UNIVERSITY  OF NORTH CAROLINA                          UNIT: School of Education

AT GREENSBORO                                                      DEPT: Educational Leadership and Cultural Foundations

COURSE SYLLABUS

1.     Course Prefix and Number: ELC 751

2.     Course Title: Cases and Concepts in Educational Leadership

3.     Credits:     3

4.     Course Prerequisites/Corequisites: Advanced graduate standing, including students majoring in educational administration, and others by permission of instructor.

5.     For Whom Planned: Required course for the Ed.S. and Ed.D. in Educational Leadership.

6.     Instructor Information:  Professor: Dale Brubaker     232 Curry Hall    (336) 334-3460

                     e-mail: dlbrubak@uncg.edu

7.     Course Purpose/Catalog Description: Use of cases in educational administration to involve students by requiring them to analyze, role play, and make decisions.  Philosophy, social and behavioral sciences, and humanities which apply to administration.

8.     Teachers Academy Conceptual Framework Mission Statement: The mission of professional education at UNCG is to prepare and support the professional development of caring, collaborative, and competent educators who work in diverse settings. This mission is carried out in an environment that nurtures the active engagement of all participants, values individual as well as cultural diversity and recognizes the importance of reflection and integration of theory and practice. UNCG's professional education programs are guided by shared commitments to: (a) equity and excellence in teaching, research, and service; (b) professional integrity and ethical deliberation in dealing with students and colleagues (university-based, school-based, and community-based); (c) the construction of a professional knowledge base through collaboration and collegiality; and (d) the dissemination of professional knowledge, skills and dispositions through the preparation and continuing professional development of teachers, principals and other school personnel.

9.     Course Goals and/or Objectives/Student Learning Outcomes:

l.  Identify those forces that have influenced your career path to date (a challenge to assess

    their intensity and quality).

2.  Clearly recognize the role of your decision-making in “writing a life script” (roads taken

    and not taken).

3.  Consider options for your career path in the future.

4.  Share perspectives with others in the class with regard to the 3 goals listed above and

    listen to their views  (“reciprocity of perspectives”).

5.  Construct a framework for “the seasons of an educational leader’s life” [e.g., (l) before

    the beginning, (2) the beginning, (3) the middle years and (4) the later years or

    recessional.]

6.  Describe what has happened to you to date (professional autobiography) and to others

    you interview (professional biographies) to fill in the framework cited above.

7.  Use cases to explore the middle ground between theory and practice, ground where

    theory is informed by practice and practice informs theory.  (Autobiography and

    biographies cited above are major cases.  Other sub-cases or mini-cases will be part

    of major cases.)

8.  Assess the value of framework building as a research approach that may be used

    in scholarly papers and dissertations.

9.  Explore ways in which doing autobiography and biography may be part of dissertation

    writing.

10. Give attention to the context(s) in which your decision-making takes place.

11. Enjoy coming to class and class-related activities.

10.  Teaching Strategies: For example, lecture, class discussion, group work, conferences, student presentations, electronic chat room, etc.

11.  Evaluation Methods and Guidelines for Assignments:

Evaluation and Grading:

Since we are exploring new ground in the way this course is taught, we will discuss common elements in the papers each of us will write.  Please use APA format.  Writing for a variety of audiences will be discussed in this class.  Some of your writings may well be published at some time.  Some brief writing assignments may fit into the major paper.

Paper (maximum of 30 pages) will be due by December 1.  In an interview conducted by former UNC President William Friday, Fred Chappell says that “Everything I do is grist for the mill.  Everything fits into the work of writing.”  We will implement Chappell’s premise in our papers.  That is, students will rely on discernment to include in their papers ideas from assigned books, photocopied handouts, audio and videotapes, class discussions and any other sources of knowledge that speak to points made in autobiographies and biographies.  One good way to highlight these ideas is with header quotes, quotes that introduce the paper and various sections of the paper.  This will be good practice for doing a dissertation.

Note:  The major theme in this class is “KNOW THYSELF, OTHERS AND SETTINGS.”

This is not a “how to do it class” but it is instead based on the premise that our basic assumptions about reality influence daily decision-making at work and a home.

A comment by Lee Kinard, television anchor and doctoral graduate from UNCG, captures the essence of this class:

“It can profoundly change your life to get your life down in black and white.  What a relief to have done it!  It was refreshing to write my autobiography.”  [Lee’s autobiography in this class led to his dissertation and book, GOOD MORNING (1997).]

12.  Required Text(s)/Readings/References: Use full citations

Assigned Readings (in order in which they will be discussed in class):

CREATIVE CURRICULUM LEADERSHIP, by Dale Brubaker

REVOLUTION FROM WITHIN, by Gloria Steinem

THE SEASONS OF A MAN’S LIFE, by Daniel Levinson

THE SEASONS OF A WOMAN’S LIFE, by Daniel Levinson in collaboration with Judy Levinson

THE ART OF CASE STUDY RESEARCH, by Robert Stake

THESES & DISSERTATIONS, by Thomas and Brubaker will be a background source for ELC 751 & ELC 752.  “How can I get myself into my dissertation rather than simply locating authority in others’ research and writing?” is an ELC 751 focus.

Note: If you have read one or more of the books above, please read A WHOLE NEW LIFE, by Reynolds Price. This is an excellent example of autobiographical writing and it describes triumph of the spirit in overcoming illness.  Price is James B. Duke Professor of English at Duke University.  Any bookstore will have this book.

13.  Topical Outline: This might also be your calendar.  The course outline should contain sufficient detail to permit assessment of agreement between actual content and stated objectives and catalog description.

14.  Other Information: Any other items you normally include on your course syllabus such as Academic Honor Code, Attendance Policy, Additional Requirements, etc.

15.  Recommended Text(s) and/or Readings: A bibliography or list of references highlighting recent scholarship (pedagogy and research) in the subject area

16.  Alignment with State and National Standards: Attach a matrix aligning the course goals/objectives with INTASC and/or NBPTS, DPI guidelines or competencies, standards of your professional organization (CEC, NCTM, NCTE, NCSS, NASD, etc.).  See the CUI 553 matrix as an example. If these were included as part of the course goals/objectives listed #9, you do not have to repeat them in a matrix.