Global Leadership Course Descriptions
MSGL 701 - Framing Global Issues
This course is designed to provide a population-based context for the topics to follow, helping students to understand the systems nature of globalization and population dynamics, and the role that organizations and their policies and decisions play in the overall global system. Students will discuss and develop the characteristics of a “global mindset.” They will also examine the global reach of public, private and NGO/non-profit organizations, and their potentially far-reaching positive and negative impacts on human populations across the globe.
MSGL 702 - Comparative Leadership Studies
This course will examine leadership through an international lens, exploring those traits that are considered to be effective leadership attributes and practices in the context of different national cultures. Students will discuss the impact that national culture can have upon an organization’s internal culture, values and practices, and will learn about strategies for adjusting their own leadership style and for modifying the operational approach of their own organization when interacting with individuals and units from organizations abroad.
MSGL 703 - Understanding the Global Political Arena
This course will begin with a historical overview to help students to understand the events that, over time, have led to the political, social, and economic issues affecting the world today. The discussion will then turn to the issues that are having the strongest impact on the current global political arena, including access to natural resources, territorial and ethnic disputes, international trade and investments, terrorism, technological advancements, and the current global financial crisis.
MSGL 704 - Leading International Teams
In this course, students learn about the characteristics, structures, culture and dynamics of teams, and the challenges involved in leading teams comprised of individuals from different countries and cultures. Strategies for leading geographically-dispersed, “virtual” teams, including networks and parallel teams, are also discussed. Throughout the course, emphasis is placed the development of high-performing teams and upon approaches for maximizing the strengths that each team member, regardless of nationality or location, brings to the team as it works to attain its goals.
MSGL 707 - Human Rights and Social Justice
This course examines the international human rights regime, beginning with an overview of the philosophical underpinnings of human rights and social justice. Students will discuss legal instruments and social movements supporting human rights around the world, exploring classic civil and political rights and the rights of children, women, minorities, ethnic groups and indigenous peoples. Current advocacy efforts and challenges to the attainment of a “just” global society will also be explored.
MSGL 717 - Leading People and Managing Relationships
Leaders must be effective in working in multiple contexts and directions simultaneously. As organizational roles shift frequently and work is often outsourced, managing relationships with team members, contractors, and volunteers becomes critical. With this in mind, this course builds on emerging theories of emotional intelligence and self-leadership as they are applied in today’s fluid organizational contexts. The role of strategic talent development in a “think locally/act globally” model will also be discussed.
MSGL 739 - Leading Across Cultures
This course is designed to develop cross-cultural awareness and multi-cultural competency. Using theoretical frameworks, students will examine their own culture, compare it with cultures from other nations, and develop strategies for working successfully in multicultural situations. The importance of effective communication is examined, focusing on the manner in which cultural style may impact the exchange of ideas, perception, and work performance. Emphasis will be on developing intercultural understanding, negotiation, collaboration and problem-solving skills.
MSGL 742 - Issues in Leading International Development
This course is designed to help students understand and critically evaluate how development of less-developed countries and regions is conducted by different nations, organizations, and agencies. Students will be provided with a basic foundation of international development theory and practice, as well as with a knowledge of the key players in the development arena. The controversial aspects of international development will then be explored, including discussions of colonialism and dependency, environmental damage, bureaucratic corruption, and socioeconomic/political obstacles to people-centered development. Principles and practices of ethical development will also be discussed.
MSGL 802 - Global Environmental Issues
This course takes an interdisciplinary look at the manner in which human activities affect the environment at a global scale, and the scientific, political and societal measures that can be undertaken, regionally, nationally and internationally to protect and preserve environmental resources. During the semester, students will explore such issues as global warming, surface and groundwater pollution, deforestation, biodiversity, fossil fuels and alternative energy. The challenge of balancing the need to use natural resources to support human life and the need to protect those same resources will also be discussed.
MSGL 803 - Understanding the Global Economy
This course provides students with an understanding of the workings of the global economy. Conceptual frameworks describing the relationship between international politics and international economics will be discussed. Critical issues such as international monetary and financial relations, international trade, international accounting standards, foreign investment and transnational enterprises, and North-South relations will also be explored. The course will also include a detailed analysis of the role and function of key international economic institutions such as the International Monetary Fund, World Trade Organization, and the World Bank.
MSGL 804 – Global Health Issues
This course will explore the major health challenges experienced throughout the world today, including, but not limited to, such issues as water borne diseases, malaria, malnutrition, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, inadequate access to health care, clean water and sanitation. The cultural, economic, political and environmental factors contributing to their existence (and their persistence), will also be examined, as will current strategies to address these health issues and their root causes.
MSGL 807 - Ethical Governance
We have recently witnessed a wave of democratization process in developing countries where a number of countries have embraced multi-party systems and increased the influence of civil organizations, promoting inclusiveness and broad participation in decision-making. Ethical governance means ensuring transparency and accountability in the affairs of government. Moreover, major donors and international financial institutions are increasingly basing their aid and loans on the condition that governments must undertake "good governance." In other words, they should embrace the ideas of participatory, transparent and accountable, effective and equitable, and promote the rule of law, and they must ensure that political, social and economic priorities are based on broad consensus in society. This course will examine core elements of governance and provide ideas on how to address them.
MSGL 808 – Leading International Change in a Global Setting
Development does not happen without change, yet so often we try to understand and implement development processes without a clear understanding of change processes. The purpose of this course is to assist you in understanding, managing, facilitating and developing positive change strategies which will assist your organization, your client group or the countries or regions in which you will serve in the future. Change impacts development and global leadership at the individual, organization, nation-state, regional and global levels.
This course begins with identifying blockades to change and then moves to understanding the processes which facilitate or impede change. As global leaders, it is necessary to understand, facilitate and support change which leads to positive outcomes. The challenge is how to do that successfully.
Our case examples will come from the environment around us. Some of these areas will include Asia, The Middle East and North Africa to examine the “Arab Spring,” Eastern and Western Europe, Africa and Central and South America.
Whether we like it or not, change is inevitable. The question is how change can be channeled toward positive ends rather than result in negative outcomes. We are looking for intellectually curious students who are interested in bridging the gap between change management models, methods, tools and techniques (which will also be covered in the course) and to apply these to specific examples in development and developed countries.
Courses subject to change.