Thursdays, 4:30-6:50 Location: Miller Hall, Room 316

The exercise of leadership in educational organizations is firmly rooted in the nature of the relationship between the leader and the led. While historic leadership perspectives were largely influenced by structural needs within the organization or individual traits, leadership theory is currently undergoing a new wave of development influenced, in part, by critical theory and postmodern perspectives. Leadership is now seen more as an organizational capacity to influence–exercised by anyone within organizations–and less a function of position.

Therefore, some of the questions that will guide our inquiry include:

•      Who can and should lead?
•      What does it mean to lead and to empower others?
•      How do race, class, and gender influence the conception and exercise of leadership?
•      What moral and social justice imperatives have contributed to new understandings of leadership?
•      How might leadership from a critical perspective develop organizational relationships that enhance freedom, democracy, and community?

This advanced seminar will examine some of the emerging literature on critical leadership perspectives with a particular goal of understanding how this informs the practice of leadership for those in educational organizations across the P-20 continuum. The seminar will involve active engagement with the literature and ideas with an aim toward connecting leadership perspectives with students’ scholarly interests and practice.

Marshall, C., & Oliva, M. (2006). Leadership for social justice: Making revolutions in education. Allyn & Bacon. ISBN-13:9780205412099. (available at the University Bookstore)

Additional readings will be available via Go-Post during Winter Quarter.

ENTRY CODES:
For course entry codes, please contact:
Michael Lindsay, EDLPS Area Coordinator
M203 Miller Hall
206-221-3097