DPLS 773 - Portraits of Women & Leadership
Spring 2007                                       3 Credits

DESCRIPTION:   

This course invites students to examine their images of women and leadership. When we think about “leadership” and good examples of leaders, few women are readily mentioned.  Mary Parker Follett is a good example—so much of current leadership theory is based on what she was writing about 100 years ago, yet she rarely is credited.  Her name is not the first one that comes to mind.  Are we lacking female examples because we haven’t taken the time to discover/uncover them?  The ultimate goal of this course is to create a database of real and even fictional portraits we can draw on when we are looking for examples of women and leadership.

In this course, we will do this by looking at how women are portrayed in books, movies, TV and how those portrayals shape our images of women and leadership.  It is important to note that we will be exploring women who are not only leaders by virtue of a position or title they may hold or have held; they are leaders in the way they may have lived their life (or are living it).

The essential questions for the course are:

Where are the women?
How are women portrayed in books, films, TV and how does that shape our images of women and leadership?
Who are examples of women and leadership?

REQUIRED TEXTS

Brizendine, L. (2006). The Female Brain.  NY: Morgan Road Books.

Graham, P. (Ed.).  (2003).  Mary Parker Follett: Prophet of management.  Washington, D.C.: Beard Books.

Ragan, K. (Ed.).  (1998). Fearless Girls, Wise Women and Beloved Sisters.  NY: W.W. Norton & Co.

Wilson, M. C. (2004).  Closing the Leadership Gap.  NY: Viking.

Wheatley, M. J. (2005).  Finding our way.  San Francisco:  Berrett-Koehler Publishing. 

RECOMMENDED, NOT REQUIRED:

Rhode, D. L. (Ed.). (2003).  The Difference Difference Makes.  Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.

Evaluation and Grade Assignment

At this level of coursework, attendance and participation is essential.  This is not a spectator sport—you are expected to be involved; it is also up to you to make the course meaningful to you.  This makes assigning a grade highly subjective and subject to a value judgment on the part of the instructor as to the quality of your effort, thought, and participation put forth in completing course requirements.

This particular instructor values quality of input over quantity.  I will be looking for demonstrations of how you are making the course material your own and how you are creating (not simply acquiring) knowledge. 

Your grade will be based on a combination of class attendance, meeting assignment deadlines, content (what you communicate in class and in assignments), written communication (quality of written assignments), and your work as it compares to that of your peers.

The criteria for the grade assignment in this course are:

15% Women in the News, Class participation: Intellectual and social interaction is a major part of the course. With only 8 meetings during the semester, you are expected to come to class and be prepared to discuss the class readings, bring your reflections, questions, wonderments, and conclusions to the table.  Part of class participation will include sharing a news item that involves a woman or women.  This may require you to pay special attention to when women are mentioned in the news and why they make the news.  (“News” will be interpreted broadly to include traditional news as well as entertainment news.)

15% Ordinary Women: Write a short paper (2-3 pages) about a woman that you have personal knowledge of, who you consider to be a leader in some way, shape or form.  This woman may be living or dead; the key is that you have personal knowledge of her.  Thus, she may be a relative or friend from your past or present.  Provide a brief description of the woman and how you believe she is a leader.  Bring your paper to class the first night, January 11.

15% Letter to the Future (DUE  March 1):  Imagine that 100 years from now, a girl is born into your extended family.  As she grows up, you want her to be aware that there are infinite possibilities for what she can do with her life.  Write her a letter in which you encourage her to grow as a strong, capable woman who will make a difference (small or large) in the world.  What have you learned as a woman yourself or about women that you think is critical to pass down to her?  Share with her words of wisdom that you believe will be helpful to her, your wishes for her and why these wishes are important to you. For course assignment purposes, this is what will be handed in.  For life purposes, you may want to include a photo of yourself and actually preserve the letter and photo with instructions for it to be handed down from woman to woman in your family until 100 years have passed.  Then it could be given to the mother of the young woman to whom you are writing—ask that it be given to her on the birthday of your choosing.

25% Book Review (DUE March 29): Students must read one additional book of their choice.  The book can be fiction or non-fiction as long as it is about a woman or women.  Some examples are:

• Biographies on women such as Hillary Clinton, Madeleine Albright, Eleanor Roosevelt, etc.
• Founding Mothers by Roberts
• The Captain’s Wife by Kelley
• The Princess Tales (2 Volumes) by Levine
• The Sunday Philosophy Club or The Number One Ladies Detective Agency (series) by Smith
• The Widow of the South by Hicks

While you are not limited to the above, the book should make a contribution to our knowledge of women and leadership. You will write and share a critical book review of the book.  A critical book review is very different from a book “report.”  The difference being that more time is spent evaluating the book’s content than merely reporting on it.  This being the case, the reader must use higher order cognitive skills than is required by normal patterns of reading and reporting. 

Generally, a book annotation and critical review contains three types of information:

1. a brief overview of the content;
2. an evaluation of the book; and
3. a recommendation or assessment of an appropriate audience for the book and suggestions for its improvement. 

Overview of the Book: Briefly describe the purpose of the book, the author’s perspective or viewpoint, and the general content – without detailing every chapter.

Evaluation of the Book: This is the heart of a critical book review, and should be given ample thought while reading and reviewing the book.  The reader should maintain a critical and reflective stance toward the content and consider the overall worth and validity of the book.

Consider the following questions:

• How successful was the author in doing what was proposed?
• Are the major themes or ideas well developed and understandable?
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the book?
• What assumptions or biases of the author are you aware of? How were they handled?
• Is the subject matter approached in an unusual or unique fashion?
• What is the quality of the scholarship?  Is the material well documented and referenced?
• How well written is the book?  Is the book organized in an orderly, logical fashion?  What were particular highlights for you and why?
• How does the book compare with other writings on the same or similar topic?

Recommendation/Assessment of the Book: To whom would you recommend this book (if at all)?  Why?  In what ways would you suggest the book be used?  What relevance does the book have for expanding our images and knowledge of women and leadership?

30% Database Contribution (DUE April 12):  Your final assignment in the course is to research a woman that could be added to a database which could be used to find examples of women and leadership. 

This will entail discovering or uncovering a woman you define as a leader. “Discover” means finding a woman that is not well known and does not generally show up in history books, etc. (For example, Sarah McClure who’s story was told in True Women).  “Uncover” means finding a woman that we may have heard of but don’t know much about (For example, Marie Currie).

Write a research-based paper of publishable quality on this woman explaining why she is an example of women and leadership.  In general, the paper should include a short biography, an explanation of why this woman is appropriate to include in a database to be used to find examples of women and leadership; her accomplishments; obstacles she faced; and her stance towards leadership (if known). 

The woman researched could be fictional; however, if that is the case, the paper will have more of a leadership theory basis to it since you will not find much factual reporting on her.  In such a paper, you would be arguing how this woman, although a fictional character, is still an example of women and leadership.  The paper must be cite-based with citations and reference list appropriately formatted according to APA 5th Edition.  The expected length is 10-20 pages, but that may be negotiable depending on who you are researching.

Grading System

For this instructor, grading is much like judging figure skating.  First of all, it is difficult to quantify what is primarily subjective, artistic work through “grading” it.  However, since we must, just as in figure skating, I tend to look at both technical and artistic quality.  Technical quality has to do with how well written the work is (complete sentences and paragraphs, proper grammar, spelling, APA style, etc.).  Artistic quality has to do with the presentation (how well it flowed, evidence of original thought, creativity, depth and breadth).  Also taken into account is Gonzaga’s grading system.  Thus, your course grade is based on a combination of the results of assignments, class participation, and general evidence of regular and consistent application of the class concepts.  Weight is given to the degree of subject mastery demonstrated by the student as well as the ability to communicate orally and in written form.

A/A- The student demonstrates excellence in grasping key concepts by telling or showing how they can use the information in their specific setting; provides ample evidence for support of opinions by appropriately referencing readings using class materials and others; readily offers new interpretations of discussion material. Contributions to class discussion are relevant, opposing viewpoints are engaged constructively, there is no attempt to dominate the conversation.  Written work thoughtfully integrates course material in a clear and cogent manner; sentences are complex and grammatically correct on a regular basis; ideas are expressed clearly, concisely, logically; demonstrates a high level of vocabulary through word choice; rare misspellings; writing flows for ease of reading.  Citations and reference list are properly documented and formatted according to the APA 5th Edition.  All assignment deadlines are met.  Student attends class regularly.  Work is above average compared to that of other students in the class.  Work is “excellent.”

B+/B The student shows evidence of understanding most of the major concepts; is skilled in a basic level of support for opinions (references course materials); offers an occasional divergent viewpoint.  Contributions to class discussions are meaningful.  Written work is adequate with generally grammatically correct sentences; ideas readily understood but show signs of disorganization; some transitions between concepts are missing; occasional misspellings; reader has to fill in some gaps.  Citations and reference list are improperly documented or formatted according to the APA 5th Edition.  One or more assignment deadlines are missed.  Student misses two or more classes.  Work is average compared to that of other students in the class.  Work is “good.”

B- and below The student has a mostly shallow or no significant ?understanding of the material; rarely takes a stand on issues; offers inadequate levels of support (no citations to support ideas). Contributions to class discussion are spotty and frequently irrelevant.  Written work is poor, garbled, or unintelligible; only an occasional idea surfaces clearly; language is disjointed; overuse of simple sentences and repetition of words; paragraphs are often unrelated to each other.  Citations and reference list are sloppy or missing, not formatted according to APA 5th Edition.  Two or more assignment deadlines are missed.  Student misses three or more classes.  Work is below average compared to that of other students in the class.  Overall, work is below that expected of a Graduate student.

Grading Criteria for Written Assignments

Written work is evaluated in three areas: quality of the content (what you say), quality of expression (how you say it) and technicalities (spelling, grammar, punctuation, APA style, etc.)

Breadth and Depth: You must show evidence you have thought about the topic in depth.  This will require you to do more than explain or describe the concepts you are learning.  Analyze the topic from differing views and show you have wrestled with it.  Course material is thoughtfully integrated in a clear and cogent manner.

Organization and Logical Development: You should have a purpose or theme that is introduced in the beginning of the paper/project, developed in the body and referred to in the conclusion.  Paragraphs should be linked to each other in a logical sequence using transitional sentences.  Use arguments, examples, facts, opinions and details to explain your point and lend credibility to what you are saying.  Ideas are expressed clearly, concisely, logically.

Clarity: Choose your words carefully and construct complex sentences purposefully so that each point you make is expressed as precisely and clearly as possible. A high level of vocabulary is demonstrated through word choice.

Grammar, Punctuation, Spelling: Use correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling on a regular basis.  Verbs should agree with their subjects, sentences should be complete, and paragraphs are more than one sentence long. 

Transitions, Summaries, and Conclusions:  Provide transitions between ideas and sections, summarize sections of the paper, and end with an overall conclusion to remind the reader of the main points.  Writing flows for ease of reading.

APA Style (5th Edition): Sources are cited properly within the text and a complete reference list is provided.  Perform your own reference audit: are all citations mentioned in the text on the reference list?  Is everything on the reference list a work cited in the text of the paper?  Headings are formatted and used appropriately.

Creativity: You are encouraged to be creative.  Make the class concepts your own.  You do not have to agree with the readings or the instructor, but you do have to be able to explain what you agree and disagree with and why.

Revise, revise, revise!  While you may have to write a shitty first draft to get something written, this is not the draft you hand in.  In Bird by Bird, Lamott suggests at least three drafts:  a terrible first one, a second draft that is fixed up, and the third one, which is where you edit in detail. This is the one you may begin to think about handing in as a class assignment.

The Doctoral Program Course Papers Rubric will be used to evaluate written assignments.

Professor’s Assumptions About This Class

1. Intellectual and social interaction is an essential part of this course.  Because this will not be a course where you come and take notes for a few hours, your absence in a class meeting will be noticed.  I understand there are conflicts that may prevent you from attending all class meetings for the full length of time.  If you do need to miss part or all of a class, it is your responsibility to notify me and contact another class member to find out what you missed.  Depending on what you miss, you may be asked to complete a “make-up” assignment, the nature of which will be negotiated by you and me.  Because I do believe people who are able to attend all class meetings should be recognized for that, if you miss class, your grade for the “Class Participation” portion of the course may be less than an “A.”
2. While I do believe class attendance is critical, I do not expect you to risk your life to get to class, which means if the weather is bad or you are sick, use your own judgment about the importance of getting to class vs. staying safe or getting well.
3. In order to end on time, we need to start on time.  I realize some of you may be late to class.  If and when this happens, you will have to take it upon yourself to get caught up with what is going on in class when you walk in.  We will not necessarily stop and recap what you missed.  Every effort will be made to end class on time, however, please recognize that a rousing class discussion may take us over “time;” an essential point may still need to be covered; or announcements related to the next class meeting may need to be made.  You can expect to be here the full scheduled class time and rarely get out of class early.  This is not due to a need on my part to fill time, but rather, my experience of racing against the clock to provide you with what I hope is a provocative, challenging, true graduate level experience that is worthy of the time and money you are investing furthering your education.  (Note: I have yet to see a student turn into a pumpkin when the clock hits the ending time…)
4. Part of my job is to bring material and perspectives to the class that are outside of the assigned reading.  Readings are chosen to provide you with a foundation in the topic.  However, the assigned reading in this or any doctoral class is the tip of the iceberg.  Although it may seem like a lot of reading, we will barely skim the surface of this topic.  It is expected that you have completed the assigned reading for each class so that you come to class informed and ready to contribute to the discussion.  However, we may not always specifically talk about the reading.  Class time will generally be used to expand upon what you have read, engage in activities related to the topic, and discuss assignments.  Could you get away without doing the assigned reading?  Probably.  But at this level, I assume you are interested in personal and professional growth and being familiar with the literature in the field is essential to your growth as a scholar-practitioner.
5. Learning is a journey.  Courses are developed “tentatively.”  Things can happen during the summer that would cause changes to the syllabus, including changes to class meeting times and assignments.  Allowing for this flexibility means that we can adjust the course based on our responses to course assignments, readings, current events, etc.
6. Assignments are due on the date specified.  Exceptions will be considered on a case-by-case basis.  If all coursework is not completed by the end of the course, you will receive a grade of “I” (incomplete) with a provisional grade.  See page 9 of the current Graduate Catalogue for more information about the “I” grade.
7. Papers are to be word processed using 1-inch margins, standard fonts, double-spaced, following APA format for the citation of references and headings. You may want to use the Doctoral “Paper Format” which can be found at www.gonzaga.edu/doctoral.  The link is at the bottom left hand corner.  While the quality of the content is more important than the quantity, it is expected you will thoroughly cover the subject you are writing about.  You are expected to cite sources (following APA style) and provide a reference list when appropriate.  Because it is assumed this is not the first time you have had to follow APA style for a written assignment, there will be very little mercy given towards APA errors.  Although you are not necessarily writing for publication purposes, it is expected that you will strive to write at a high standard.  (See the “Grading Criteria for Written Assignments.”)  Please keep in mind, this is a doctoral level class.
8. When handing in papers, I prefer them to be simply stapled or paper-clipped.  The first page should be a title page with, at the very least, the course number and your name on it.  One of my professors would not accept a paper that was presented in a pretty plastic cover—now I know why.
9. If you receive a grade of lower than A- on an assignment (which means a grade of B+ or lower), and you feel a need to re-do it, that will be negotiated on a case by case basis.
10. Academic honesty:  It is expected that the work of each student will be their original work.  Academic dishonestly includes, but is not limited to: cheating, fabrication, plagiarism, and facilitating academic dishonesty.  Plagiarism is defined as but not limited to, the use, by paraphrase or direct quotation, of the published or unpublished work of another person without full and clear acknowledgment.  Do not present the work of another (this includes ideas as well as words) as your own: give credit where credit is due.  Plagiarism will not be tolerated.  According to Gonzaga’s policy, andy student found guilty of academic dishonesty is subject to disciplinary action.
11. This is a doctoral level course.  This means you will do a lot of reading, writing, and discussing of theoretical, philosophical, and abstract concepts.  You will be writing a dissertation.  I view writing as a way of knowing, a method of discovery and inquiry.  Use the written assignments in this (and any other) class to sharpen your writing skills so that by the time you get to writing your dissertation, you know APA style and can write at a level acceptable for publication.  For purposes of this class, it is assumed that you have already written APA-style papers for previous classes and have received feedback on your writing.  Comments on written assignments will be made with this in mind.  While my comments may appear to be more Simon Cowell-like (harsh) than Paula Abdul-ish (encouraging), you need to be prepared to write a dissertation.  Feedback will be provided towards the goal of deepening your thinking and improving writing skills.
12. Depth and breadth: A doctoral level education is about developing depth and breadth in the field.  We provide breadth to an extent through the program curriculum.  Courses in the program are designed to relate to but not duplicate one another.  Thus, topics you may have thought should have been covered in a particular class may no have been because they are the curriculum for a different class.  By taking different classes in the program curriculum, you will get broad exposure to the field of leadership.  Developing depth is more up to you.  You have to decide what specifically you want to learn more about and use your classes as different lenses for studying that topic.  This may help you with assignments: you can take a paper or project for one class and re-develop it for another class.  While recycling the same paper or project with no changes except for the name of the class and professor would be “cheating,” using the same paper or project from one class as a foundation for an assignment in another is a way to develop depth.
13. It is my goal to create and facilitate a learning environment such that the intellectual, personal, social, and ethical development of all of us is stimulated.  Each person in the room will be integral to the creation of that environment by encouraging intellectual honesty and respectfully listening to the viewpoints of others.  It is expected that what each person brings in terms of experiential and academic knowledge will be shared.  The goal of such interaction is not to always reach consensus but to understand where each other is coming from.
14. The creation of such a learning environment is not solely my responsibility.  The classroom is “our” classroom.  While I am responsible for facilitating the learning experience when we meet, because my tolerance level for different things is different than yours, it is acceptable and may even be necessary for you to take responsibility for steering the class back on track or clarifying what the purpose of a discussion or activity is.
15. Communication about the class will happen via e-mail.  Announcements that didn’t get made during class, “after-thoughts,” clarifications, etc. may all come to you via e-mail.
16. You may have to remind me of things—like you’ll have to miss a class or I didn’t respond to an e-mail you sent.  It’s OK to ask me again if you haven’t gotten a response in a reasonable amount of time.
17. It is OK to have FUN and LEARN at the same time!

TENTATIVE Course Schedule

TIME & PLACE:  Thursdays, 6-10 PM, RC 130
PROFESSOR: Dr. Karen Norum, Assistant Professor of Leadership Studies
OFFICE HOURS: by Appointment; Office # 248
PHONE: 323-3630 (O 1)   434-8989 (O 2) 
EMAIL: norum@gonzaga.edu (This is the best way to contact me)

Tentative Calendar

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