categories.
1. Leadership: an examination of the typologies, traits, theories, and implementation.
2. Strategy: examining military and business strategy, the history, theory, and application thereof.
3. Politics: Combining strategy and leadership for change, this topic will demonstrate how strategy
and leadership are integral part of many relational processes and how they can enact change or
maintain the status-quo.
Course Structure and Evaluation
Prerequisites:
• Required:
o None
• Preferable:
o Introduction to Politics and Government
Page 1 of 6
71-219-18 Dr. David Leitner
Leadership, Strategy and Politics
Bar-Ilan University
o
Introduction to International Relations
First Semester
The first semester of this course consists a once a week 1.5 hour seminar which includes open
discussion by the students of the reading material. To that end students are expected to be up to date on
required reading.
Second Semester:
Second semester will be broken up into three parts:
• The first part of second semester will consist of 30 minute individual meetings with each
student to discuss their research topic, research plan of action and feasibility. We will meet the
first week of second semester to determine this schedule and conclude any topics left over from
the first semester.
• The second part will be the project – see below in grading section.
• The remainder of the semester will include weekly meeting during which students will present
their research framework and the progress they have made to the class.
Textbooks:
Required:
Gray, Collin S. Modern Strategy: Oxford University Press, 1999.
Reserved under GRA (1137163)
Kellerman, Barbara. Followership: How Followers are Creating Change and Changing Leadership.
Boston: Harvard Business Press, 2008.
Reserved under KEL (2386479)
Luttwak, Edward. Strategy: The Logic of War and Peace. Boston, Harvard University Press, 2001.
355 LUT s (93717) – 1987 edition
Northouse, Peter G. Leadership: Theory and Practice. 6th Edition. Los Angeles: Sage Publications,
2013.
Reserved under NOR (1174389) – 5th edition, 2010
Nye, Joseph. The Power to Lead. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008.
EBOOK (2390497)
Rumelt, Richard. Good Strategy/Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why it Matters. New York: Crown
Business, 2011.
Reserved under RUM (2386477)
Optional and Highly Recommended:
Chemers , Martin. An Integrative Theory of Leadership. London: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1997
Freedman, Lawrence. Strategy: A History. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013
Komives, Susan R., Nance Lucas, and Timothy R. McMahon. Exploring Leadership: For College
Students Who Want to Make a Difference. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2013
Page 2 of 6
71-219-18 Dr. David Leitner
Leadership, Strategy and Politics
Bar-Ilan University
McGee, John, Howard Thomas, and David Wilson. Strategy: Analysis and Practice. Second Edition.
London: McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2010
Additional reading material and videos will be provided online via Moodle or in the syllabus below.
You must sign in weekly to check and keep up with the readings on Moodle.
Additional reading may be suggested during the class or via Moodle. While not required, it is highly
recommended that students read these articles.
Grading
Students must pass all three aspects of grading. Failure in any of the three will constitute a fail
for the class.
Participation: 15%
Participation will be based on 2 criteria:
1. 10% Active and vocal participation in class. Failure to participate may result in a marked
absence for the day. If students consistently fail to demonstrate working knowledge of the
weekly reading pop quizzes may be given.
2. 5% Attendance – while attendance will not be taken rigorously, I reserve the right to do so
randomly should I see fit – 3 unexcused absences/semester will result in a failing grade for the
class.
NOTE: Laptop use – I will be making note of students who come with a laptop. While I encourage
students to bring their laptops, I have found the students can get lost in the plethora of information and
media that they can access. As a result, if I feel that students are abusing the privilege of using a
computer in class, I will grade the participation for students who CHOOSE to bring a laptop on the
lecture notes taken. Failure to send notes via email to david.leitner@biu.ac.il immediately after class
will constitute an unexcused absence.
Students who are consistently using/checking/examining their cellphone will be asked to leave class
and it will constitute an unexcused absence.
Project: 35%
This project is in place of an exam. During second semester you will work in small groups on a project
in which you use one medium or several different media to demonstrate and analyze leadership and
strategy. In this day and age the written word is hardly the only medium for expression. As such, this
project seeks to encourage the students to apply the theories and concepts taught during first semester
to examine leadership, strategy, and politics and present their findings in any medium of their choosing.
Each group will self-form and determine the medium/media they wish to use.
Each group will choose the fields, subjects and method for their work. The end result will be shown to
the class and hopefully at a presentation open to the public. Requirements for the project:
1. No more than 5 students per group.
2. Subject may not be a member of the class or part of Bar-Ilan University.
3. When presented, the final work must be accompanied by individual written reports about the
process, what the research hoped to show and what was discovered as a result. Students must
also address the participation, leadership, and followership of their partners in the report.
4. Total time of presentation approximately 10 minutes with an additional 10 minutes project
defense including discussion/Q&A.
Page 3 of 6
71-219-18 Dr. David Leitner
Leadership, Strategy and Politics
Bar-Ilan University
Project Grading:
The project will be graded for academic viability and “presentability.” Academic viability will be my
part (worth 25%) of the grade. This will look at how each group applied the theories in their work,
what was written in their personal reports and the overall outcome.
Presentability will be based on an average of the grades (on a 0 – 10 scale) given by the audience
(10%).
Seminar Paper: 50%
The paper must analyze a topic of interest to the student using the methods and theories from the
course. The paper must be a field/research paper in which the student applies the theories to the world
around them. The student must receive approval for their topic via email no later than the start of the
project during second semester – failure to do so without cause will result in an automatic fail in the
class.
The topic proposal should include: working title, research question(s), hypotheses/expectations, and a
proposed chapter list (minimum: Introduction, Theory, History, Analysis, and Conclusion) including
subchapters. A bibliography, with six academic sources that may be used in the paper, four of which
are not from the syllabus, should be included with the proposal.
Regarding theory – students should use AT LEAST two theoretic frameworks from the class. I highly
recommend that students also try to apply at least one framework from their other fields of study and
interests – economics, business, sociology, psychology, communications, etc.
Topics can either be an in-depth analysis or a comparative analysis. Students are expected to use at
least 15 sources in the paper. Wikipedia and other online or hard copy encyclopedia are NOT academic
sources and are unacceptable – using an encyclopedia will automatically result in 10 points off the final
paper grade.
The seminar should be formatted as follows:
• Title page – should include title of paper, name of student, ID number, submission date, class
number and class title.
• Table of contents (page 1 must be the introduction and not the table of contents or title page).
• Each chapter should begin on a new page. Subchapters can begin in the middle of a page.
• Bibliography should include all sources used for the work.
• Page formatting should be as follows:
o Line Spacing: 1.5
o Font: Calibri, Ariel or New Times Roman 12 pt
o Margins: 1 in (2.5 cm)
The seminar should not be less than 25 pages excluding the title page, table of context, appendices, and
bibliography. 25-30 pages is recommended, but the lecturer does not "count pages" if the paper is well
done. Students are expected to use sourcing throughout the essay – Failure to do so will result in the
paper not getting graded.
Students should use the APA 6th Edition format.
The due date for the paper will be announced in class. The paper must be handed in both in hardcopy
and via email in DOC or DOCX format by the due date.
Plagiarism (the use of material or ideas without citation) will result in a failing grade for the class
regardless of other achievements. If the level of plagiarism is deemed severe the student may be sent
before the Ethics committee for further action. Students will be required to sign a letter (available on
Moodle) stating they understand this definition and the consequences of failing to use proper citations
for quotations as well as any material garnered from other sources.
Page 4 of 6
71-219-18 Dr. David Leitner
Leadership, Strategy and Politics
Bar-Ilan University
The presentation of your research will be given during the third part of second semester – see below for
more details.
Weekly Reading
Unless marked with an *, all readings, videos, etc. are required.
1st Semester
 Week 1: Introduction

Week 2 - 5: Leaders and Followers: Understanding Leadership
o Weeks 2, 3, & 4: Northouse, 1 – 160.
o Weeks 2 & 3 Nye, 1 – 148.
o Week 4: Kellerman, 1 – 96.
o Beshears, John, Francesca Gino. “Leaders as Decision Architects.” Harvard Business
Review May (2015): 52-62. Retrieved from: https://hbr.org/2015/05/leaders-as-decisionarchitects.
journal in the Economics library + ejournal (148895)
o
o
o
o
o
o
o

Weeks 6 – 9: The Implication of Strategy: Goals and Stepping Stones
o Weeks 5 & 6: Luttwak, 1 – 206.
o Weeks 5, 6, & 7: Rumelt, 1 – 94, 239- 298.
o Weeks 5, 6, & 7: Collins.
o *Freedman, 3 – 68, 247 - 630.
o * Brown, Michael E., Owen R. Cote Jr., Sean M. Lynn-Jones, and Steven E. Miller Eds.
Theories of War and Peace: An International Security Reader. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT
Press, 1998. Parts IV and V.
327.101 THE 1999 (468052)
o
o
o
o
o
o

*Weeks 2 & 3: Komives, et al., 3 – 118.
*Week 4: Chemers, 1 – 60.
Video: Simon Senek: Why Good Leaders Make You Feel Safe.
Video: Is Punishment or Reward More Effective?
Video: Drew Dudley: Everyday leadership
Video: Derek Sivers: How to start a movement
Video: Stanley McChrystal: Listen, learn ... then lead
Video: Richard Rumelt: Good Strategy/Bad Strategy: the difference and why it matters
Video: Sir Lawrence Freedman: Re-Thinking Strategy
Video: Michael Porter: What is Strategy?
Video: Michael Porter: The Five Competitive Forces That Shape Strategy
*Video: Robynne Berg: 7 Steps to Successful Strategy and Implementation
Video: Stanley McChrystal: The military case for sharing knowledge
Weeks 10-12: The Politics of Leadership and Strategy
o Weeks 8 – 11: Northouse, 161 – 184, 287 – 462.
o Weeks 8, 9, 10: Rumelt, 95 -238.
o Week 9 – 10 Luttwak: 207 – 270.
o Week 11: Rosencrance and Stein, 154 – 224.
Page 5 of 6
71-219-18 Dr. David Leitner
Leadership, Strategy and Politics
Bar-Ilan University
o *McGee, et al. 333 – 546.
o *Chemers, 61 – 173.
o House, Robert J. “A path goal theory of leader effectiveness.” Administrative Science
Quarterly ,16 (1971): 321-338.
journal
o
o
o
o
o

Video: Leadership With Simon Sinek: Serving Those Who Serve Others
Video: Seth Godin on the Difference Between Leadership and Management
Video: Benjamin Barber: Why mayors should rule the world
Video: Jonathan Haidt: How common threats can make common (political) ground
Video: Clay Shirky: How social media can make history
Weeks 13-14: Leadership and Strategy for Change?
o Week 12: Rosencrance and Stein, 3 – 64.
o Week 12 – 13: Northouse, 185 – 286.
o Week 12: Goleman, Daniel, Richard E. Boyatzis, and Annie McKee. Primal
Leadership: Learning to Lead with Emotional Intelligence. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard
Business School Press, 2004. Chapter 1.
 I highly recommend the entire book.
658.4092 GOL p (1168864) – 2002 edition
o Week 13: Price, Terry L. “The ethics of authentic transformational leadership.”
Leadership Quarterly 14 (2003): 67-81.
journal in the Economics library + ejournal (401411)
o
o
o
o
o
*Komives, et al., 215 – 430.
Video: Sheryl Sandberg: Why we have too few women leaders
Video: Robert Steven Kaplan: Mentorship as Dialogue
Video: David Logan: Tribal leadership
Video: Fields Wicker-Miurin: Learning from leadership's missing manual
2nd Semester
• First Class –Mandatory attendance. We will be establishing the schedule for one-on-one
meetings and conclude any topics from first semester.
• Dependent on number of students – several weeks will be individual meetings during class.
• Project – this project will constitute 4-5 weeks of work. Each group will prepare a proposal to
present to the class. The proposal will be critiqued by the students. Weekly emails
demonstrating progress will be sent to me and the rest of the class. At the end of this time
students will be required to come in for their final presentations – attendance is
MANDATORY at the Project Proposal and Presentations.
• The remainder of the semester will include weekly meetings during which students will present
their research framework and the progress they have made to the class. This presentation is part
of the overall Seminar PAPER grade.
Page 6 of 6