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Leadership and Critical and Political Theories in Cultural Contexts
DPLS 777-Spring 2013
Table of Contents
Course Information ......................................................................................................................... 2
Course Description: Goals & Objectives* ...................................................................................... 2
Reading Materials ........................................................................................................................... 3
Schedule of Topics, Reading Assignments, and General Assignments.......................................... 6
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Course Information
Course Name: Leadership and Critical and Political Theories in Cultural Contexts
Course Number: DPLS 777
Credits: 3
Day of the Week/Time: Saturday, 8 a.m.-12 p.m.
Dates: 1/19, 1/26, 2/9, 2/23, 3/9, 3/23, 4/6, 4/13
Location: Tilford 115
Instructor: Professor JoAnn Danelo Barbour, PhD
Email: barbourj@gonzaga.edu
Phone: 509-313-3630
Office Hours: By appointment at the convenience of the student and professor.
Course Description: Goals & Objectives*
*Please Note: This information is preliminary. Final syllabus and all assignments will be posted
on BlackBoard. Additionally, the major assignments will be discussed the first class day.
Course Goals
This course is designed to provide students with an understanding of leadership that intersects in
the disciplines of philosophy, politics, and anthropology: critical theory, political theory, and
organizational culture. Students will develop a knowledge of power, hegemony, and social
justice as those concepts affect notions of time and space, the public/private spheres, and
language.
Course Objectives
By the end of the course the student will be able to demonstrate the following:
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An applied understanding of critical theory from key critical theorists.
An understanding of various issues of leadership from a critical perspective, generally;
and an understanding of a variety of critical perspectives per individual student interest.
An understanding of key elements of political theory and political thought as they apply
to organizational leadership: power, hegemony, authority, community, democracy, and
freedom, for example.
Knowledge of key elements and components of organizational culture.
An ability to observe and analyze an organization for key cultural components.
An ability to analyze, reflect upon, discuss, and write about a topic within the intersection
of critical theory, political theory, and organizational culture theory.
Through reflections and class discussions, students will ponder several questions, for example:
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What is the difference between manifest and latent organizational power? How can
power be useful in one’s organizational culture? How can power be destructive in one’s
organizational culture?
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What is the difference between power and hegemony?
What is organizational authority? What is the difference between formal and informal
authority? How does organizational authority become legitimated?
What does one “see” when observing an organizational culture with which he or she is
familiar? What cultural components are manifest; which are latent? Which cultural
components are embedded in power structures?
If one is to think about making change within an organizational cultural context, what
does one need to know from political theory and critical theory to be successful?
What, if anything, does social justice have to do with political theory, critical theory, and
organizational culture?
Reading Materials
Please Note: Several readings will be required for this course. As of this posting, 10.30.2012, a
definitive choice on readings and texts has not been made. It is anticipated that texts and readings
will be posted by the end of the semester. It is quite possible that a number of texts and readings
will be available online through various classics databases. Thank You for your patience.
Required Texts
Schein, E. (2010). Organizational culture and leadership. (4th ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Machiavelli, N. The prince. [Note: There are many translated copies of Niccolo Machiavelli’s
The Prince in print. Find one you like and read that copy.]
Critical and political theorists we will be reading in this course will include (in no particular
order): Machiavelli, Locke, Hobbes, Rousseau, Bentham, John Stuart Mill, Wollstonecraft,
Nietzsche, de Beauvoir, Foucault, Habermas, Adorno, Horkheimer, Marcuse, Gramsci, Rawls,
Sen, Schein, and others to be added to the final list. My intent is to attempt an online pdf-version
of the traditional “course reader” as copyright law and printing services allow.
Additional Material
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Required readings will be posted on BlackBoard.
Assignments and Grading
Attendance Policy and Class Participation: Because a large part of each class is participatory,
class attendance is expected. If a student wishes to earn a grade of A- or better for the course, he
or she must attend the course/group meetings at least 90% of the time the course/group meets.
Assignments: Assignments are due when specified. This professor may refuse to accept a late
paper. If the late paper or project is accepted, it will incur a lower grade. This professor reserves
the right to decide whether to accept the late assignment or not to accept the late assignment. A
scoring guide or rubric will be included with each project or assignment.
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Grading
Please Note: Normally, the grading policy is as follows:
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Final grade is based on total points over the entire session in the following percentages:
(Total Points Possible By Semester’s End, e.g. “200”) X (Percentage Below) = (Pts. Needed to
Earn Grade)
100%
97%
93%
89%
-
98%
94%
90%
88%
=
=
=
=
A+
A
AB+
87%
83%
79%
77%
-
84%
80%
78%
74%
=
=
=
=
B
BC+
C
Directions, evaluative criteria, and a scoring guide are provided for each assignment/project.
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A grading policy, however, will not be determined until after the first class day when the
students and professor together will design the grading scheme for the class.
Assignment Day One
Arrive in class having read/re-read Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince, and with the following
assignment to be turned in.
Purpose: You are to read/re-read Machiavelli’s The Prince, considered one of the first books of
modern political theory. In reading his work, one will note he is writing for the political rulers of
the day, the princes who ruled the Italian city-states. Machiavelli gives advice sometimes with
historical and cultural background, sometimes with personal reflection from his work as
secretary to the city-state of Florence. Embedded in various chapters are maxims, or kernels of
advice for these 16th century rulers. There are several take-aways from his advice, if one does not
always take his advice from literal 16th century Florence. With some of his advice, one might
agree; with other bits of wisdom, one might disagree.
Description: In reading The Prince, search for those maxims that are embedded in the various
chapters. Narrow your findings to your favorite (whether you agree or disagree) maxims or
pieces wisdom. Choose your favorite 20 or so and place the maxims onto a table with three
columns—an example is provided below: Column One: Chapter [note the chapter wherein the
maxim appears—important due to the different versions/translations people will read]; Column
Two: Machiavelli’s maxim or memo to the prince either “quoted” directly from the translation or
paraphrased; and Column Three: Machiavelli’s rationale for creating this maxim or piece of
advice for the prince—he always provides his reasoning behind his advice, but sometimes one
might have to dig for it. This table will be included as an Appendix for the paper you are also to
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bring to class. Write a 4-5 page (1500 word) reflection in which you make an argument in
support of two of Machiavelli’s maxims, and an argument against two different maxims. [Note:
both arguments are contained in one 4-5 page paper.] Make sure you support your arguments
both for and against, and also remember to include an introduction and summary or conclusion to
your paper.
A sample table is begun below:
Chap. #
Machiavelli’s Maxim
Machiavelli’s Rationale
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When a leader inherits a position of
power, it is easier to maintain authority.
It is easier to adapt than start from
scratch.
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“It is desirable to be both loved and
feared; but it is difficult to achieve both,
and if one of them has to be lacking, it is
much safer to be feared than loved.”
One can control fear, but one cannot
control love.
Writing Specs: NOTE: These specifications are important. Part of one’s grade is the ability to
follow directions and specifications. Please read this section carefully. These specs will be
followed for all papers in this course.
 Follow the page length requirement. The professor will stop reading after maximum
pages, which vary per assignment.
 Margins: one inch all around.
 Font: Times New Roman, size 12.
 Page numbers: top right hand corner also in Times New Roman, 12 Font.
 No header or footer is needed. Do not add a header or a footer.
 Double space. Do not skip a line between paragraphs.
 Align text to the left.
 All paragraphs should be indented. Indent paragraphs ½” from left margin. Do not skip a
line between paragraphs.
 Add a cover page, but do not count or number the cover page. The first page of the
narrative is page one. Fix the paragraphing so there is NO added space between sections
or paragraphs. (Thus, go to the menu bar: Paragraph. Under the tab Index and Spacing,
the “Spacing Before” should be “0”, the “Spacing After” should be “0”, the “Line
Spacing” should be “Double”, and the box should be checked that says “Don’t add space
between paragraphs of the same style.”)
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Schedule of Topics, Reading Assignments, and General Assignments
[Note: Course outline, readings, and/or assignments may change slightly depending on student
and/or professor needs.]
Class
Session
#1
1/19
Session
#2
1/26
Session
#3
2/9
Session
#4
2/23
Session
#5
3/9
Session
#6
3/23
Session
#7
4/6
Session
#8
4/13
*Note:
Topic/Assignments
Overview/Introduction to Course
Assignment Due: Machiavelli’s Maxims/Reflective
Arguments Paper and Appendix
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Readings Due*
Machiavelli: The Prince
July 15, 2016