Organizational Leadership Studies

Faculty: Associate Professor Clyde (coordinator) 
Faculty and staff members supporting leadership programs at Cottey College include: Professor Firkus; Denise Hedges; and Kris Korb 

At Cottey, we believe all young women have the potential to be leaders. From the moment they step foot on campus, students are encouraged to begin thinking that way, too. Leadership courses and a B.A. and Certificate in Organizational Leadership function as the academic program component of the College’s overall leadership initiative; which also includes the Leadership, Experiences, Opportunity (LEO) certification program and Student Life leadership development opportunities. Through leadership programming and education opportunities, students find their own voices and begin to define their place in and contributions to the larger world. They learn practical skills and behaviors that support their development into highly effective leaders and are exposed to research and theory associated with this field of study.

Degrees and Certificates

Courses

OLS/WGS 102: Foundations in Leadershp

Credits 3
Introduces theoretical and practical understanding of leadership. Assists in defining personal leadership orientation and philosophy, building relationships, initiating change, and empowering others. Emphasis on Organizational Leadership.

OLS 211: Leadership Excursion

Credits 1
Faculty-led excursions enable students to “experience and do leadership” so they may understand issues in a more sophisticated and critical way. Excursions require a minimum of 15 hours of academic commitment in and out of the classroom per credit hour. Topics vary.

OLS 220: The Followership Imperative

Credits 3
Explores the dynamic relationships between leadership and followership. Followership is critical to any individual’s leadership development and their role in the leadership process is essential. The course is offered in partnership with the Vernon County Ambulance District and students will complete required component of FEMA’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training.

OLS 230: Leadership in Sport Organizations

Credits 3
Exploration of the application of leadership concepts and theories within a sport organization context is extremely important for the success and health of the franchise, department, or company. Topics will include organizational culture, strategic decision-making, communication, motivation and the role of human resources in an atmosphere of complexity and diversity.

OLS 260: Ethical Leadership

Credits 3
An examination of the unique ethical challenges faced by leaders with an emphasis on building ethical competency through self-assessment, challenge, and feedback. The emphasis of this class is practical application of ethical concepts, philosophies and approaches in order to develop more mindful and effective women leaders.

OLS 280: Organizational Leadership and Change

Credits 3
Understanding organizations’ goals, motivations of their leaders, and the framework in which decisions are made is essential for effective leadership. Students will be introduced to foundational terms, concepts, and values that guide framing within organizations and the properties necessary for change to occur and be successful.

OLS 320: The Leader Within

Credits 3
The Leader Within will focus on concepts related to Selfleadership. Self-Leadership is the practice of intentionally influencing your thinking, feeling and behaviors to achieve your objectives (Bryant & Kazan 2012). This academically based service-learning course will provide an opportunity for students to examine their own leadership through concepts such as Emotional Intelligence and Authentic Leadership. The course will be grounded in both theory and practice utilizing experiential and discussion-based learning. Service-learning links the academic content of the course with experience in the community through intentional readings, discussion, and reflection on the service experience. Fulfills writing-intensive requirement.

OLS 332: Leadership for Social Change

Credits 3
Academically based service-learning course in which students examine leadership in the context of social change, both theoretically and through observation and interview. The course will be grounded in both theory and practice utilizing experiential and discussion-based learning. Service-learning links the academic content of the course with experience in the community through intentional readings, discussion, and reflection on the service experience. Fulfills writing-intensive requirement.

OLS 350: Team Leadership and Group Dynamics

Credits 3
Team Leadership and Group Dynamics is an academically based service-learning course in which students examine how group behavior affects organizational effectiveness, conflict management, decision making, and strategies for efficient group outcomes. Through activities in this course, students will explore thier leadership skills specifically related to groups and group social process. Empasis will be placed on such topics as group decision-making, participation in groups, power and authority, and a variety of communication styles. Service-Learning and group community observation activities will provide an opportunity to evaluate current group processes and apply learning to actual structures. Fulfills writing-intensive requirement.

OLS 360: Incusivel Leadershp: Gender, Culture and Intersectionality

Credits 3
There is a need for the leaders of the future to be aware of and sensitive to the cultural, gender and intersectionality that is inherent within the communities, organizations, and individuals with whom they will work. The course emphasizes the role of women in various cultures and the impact of culture, gender and intersectionality (the interplay between gender and culture) from a leadership perspective. Students will engage in discussions both within the course and with leaders from a variety of cultures to evaluate how to best be successful in a complex world..

OLS 420: Leadership Theories and Practices

Credits 3
An examination of the theories and skills necessary for the development of effective leadership with an emphasis on leadership, its theory and practice. The course includes opportunities for evaluating leaders and leadership behavior in a variety of contexts. Basic concepts of leadership theory will be discussed followed by an in-depth study of modern and historical conceptualizations of leadership and examination of the application of various leadership skills and approaches.Fulfills writing-intensive requirement.

OLS 480: Organizational Leadership Seminar

Credits 1
The Senior Seminar will serve as the precursor to the capstone experience and the culminating course for students in the OLS minor. Students will complete work to present a public TED-type presentation that ties together personal learning, growth and application of leadership concepts. For students in the OLS major, the seminar will also serve as a time to consider and develop the plan for their capstone. Class meetings will provide support for presentation development and planning for OLS major capstone.

WGS/OLS 102: Foundations in Leadership

Credits 3
Introduces theoretical and practical understanding of leadership. Assists in defining personal leadership orientation and philosophy, building relationships, initiating change, and empowering others. Emphasis on Organizational Leadership.