Personal Leadership

Fall Semester
	SR		4901		Graduate School Preparation I: GRE Prep (2 Credits)
	SR		4221		Principles of Personal Leadership (3 Credits)
	SR		4222		Case Studies in Personal Leadership (3 Credits)
	EL				Elective (2 Credits)
	EL				Elective (2 Credits)
Winter Semester
	SR		4902		Graduate School Preparation II: GRE Prep (2 Credits)
	SR		4903		GRE Exam (2 Credits)
	SR		4229		Leadership Internship/Project (4 Credits)
	SR		4995		Senior Thesis (2 Credits)
	SR		4999		Oral Defense (2 Credits)

 

SR4901 Graduate School Preparation I: GRE Prep (2 credits)

Whether or not students choose to attend Graduate School after George Wythe, they will all prepare for and take the GRE as part of their senior year studies. Students will enroll in an assigned online GRE Prep course that runs for approximately two four-month sessions.

The Texts of this course will be the first half of an actual GRE prep course online.

Elective (2 credits)

Students may choose preexisting electives related to their emphasis, or work with a mentor to design an elective best suited to their interests and needs.

Elective (2 credits)

Students may choose preexisting electives related to their emphasis, or work with a mentor to design an elective best suited to their interests and needs.

SR4221 Principles of Personal Leadership (3 Credits)

Self-discipline is the prerequisite for sustained personal effectiveness. This goal of this course is to cultivate a real and lasting inner change in students. Each text is carefully selected to highlight particular aspects of personal leadership. Many themes and ideas are common among the texts, yet each book offers its own unique insights. Thus the curriculum weaves together many principles into a synchronous whole. If done right, this course should be one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of a student's life. It should be a time when new habits of time-management, prioritization, honesty, courage and spirituality are established. Each student will keep a personal journal, detailing what they have learned from each text, and what they need to do to apply these lessons. At the end of the course, the journal will be submitted to the mentor, together with a paper detailing the ways in which the student has progressed in personal leadership during the course, and how they plan to continue this progression.

• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen R. Covey
• As a Man Thinketh, by James Allen
• A New Earth, by Eckhart Tolle
• Radical Leap, by Steve Farber
• Lincoln on Leadership, by Donald T. Phillips
• Artisotle's Nicomachean Ethics, translated by Joe Sachs
• The New Testament

SR4222 Case Studies in Personal Leadership (3 Credits)

At GWU education is about knowledge and character. Neither element is complete without the other. Studying the lives of leaders who attained moral excellence, or moral disaster, is extremely instructive. This course is intended to be a series of case-studies where students examine how the principles of personal leadership were applied in the lives of real leaders. The astute student will look closely at the nuances of character, habit, and values that shaped these leaders. Where did Gandhi get his personal discipline? How did he apply it rightfully and wrongfully? How did Malcolm X go from prison to a holy pilgrimage? As the student observes leadership in the lives of real people, an essence of their character should distill into the student, causing lasting inner change. Writing assignments will be incorporated by the mentor of this course.

• Gandhi: His Life and Message for the World, by Louis Fischer
• The Autobiography of Malcolm X, by Alex Haley
• The Reagan Diaries, by Ronald Reagan
• Adolf Hitler: The Definitive Biography, by John Toland

SR4902 Graduate School Preparation II: GRE Prep (2 Credits)

Whether or not students choose to attend Graduate School after George Wythe, they will all prepare for and take the GRE as part of their senior year studies. Students will enroll in an assigned online GRE Prep course that runs for approximately two four-month sessions. The Texts of this course will be the second half of an actual GRE prep course online.

SR4903 GRE Exam (2 Credits)

In this course, students will actually take the GRE examination from an approved third-party organization. An official document of student test results must be submitted to the mentor before this course will be counted as complete.

SR4229 Leadership Internship/Project (4 Credits)

This course requires each student to set up an internship or field experience in the area of their chosen emphasis. Students will be encouraged to set up an internship that will help them gain experience, meet key people, gain allies and personal connections for assistance in future projects, and learn the workings, language and processes of their chosen emphasis. Throughout the process of designing and arranging the internship, students should work with their mentor, follow internship guidelines, and receive approval from their mentor. Students will also meet regularly with a GW mentor and with other interning students throughout the internship process.

To complete this course, students must:

• Find an internship with opportunities for leadership in a work or project-based setting, with an organization.
• Work a minimum of 320 hours as an intern within a 5 month period.
• Find a mentor from an organization, or an individual, in the field of leadership, and meet with them regarding your preparations weekly.
• Meet with a GW Mentor over the phone, internet, or in person regarding your progress weekly.
• Keep an Internship Journal and submit it to your mentor for review at the internship's conclusion.
• Write an internship report at the conclusion that details lessons learned from the experience.

SR4995 Senior Thesis (2 Credits)

Students are required to submit a Senior Thesis or a detailed description and analysis of a Senior Project. This paper or project description should be the student's best work, show outside observers the quality of depth and breadth gained, and highlight his or her academic maturity. Students should plan to spend a minimum of 48 hours completing this course under the direction of their mentor. Basic guidelines for the Senior Thesis are detailed in the syllabus. Submit a quality paper to be kept on file as the best work of your undergraduate years. Your may also submit a project summary to fill this requirement.

SR4999 Oral Defense (2 Credits)

Each student must defend his or her degree program by taking an oral examination administered in person or online by a board of mentors. Students will be asked to show familiarity and competency in each area of their undergraduate program. They will also be asked to defend their senior year emphasis and their senior thesis for quality, effectiveness and relevancy.

Stand for an Oral Defense administered by a two-four mentor panel. You will prove competency in each of the required subject areas of your undergraduate degree. The Oral Defense carries with it a $75.00 fee each time it is taken (fees for this class are subject to change).

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