Leadership Studies

THOMAS L. MIDDENDORF, Director of the Center for Leadership, Calling, and Service, Assistant Professor of Leadership Studies,2008—
BS, Trevecca Nazarene University, 1999; MA, Olivet Nazarene University, 2007; EdD, Olivet Nazarene University, 2009.

Leadership Studies General Information

Mission Statement

Through an interdisciplinary process the Leadership Studies Minor seeks to enhance the skill set of graduates in all undergraduate degree programs by providing a broad perspective on leadership and to enhance on-campus leadership development of student leaders for student government, peer mentoring, and resident assistants.

Student Learning Outcomes

Graduates with a leadership studies minor will be able to:

1. Compare the history of leadership and current leadership theories.
2. Examine leadership theories relevant to effective organizational leadership, development, and change.
3. Evaluate ethics, morals, and values as it relates to their leadership effectiveness.
4. Analyze theories, behaviors, and consequences of healthy and dysfunctional leadership.
5. Translate life experiences into leadership experience in light of course content.
6. Evaluate interpersonal skills to more effectively engage and collaborate with others.
7. Identify some of the common leadership issues of today.
8. Practice the tenets of servant leadership.

Minor in Leadership Studies

Leadership Studies Course Descriptions

LEADERSHIP STUDIES

LDR 2100 Leadership Paradigms (3)

Designed to help students gain a deeper understanding of leadership theory. Four specific leadership paradigms will be covered through the literature. Learners will participate in the Catalyst Leadership Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, October 6-8 giving them first hand exposure to some of the most well-known leaders today. The curriculum is designed to be interdisciplinary for students of any major. Leadership transcends the idea of a major. This class represents a culmination of leadership theory and philosophy through a participatory academic environment.

Fee charged.

LDR 3100 Destructive Leaders and Dysfunctional Culture (3)

Leadership is one of the most studied concepts within the social sciences. More often than not, we look at what leaders are doing right. This class allows learners to understand leadership more deeply by studying the opposite spectrum of effective leadership. We live in a society that provides countless examples of failed leadership in politics, religion, athletics, etc. Why do so many leaders fall? Learners will be exposed to theoretical principles and research on the dysfunctional side of leadership. In a nutshell, this course is the "Abnormal Psychology Class" for leadership.