Eastern Oregon University
College of Business
Course Syllabus
BA 462 Leaders and Leadership Processes
5 Credits
Online Course


Instructor: Dr. Bob Larison
Class information
Grading:
Grades will be based on the quality and quantity of materials in the student class portfolio, the Leadership Case, and the quality of your abstracts and the Tao review. Points will be assigned for each of the course activities during the quarter. Grades are assigned on a 90-80-70-60% basis of points accumulated. Points may be earned as follows:

Course Activities to be saved to your USB flashdrive.

  1. Self Assessments: The Pierce/Newstrom text includes a number (a bunch of them!) of self assessments that will be done and saved on a USB flashdrive in an organized manner. You should do the assessments AND THEN react to what it says about you and your leadership potential. You will create a word file that includes your answers, score(s) and Your reaction to what the exercise says about you. Do you agree? Disagree? Why? The best way to keep track of the assessments is to check the detailed listing of exercises in the text--the self assessments are listed in the chapter contents. Save each of the self assessments onto your USB flashdrive.

  2. Movie Reaction Papers Your USB stick will also be used to save your Movie reaction papers. More on them later in the syllabus.

    Your USB flashdrive will be submitted via land mail before the end of the week before final week (dead week) of the term. Check the EOU calendar on the EOU website for dates. The USB flashdrive should be organized in a rational manner that will facilate finding the files on the drive. The files should be professional in appearance and well organized.

Articles/Abstracts: There are a large number of articles in our primary text. You should read all of them over the term. You will use some of them as your primary sources in your finalleadership ase paper. Many will 'stick in the throat' a bit as some are VERY academic--but you will find that many will apply to the final case leader. Three articles will be assigned for all students in the class to review and write an abstract on(these are the ones that most of you will use in your papers--a hint!) if they are contained in your text. (The articles in different editions vary. If not in your current edition of the text, pick another article to abstract that you find important.) In addition, you will pick SEVEN MORE ARTICLES that you will do an abstract on. Your abstract should be detailed enough to facilitate your understanding of the material in the article and for you to use later in the term as a reference for your leader paper without having to go back and re-read the article. The abstract will be 1-2 pages in length-double spaced. A format you can use to prepare your abstracts can be found at this link: Abstract Format. Abstracts are worth 10 points each toward your grade. Send YFI an email copy of your first abstract to be sure you are on track. All abstracts are to be submitted to YFI as a word attachment via email. Submit them as you complete them...and learn from the early ones exactly what is expected. When you submit them, inlude a number (1-10) in the file name to indicate which one in your set of ten abstracts the one submitted is. This will help both of us.

The three articles all will abstract (and that you should plan on using in your final leader paper-if they apply) are:

  1. 'Path-Goal Theory of Leadership' by House and Mitchell
  2. 'The Bases of Social Power' by French and Raven
  3. 'Leadership: Do Traits Matter?' by Kirkpatrick and Locke

  • Tao Book Review The Heider text is meant to be read slowly and thoughtfully. It will present a very different view of leader characteristics and qualities. The book may well be a good source for your leader paper and may be used as such. You will write a detailed review of the book. A general format can be found at this link: Book Review Format. In addition to the usual materials in the review, carefully analyze the meaning of five of the parables in the book--your choice of which five to examine. What is the author trying to say about leadership in this verse?? Look in detail--there generally are more than one idea presented in each verse--in some--many ideas. They are not as simple as they appear. Remember this is from another culture. Don't be a cultural ethnocentrist and blow it off!! Include your review in your portfolio. This exercise is worth 50 points toward your grade so take it seriously!! Send YFI a draft of your review to make sure you are on track. Length should be a minimum of three double spaced pages-font size 12. You are free to write more if you choose. Submit your final version via email to YFI when you have completed it.

  • James MacGregor Burns 'Leadership' Book Review This is an optional extra credit assignment the student may do if they choose. The Burns book is a classic look at leadership from a number of different perspectives. The book is also an in-depth study of the different types of leadership that we might encounter--and Burns goes into very useful theoretical discussion about the different types of leadership he explores. It is a good conceptual look at leadership in its many forms. Read it carefully. Your review should explore the content of the book in some depth and, since this is a very important book on leadership, you should also look at the book from that perspective. You will find it a useful source for your leader paper. Again, send YFI a draft of your review to be sure you are on track and understand the assignment. Submit via email to YFI when complete.

  • Movie Reaction Papers When this class is done on campus, the class watches a number of movies that show a version of the history of a person who is usually seen as a 'leader'. In the distance format, you will watch the assigned set of movies on your VCR and write a one page 'reaction' paper about the leadership of this person. Your reaction paper should indicate what concepts of leadership you feel generally explain the leadership of this person as depicted in the movie. Focus on the possible concepts/articles/theories that you think will explain the subject's leadership. Length should not be more than two pages. Don't spend your time describing the movie--identify the concepts you think might apply to why (or why not) people followed this leader. After you have written your paper--go to the course website and go to the link for this movie and see my movie concept list--and see how much we agree on the concepts that apply. Note that my list is far from complete..it is just some of the concepts that I think apply. These exercises will give you some practice in identifying concepts that underlie leadership and applying them--before you commit yourself in your Leader Case. It is also a chance to watch a set of really good movies and call it studying!!!! All of the movies should be available at your movie rental place or on line. Include your reaction papers on the USB flashdrive portfolio.

    The set of movies you will review are:

    Links to my movie concept lists:

  • Leadership Case: As your final and your major assignment, each student in the course will do an analysis of the leadership of the character of Captain Nathan Brittles in the classic John Ford movie "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon". A Leadership Paper on this person will be submitted at the end of the last week of the term. The paper will be a minimum of 10 double spaced (font size 12) in length excluding bibliography sheet and endnotes/footnotes. You are certainly free to go to more length and detail..such efforts will be rewarded. A minimum of five sources will be utilized-more would be better.. The paper will describe the context of the case--it is clearly not 2011....look into the times in which our Captain is working. Different groups of people are represented in the movie. Look into these groups. What are the group characteristics? What are their norms?? Are they cohesive groups? If so, why? What are their values? What is the overall organization (the cavalry) like? Then, do a deep and conceptual analysis of the leadership of Captain Briddles to ascertain if or why he was successful in his relations to these groups and as a leader. You will note that he fails in his mission in the movie... In short, the paper will describe who he is, what was his world like, what did he do, and was he successful in getting others to follow them..and if so, why was he successful or not?

    I have a case analysis procedure that, while not exactly mirroring the procedure for this paper, will be very similar. It is from a previous class. Go to this link for the process: Case Analysis Procedure. It may be of use--you do not have to follow the procedure--but it does use much the same process as you will employ in this paper. Your problem is 'why did people follow this person?'

    The paper will be graded on the following criteria: Production quality-15 points; use of sources-35 points; quality of your analysis-50 points.

    The leadership paper will be done as a word file and submitted via email when you have completed it. The paper may be done in APA, Shrunk and White, or in another formal style. This paper is the central activity of the class and is worth 100 points toward your grade. Give it an effort commenserate with its value in the class. It should be submitted in the last week of the class.

    Note that the case is historical and historical figures must be viewed from the context of their time--not our context. There is a considerable level of historic accuracy in this movie. This means you will have to research into the time in which they lived--they led people from that time-not the present. The values, norms, and attitudes were probably much different from those of today. Some are from other cultures--so you have to enter that culture to understand them. We do not practice cultural superiority or ethnocentrism in the class--look at them from the eyes of their followers. Expect that a number of your sources will be from sources other than the text materials from the class. Expect that you will probably exceed the minimum number of sources.

    Some other resource links from Your Friendly Instructor that you will find useful in doing your paper. Be sure to review this section of the syllabus for some 'traditional' concepts about leadership that may not be covered in your articles. You may cite these sources directly from this syllabus. You may also go to my website and click on the BA 321 Principles of Managment syllabus where you will find links to a very rich array of materials dealing with group dynamics, leadership, communication, and many other topics that might well be of use.
    Course Schedule--Suggested if you like some structure. You MAY follow this schedule to complete in 10 weeks.-