Ethical Leadership

This course will explore the central concept of ethical leadership. Because this is a complex topic, students will wrestle with the uncertainty and ambiguity that accompany any discussion of morality. Students will work introspectively to examine their personal leadership styles in order to gain a better understanding of their own extrinsic and intrinsic motivations before looking outward. Students will also take an interdisciplinary approach to explore the concept of ethical leadership by examining wider perspectives that will be gained through reading theory and case studies. As we unpack the concept of ethical leadership by looking at ourselves and others, we will explore several defining questions, including:

• How does ethical leadership apply to my life presently, as well as in my future?
• What are the responsibilities of leaders to establish ethical climates in their organizations and communities, and what are the tensions between these two spheres? 
• What is the role of emotional intelligence and empathy in a leader’s decision-making and how does compassion connect with morality and ethical decision-making?

Students will develop a toolbox they can reach for when faced with ethically complex challenges in their lives beyond the classroom. Ultimately, this course will push students to better understand the pathways through which they are already making ethical decisions, and as they reflect and learn, they will start to think about ethical leadership in deeper, more complex ways. Life is about navigating the gray areas—the complexities that don’t have a clear one-size-fits-all answer—and this class will foster an ethical fitness in students to help build their propensity for not just working their way through that ambiguity, but for leading others in that process.

This class will feature a highly interactive learning environment, requiring students to reflect, take risks, and actively engage in class activities and discussion each day. There will be a term long leadership internship with middle school teachers culminating in a written capstone/presentation of the students' leadership statement. There is a degree of risk-taking involved in being a leader that students will gain experience with through the format of this class.