Pols. 651 Political Leadership, Fall 2005, T 6:00-8:30 p.m. Saunders 242,

First session 8/23/05, last session 12/8/05

Prof. Chadwick

Catalog description

Exploration of political leadership as a focus for research, teaching, and applied political science.

This Fall

This course examines the nature of leadership and political power, both its use and misuse by leaders, some at the peak of political hierarchies, some challenging those hierarchies and their supporters, some as observers, analyzers, and critics of such leadership dynamics. How and why people become recognized as leaders, how they maintain their position and reputation, and how they decline, fail, or are removed as leaders will be among the many questions raised and discussed.

We will review and discuss anecdotal, autobiographical readings for the first third of the course. The second third will look at leadership at several levels: the personal, small group and organizational, and systemic levels. The last section will review and discuss theories that have been applied to or inferred from leadership studies and examine their usefulness from three paradigmatic perspectives: scientific studies of leadership, applied policy frameworks for leadership, and philosophical issues pertinent to leadership. Political leadership, decisionmaking, applications to political cooperation and conflict, social justice, security, freedom and oppression, are core foci in the study of politics. Political leadership is but one facet. We will try to conceptualize leadership in a wide variety of contexts such as these.

Grades for the course will be based on short, weekly quizzes (usually half a dozen questions or so to determine whether you've done the readings) on readings and short writing assignments (these will be submitted, shared among your classmates, and responded to by me via email), class participation and a final term paper on some topic related to leadership in the context of your particular interests.

Texts to purchase for the course (others will be circulated, obtained from the library, or if you wish, personally purchased by you):

  1. David Gergen, Eyewitness to Power: The Essence of Leadership Nixon to Clinton. 1st edition (October 30, 2001). ISBN: 0743203224 Simon & Schuster.
  2. Martin Linsky, Ronald A. Heifetz, Leadership on the Line: Staying Alive Through the Dangers of Leading. 1st edition (April 18, 2002) ISBN: 1578514371 Harvard Business School Press
  3. Chris Matthews, How Politics Is Played Told By One Who Knows The Game. (November 2, 1999) ISBN: 0684845598 Free Press.
  4. James Carville, Paul Begala, Buck Up, Suck Up and Come Back When You Foul Up: 12 Winning Secrets from the War Room. 1st Simon edition (November 1, 2003) ISBN: 0743234480. Simon & Schuster
  5. Jim Stroup, Managing Leadership: Toward a New and Usable Understanding of What Leadership Really Is--and How to Manage It. (April 27, 2004) ISBN: 0595315518. iUniverse, Inc.
  6. Stephen Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. 1st edition (September 15, 1990) ISBN: 0671708635. Free Press.

I will be supplying a much longer list of texts which you may begin studying or reviewing, or choosing among for your research paper for the course. They will be quite diverse, such as Glenn Paige’s Scientific Study of Political Leadership, to his Nonkilling Global Political Science (available on the web at no cost).

Your First Session

8/23/05 Prof. Kent has kindly consented to lead the class this evening.

Organize yourselves into groups of 4-5, select one from among you to take notes on what to share with the rest of the class. That person should have the group go down the following questions in order, so that a synopsis can be written, and to make sure everyone has the opportunity to participate. Keep your own notes for the individual email portion of this exercise (you'll be emailing me at intlrel@hawaii.edu--in caps that's INTLREL@HAWAII.EDU), then

  • share your various backgrounds briefly with one another in small groups (we'll organize the class by having you in different groups a few times so you can become acquainted with everyone in the class),
  • the nature of your interest in political leadership, and
  • your aspirations for the course, in particular
    1. authors and/or titles of books you've read on the subject or would like to read,
    2. data: what historical questions interest you the most,
    3. explanation: what theory questions interest you the most,
    4. philosophical: what normative questions interest you the most.
    5. other questions (perhaps within other paradigms).
    Give yourselves about half an hour to do this as small groups, then reorganize yourselves as a class and have the spokesperson for each group briefly review the main interests and orientations that were shared. Don't try to be comprehensive. This should take about 15 minutes. Since 14 students are currently registered for the course, there will be three groups of 4-5 each.

    Here is your second exercise for the evening and something I'd like you to write about for your first short essay. You'll do one a week based on class discussion, and beginning next week you'll also incorporate your reactions to the readings.

    Prof. Michael Oksenberg, a former president of the East West Center and a China expert, was interviewed many years ago by Bob Rees on Island Issues, a locally produced dialog show on PBS. He was asked who he though would replace Dung Xiaoping. He said he didn't know but that whoever did replace him would have to have the following four characteristics:
    • have a lust for power,
    • be absolutely ruthless,
    • have a vision for his country, and
    • have lots of loyal, like minded followers.
    Discuss each of these points. For instance, how do you interpret "lust" and "power?" Are you reacting as if these were descriptive terms, normative terms, or theoretical terms (or some combination). What does it mean to be "ruthless?" Single-minded? Cut throat? What is a "vision?" Loyalty? Like mindedness? The intent here is not to stymie you but to share different facets of your understanding. Most of us will have a different take on each.

    Above these details, why do you think he characterized a successful competitor for Chinese leadership this way? Are there other societies that would value more other characteristics? Why were there no issues included? Policies? Why so generic? Finally, was he right? You can do a little library (or more likely, google) research on this subject for your report if you wish.

    • Second session
    8/30/05     		Come prepared having read Gergen's book, Eyewitness to Power, chs. 1, 2, and 3 (through Nixon). Be ready to share your reactions to the section of Gergen. You will be asked to write a short essay on this to share for the following week. I will be there for this second session. I'm keeping open the rest of the syllabus until I see what your interests and background preparation are. If you are interested in what I did with my undergraduate course on this subject last semester, you can check the syllabus out at http://www.hawaii.edu/intlrel/pols382/382syllabus.htm
    Please thank Prof. Kent for working with you this session.

    Prof. Chadwick