Leadership:Character, Strategy

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

What makes an effective leader? How does a leader set priorities and build support? Should a leader ever put expediency ahead of morality? What training have the most effective leaders received, and how has it helped them handle extraordinary crises? This class, co-taught by faculty in Classics and Government, examines these and related questions through case-studies of leaders from antiquity – including Persian kings, politicians in the Athenian democracy, and Roman emperors – as well as modern leaders whose writings powerfully frame the challenges of leadership, especially Elizabeth I, Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King Jr. Students will gain familiarity with the individual leaders studied; use the case-studies to develop and test broader theories about how leaders succeed and fail; and learn how study of past leaders can be a tool for leadership today.