LLS 410C | VOICES AND IDENTITY IN WRITING | 4 quarter hours
(Graduate)
The course will examine the power of the written word and the ways in which modern writers from various outlets (including mass-media) from diverse communities and fields represent their cultures, styles and passions for writing through their works. Students will explore these modern writers and examine some of their favorites as well as lesser-known authors while being challenged to understand and apply their own voice, identity and writing in multiple styles - with conventions and boundaries of academic style and without those boundaries. Students will analyze and identify and apply various styles, processes and motivation which keeps a writer going. This course will challenge students to use the learning and framework to build their own diverse writing portfolio.
LLS 410D | WRITING FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS | 4 quarter hours
(Graduate)
This course provides students with the strategies they need to successfully meet the expectations of graduate-level academic writing. With a focus on genre, conventions, style, and mechanics, students will advance beyond undergraduate-level research writing to deepen their understanding of scholarly writing and strengthen the critical reading, research, writing, and revision skills necessary to meet the rigors of graduate level writing. Students will learn how to effectively contribute to the conversation in their discipline. To demonstrate their learning, students will design a research plan for a topic of their choice and write a scholarly article complete with literature review and abstract.
LLS 410G | ADVANCED LEADERSHIP THEORY & PRACTICE | 4 quarter hours
(Graduate)
In this course students will be strengthen their knowledge and skills in leadership theories and examine successful applications in public, private, and non-governmental organizations. Students will examine classic and current scholarship to bridge between theory and practice. Emphasis is placed on understanding the efficacy of the theories in the context of implementation in a global business environment.
LLS 410H | EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP IN A CHANGING PROFESSIONAL ENVIRONMENT | 4 quarter hours
(Graduate)
In this leadership course, students will use readings, behavior/trait surveys, and case studies to understand leadership theories and models. Participants will learn to create, establish, and reinforce cultural rules of engagement designed to increase communication effectiveness and get the most out of the current human dynamic in their respective environments. Understanding these various leadership models allows students to reflect on their own style in today's culturally changing environments. (4 credit hours)
LLS 420D | APPLYING ETHICS IN THE PROFESSIONS | 4 quarter hours
(Graduate)
Moving from theory to applied practice, students will be invited to turn their new knowledge towards the field of engagement which is close to their own industry. Classic and contemporary case studies in business leadership, community organizing, nonprofit management, organizational development, education, healthcare, technology, and sports will all be made available.
LLS 420E | LEADERSHIP, CHANGE AND POSITIVE ORGANIZATIONS | 4 quarter hours
(Graduate)
This course examines leadership and change theories, with a particular emphasis on strength-based leadership and positive psychology. Students will examine a variety of leadership theories and discover how to craft meaningful change in our organizations. They will use appreciative inquiry, job crafting, storytelling and strength based leadership to enhance themselves and others. Students will learn about the theories and concepts and apply them to self and others in practical, real-world assignments that include development plans, training programs and papers. Students will share these projects with each other virtually. Students and the instructor will also meet synchronously online for 2-3 short sessions.
LLS 420F | LEADERSHIP MODELS FOR STRONG ORGANIZATIONS | 4 quarter hours
(Graduate)
This course is designed to explore the research, practices, purposes and scope of leadership as a tool to develop leadership skills that will influence and inspire others. Both individual and organizational aspects will be presented and will include such areas as behaviors, ethics, communications, cultures and current practices. Emphasis will be on application of leadership theories and skill building through self-assessment exercises and cases. (4 quarter hours)
LLS 420G | EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AT WORK | 4 quarter hours
(Graduate)
One's IQ (intelligence quotient) alone does not predict success in the workplace or in life. Emotional intelligence (EI) plays a vital role as well. This course provides an introduction to the field of emotional intelligence, evidence of its impact on individuals and organizations, and strategies for applying it in multiple settings. Participants will deepen their understanding of EI by exploring the research literature and completing an assessment of EI provided by 6 Seconds (http://www.6seconds.org). Strategies for applying EI to increase one's success and satisfaction at work and in other social contexts will also be explored. There are a several models of emotional intelligence, each with a measure used by individuals to create a profile of EI abilities, used as the basis for learning and development. Some focus more directly on the workplace or on therapeutic settings. The Six Seconds' model of EI is designed to have broad application and enable individuals to draw on EI across the various dimensions of their lives. (4 credit hours)
LLS 420H | LEADING FOR SOCIAL CHANGE | 4 quarter hours
(Graduate)
As the call to take action for social change across spheres of professional and personal life becomes ever stronger, those who seek to engage in the work of social change are compelled to think and plan critically and creatively about what social change means, what leadership for change means, and how it can be enacted effectively. In this course we will examine theories and models for social change in relation to social action-oriented modes of leadership. Through case studies, we will explore past and present social change movements that have been enacted in community, educational, organizational, and business settings, and consider the strengths and weaknesses of those movements and how approaches to change have been implemented. Using Chicago as a field site, students will deepen their understanding of real-world applications of social change leadership theories by studying current social change processes and interviewing leaders. Students will also chronicle the development of their identities as social change leaders and design an action plan that responds to an issue relevant to their professional or personal practice.
LLS 420I | PROJECT MANAGEMENT: DESIGN AND ASSESSMENT | 4 quarter hours
(Graduate)
Project Management is an important discipline that can benefit students in their careers as well as personal life. This course will explore project management methodologies, their common steps and tools. The course translates Project Management theory into a practical and effective methodology, starting with working definitions of Project and Project Management, the course examines project initiation, evaluation and organization using analytic techniques such as discounted cash flow and PERT/CPM. In addition, the course examines project execution and control, along with the documentation and communications skills needed to keep a project on track. The course concludes with an overview of project management applied to computer information systems development.
LLS 440A | UNDERSTANDING AND FLEXING MINDSETS | 4 quarter hours
(Graduate)
A mindset is a set of mind - a mental aggregate - that fixes thinking into a narrowed range of perceiving and behaving. Our expectations then conform and we indulge behaviors that align with those expectations. The mindset then sets the mind. Through this seminar we will explore both how mindsets (e.g. a fixed mindset vs a growth mindset) form and their benefits and liabilities. We will also consider dynamics and strategies involved in shifting/managing mindsets in order to develop/engage new approaches to learning, decision making, problem-solving and optimizing positive influence in various spheres of impact (personal, interpersonal, organizational and societal).
LLS 450A | FINDING & ASSESSING INFORMATION | 2-4 quarter hours
(Graduate)
This domain includes methods and processes of systematic inquiry regardless of domain. Adults must be able to engage in self-directed inquiry in order to understand and act effectively in their personal, professional, social, and civic lives. In this domain, students learn methods for systematically and strategically exploring questions, problems, ideas, and experiences. Central questions include: How do I formulate viable questions? What information do I need to understand a problem and what is the best way to obtain it? What are different ways to analyze an idea? How can I make sense of what I have experienced? Seminar sections in this domain might address topics such as strategies and methods for generating and utilizing primary research, gathering and managing information, analyzing and presenting data, pursuing targeted methods of inquiry, etc. (2 quarter hours)
LLS 450B | APPLYING SYSTEMATIC INQUIRY (IN PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE) | 4 quarter hours
(Graduate)
The two required sections in this domain, LLS-450a & LLS-450b, aim to explore various dimensions/dynamics associated with investigating sources of information and conducting primary research. Central questions include: How do I formulate incisive questions? How do I find and gather relevant and credible information? How do I assess/analyze information and its sources, including my own experience as a source? How do I make sense of confirming and disconfirming information? How do I differentiate knowledge from opinion from reasoned judgment? Embedded in these questions are core concepts regarding the authority of systematic observation/inquiry and evaluated experience.