PAU Elearning

COM 611: Leadership Strategies in the Media  

Course Description

Leadership studies have, since the 1970s, begun to attract scholars in the social sciences and, lately, consultants in organizational behavior. This course has been designed essentially as a qualitative subject compared to a management course. Leadership has always been associated with courage and heroism, and this course traces the evolution of the concept of leadership as a behavioral skill from the earlier presumption that it was rooted in hereditary or genetic frameworks, or a natural gift deriving from special sine qua non traits. This course relates leadership with social influences and proceeds to examine the various modern concepts and theories of leadership. A major thrust of the course is the concept that leadership is best considered as a series or continuum of styles that can be taught and learned like all skills. The course relates leadership with management and entrepreneurship as well as with cultural and psychological dimensions. Media organizations and leaders are examined as cases.

Course objectives

The knowledge or principle of social influence should assist one to successfully resist and manage influence assaults. More importantly, the course sets out to develop the capacity of the individual to recognize the limitation of the tactical tasks of management as compared with the visionary and communication dimension of leadership. The idea of the common good and of motivation will assist an otherwise capable manager to become an effective leader. Comparatively large numbers of high IQ and expert executives fail in leadership challenges and would benefit considerably from a leadership course that demonstrates the importance of emotional intelligence. The course emphasizes the situational principle, so that a leader may take account of the capacity and maturity of his followers or subordinates in deciding what style of leadership to apply under different circumstances. This course also empowers a person in regard to other aspects of organizing people, as for example at corporate levels and in the effective use of power as a means, primarily, of removing “road blocks”. 

Expected Outcomes

At the end of the course students will be expected to

v Understand the difference between office holders, like managers, and leaders

v  Recognize and appreciate the characteristics of effective leadership

v Appreciate that leadership is not the preserve of the “anointed” in society

v Understand that leadership can be taught and learned, like most skills

v Acquire those principles of effective leadership, and apply them in whatever group or team they find themselves

v Apply their knowledge of social influence in resisting influence assaults and in analyzing and solving relevant influence problems

v Understand and follow the current mass of professional and inspirational literature on leadership

Assessment

Students are assessed on the basis of 50% CA and 50% written final examination. The CA scores are based on

v Class attendance 5%

v Participation in class discussion and group tasks 5%.

v 2 Written Assignments 20%

v 1 Written Test 10%

v Case Study Presentation 10%