Week 1
Introductions, review of syllabus and readings for the semester.
Monday
Watch First Class video blog
The link between learning theory and moral development & Exploring ethical dilemmas
Tuesday
Read Pijanowski, The Role of Learning Theory - This article introduces many of the key princples that guide this class.
Watch the Pijanowski Ethics Workshop part 1 - This video is me and a group of students. I interact regularly with the audience.
For the Week 1 journal entry for today I would like you to write while you are watching the video. When I ask the audience questions - write down your responses and throughout the video document your questions and reflections. If it is easier for you then you may want to use a word document for your notes and copy and paste them into the discussion board later. That would protect against losing your work during an internet outage, being timed out of the Blackboard journal feature, and also give you as chance to take notes in your own shorthand and clean it up a bit later if you like.
Reflecting on your practice
Wednesday
For this final week 1 journal entry you will take the first step in what will become a throughline project for this course: Describe a difficult decision or dilemma you have had to deal with.
When and how did you know you would have to make a choice?
What options did you consider?
How did you choose which was the best course of action among the possible choices?
Was it difficult to follow through with your choice? If so what were the factors that made it difficult for you – both internal and external forces?
Did you modify your choice once you were faced with actually implementing it? If so, how and why?
Independence Day Holiday
Thursday and Friday - Happy 4th of July!
Week 2
Components of effective moral reasoning & Developing ethical self awareness as a leader
Monday
Read pp 316-end startng with "step by step integrative ethics education" heading in Narvaez, D. (2008). Human flourishing and moral development: cognitive science and neurobiological perspectives on virtue development. In L. Nucci & D. Narvaez (Eds.), Handbook of Moral and Character Education
Tuesday
Watch Pijanowski Ethics Workshop part 2 - This video is of me and a group of students. I interact regularly with the audience.
For the Week 2 journal entry today I would like you to write while you are watching the video. When I ask the audience questions - write down your responses and throughout the video document your questions and reflections. If it is easier for you then you may want to use a word document for your notes and copy and paste them into the discussion board later. That would protect against losing your work during an internet outage, being timed out of the blackboard site, and also give you as chance to take notes in your own shorthand and clean it up a bit later for all of us to see if you like.
The role of normative ethics in thinking about moral development.
Wednesday
Read Narvaez - The Neo-Kohlbergian Tradition and Beyond (2005), pp. 148-156. This article can be found by clicking on the link and logging into the class blackboard account.
Add an entry to Week 2 Journal reflections on what you have learned so far. Do not feel boxed in by this prompt but consider asking yourself: How do I apply what I have learned so far to my future context as a leader? In other words, how does this knowledge inform your understanding of how you and other people you might be working with navigate ethical situations and as a leader how can you use this information to create a more ethical system, climate, and culture that is consistently more healthy and productive?
Thursday - Live Zoom Meeting at 4pm
Reflecting on your practice
Friday For this final week 2 journal entry you will revisit your throughline project through the lenses of different moral schema and stage theory. As you reflect on that experience with these readings in mind how do they inform what was happening with you and others involved in your dilemma?
Week 3
Conditions of, and obstacles to, moral courage & the judgment-action gap
Monday
Read Bolman, L., & Deal, T. (1999, May). 4 Steps to Keeping Change Efforts Heading In the Right Direction. Journal for Quality & Participation, 22(3), 6. - This article can be found by clicking on the link and logging into the class blackboard account.
Tuesday
Watch Pijanowski Ethics Workshop part 3. As before this video is of me and a group of students. I interact regularly with the audience. For the Week 3 journal entry for today I would like you to write while you are watching the video. When I ask the audience questions - write down your responses and throughout the video document your questions and reflections. If it is easier for you then you may want to use a word document for your notes and copy and paste them into the discussion board later. That would protect against losing your work during an internet outage, being timed out of the Blackboard journal feature, and also give you as chance to take notes in your own shorthand and clean it up a bit later if you like.
Framing the context of moral problems and shaping a culture of ethics
Wednesday
Read “Forsaking Honor” case study - This article can be found by clicking on the link and logging into the class blackboard account.
Post your thoughts on the Forsaking Honor case in your Week 3 journal today. I want you to consider Bolman and Deal's frames and the case study "Forsaking Honor" together - This is a judgment-action gap case in many respects so the primary question I want you to consider is: why did the president, institution and others stumble as they worked through the issues before them? You should also comment on how you would have acted in Dr. Reyes' position. Finally, what similar issues might come up in the k-12 environment (or other sectors you have experience with) - in other words: how does this higher ed case translate to what you may experience in a leadership position?
In many ways this case begins to bring together much of the work we have done so far including some we did not address explicitly but were assigned readings or videos. Issues like personal fudge factors, zero tolerance, ethical culture, frames and schema can all inform reflections on this case.
Thursday - Live Zoom Meeting at 4pm
Reflecting on your practice
Friday Reflect in Week 3 Journal by revisiting the throughline project: Think of 3 or more difficult decisions you made that you would change if you had to make it again - A moral failure where some part of you (if even a small part) knew a better path but you made another choice. Some thoughts on your journal which I will refer to later as your Personal Action Plan part 1. A moral failure is when some part of you (if even a small part) knew the right path, but you acted differently. The result of your actions is not what makes it a success or a failure for this discussion, simply that you knew that the right thing to do was one thing, and you did something else. For each of the moral failures you identified respond to the following:
How did you eventually resolve the dilemma?
What were the pressures and considerations that influenced your eventual action (e.g., social, cultural, cognitive).
Do you think you are susceptible to a similar failure now? Why or why not?
What strategies can you employ to be more aware of your barriers and effectively overcome them in the future?
Week 4
Prioritization of Values and Metacognition & Socio-cultural obstacles to ethical leadership: Incentives behind accountability
Monday
Read F. Clark Power, Building Democratic Community
Tuesday
Watch my video blog, Lenses for thinking about moral dilemmas
Watch Amy Edmondson, Learning from Failure
In the Week 4 journal entry for today I want you to consider the learning from failure video (and in your followup the Monday readings and video). What are the barriers you see in learning from your personal failures (think of the 3 and others I had you think about at the end of last week) and how can leaders create organizational cultures that support a positive approach to processing failure, learning from it, and incorporating those lessons in to future behavior or decision making?
Fab Five case study & bystander ethics
Wednesday
Read Fab Five Case Study Narrative available in Blackboard. News coverage and supplemental materials are not required but available if interested.
We will discuss Fab Five case in class. As you read the case study there are a few possible lenses you may use to analyze the case:
a) The moral schemas used by the central characters in the case
b) The dominant frames
c) The stages of decision making and obstacles that made it difficult to successfully move from one stage to the next
You do not need to exhaust each of these three lenses and in fact I am leaving it to you to choose how to structure your thoughts. So that means that you should feel free to choose any of the approaches we have used in this class to think about the moral issues in this case. As always, try to consider the role of the leaders (broadly defined) on this campus and how you suggest they might have handled this situation more effectively.
Shaping a Culture of Ethics, Conformity and Obedience
Thursday - Live Zoom Meeting at 4pm
Watch Pijanowski Ethics Workshop part 4. As before this video is of me and a group of students. I interact regularly with the audience. For the Week 4 journal entry for today I would like you to write while you are watching the video. When I ask the audience questions - write down your responses and throughout the video document your questions and reflections. Include your response to the "3 moral failures" prompt I give the audience at the end of the video. If it is easier for you then you may want to use a word document for your notes and copy and paste them into the discussion board later. That would protect against losing your work during an internet outage, being timed out of the Blackboard journal feature, and also give you as chance to take notes in your own shorthand and clean it up a bit later if you like.
Reflecting on your practice
Friday Reflect in Week 4 Journal by revisiting the throughline project: Think back on all the difficult decisions or moral failures you have journaled about so far. • As you reflect on these decisions can you identify and common themes, experiences, pressures, emotions, or any other commonalties from that time?
• What were the pressures and considerations that influenced your choice (e.g., social, cultural, cognitive).
• Do you think you are susceptible to a similar failure now? Why or why not?
Week 5
Ethical Principles in Organizations
Monday
Read How to Design an Ethical Organization by Epley and Kumar found in Blackboard
Tuesday
Watch Deb Meier video
For your Week 5 journal today consider Deb Meier's call to search for the cracks in the structure of schools that can be widened to provide more opportunities for democratic discourse and a learning by doing approach to creating a shared community for students and teachers. For this post I would like you to consider where those cracks might be, how they may be widened, and what you think the benefits/challenges will be to infusing democratic principles in your school.
Building Towels and Raincoats
Wednesday - No Zoom session this final week. Available for individual meetings to answer questions - just contact me if you would like to schedule a one-on-one.
Watch my video blog, Building towels and raincoats
Thursday
For your final week 5 reflection revisit the exercise of thinking of 3 or more difficult decision you made that you would change if you had to make it again - A moral failure where some part of you (if even a small part) knew a better path but you made another choice. What strategies can you employ to be more aware of your barriers and effectively overcome them in the future? These could be towels, raincoats, or ways of thinking through the issues. The goal here is to challenge yourself to think about how you can better position yourself if similar difficult decisions came your way in the future.
Finally, as you reflect on the way you responded to these prompts today vs a few weeks ago what is different about the way you approach this sort of reflection?