IR/IB 393 - Leading Across Cultures: Principles and Practice

Global organizations, whether in business, non-profit, or government sectors, all require professionals who possess global leadership skills.  But what exactly are global leadership skills and how can they be developed?

The rising field of global leadership studies identifies the cultural context as one of the important dimensions in understanding how leaders negotiate conflict, meet ethical challenges, manage team-building, and bring about change in a global environment.  This course evaluates current theoretical models of leadership and leadership characteristics in the context of local culture and also identifies commonalities of leadership that are recognized across cultures.  The theory and practice of leadership in business, non-profit, and political organizations will be analyzed with a focus on Europe. With the goal of developing leadership skills, there is a particular emphasis on experiential learning throughout this course.  In addition to interactive classroom activities, students will be required to play a leadership role in the local community or take on an internship position.  Students will also have the opportunity to practice their leadership skills in a communication workshop involving horses or in an outdoor team-building workshop, for example.  Throughout the course students will be required to maintain self-reflection journals to map their experiences, insights, and progress.