EDLP 300

Course Reflection

In EDLP 300, Professor Kieran Killeen led the class through the leadership theories and skills, and provided opportunity for us to reflect and apply concepts to our own development and professional pathways. We started with exploring leadership theory (transformational vs. transactional leadership, servant leadership), different frameworks by which to analyze leadership (trait approach, skills approach, behavior approach), and real-world case studies of leaders within specific organizations. We examined leaders in all settings, dealing with challenges varying from mundane to extreme. Overall, the class was structured around the completion of two extensive writing assignments and smaller, more reflective discussion starter prompts. Each Discussion Starter reflection was evaluated by a peer member, and we edited assignments with feedback.

The two largest assignments we completed were designed to be applied to our own personal and professional development. The first large assignment was labeled the Leadership Development Personal Plan. Armed with our knowledge of leadership theory, we were asked to reflect on our own personal experiences and deconstruct our understandings of our own leadership profiles. Through carefully designed prompts, we explored our pathways to leadership, how our leadership was conveyed to others, and our future leadership potential. Personally, this assignment encouraged me to think critically about my own path to leadership, and the steps I need to take to morph into the leader I desire to be.

The second large assignment for this class was the Critical Leadership Biography. In this assignment, we were asked to critically interview a leader we admired. I chose to examine a previous supervisor from my work in Montana, and analyze her responses to a hour-long phone interview. The entire process was quite informative- from working on creating quality interview questions, to reflecting on my supervisor's responses within the analytical frameworks, I was able to directly apply knowledge learned in class to a real-world leader and organization.