Minor in Leadership
Will you be ready when it’s your time to LEAD?
Leadership has become a buzzword in our society, yet many people have not taken time to develop their knowledge and skills around the topic. Leadership is more than a title or position. It takes focused skill development and consistent reflective practice. The LEAD minor represents your commitment to these practices through an academic framework. As part of the LEAD minor, you will develop an understanding of formal and informal theories of leadership with the vision of becoming a change maker in your future career and communities.
The Leadership Minor (LEAD Minor) at Western Carolina University is an interdisciplinary minor focused on providing in-depth instruction and participatory learning opportunities for students who wish to further develop their leadership potential and skills. Designed to be complementary to students' intended majors, the minor provides developmental opportunities aimed at enhancing leadership potential in collegiate, local, regional, national, and international settings. The LEAD minor is open to all majors! The LEAD minor provides a unique lens and framework to enhance self-awareness, team/organizational development, and systemic change with students’ academic disciplines. The LEAD minor is part of the Department of Human Services in the College of Education and Allied Professions.
The LEAD minor is guided by the principles of the Social Change Model of Leadership. Upon completion of the minor, students will be able to:
- Engage in conversations and critical thinking about leadership in their various fields of study as contextualized locally, nationally, and globally.
- Demonstrate the ability to self-reflect and explore their own personalities, gifts, and opportunities as they pertain to engaged citizenship through leadership.
- Articulate their understanding of leadership and demonstrate leadership competencies that make them competitive in the job market and well-equipped to provide community leadership.
The LEAD courses listed below will be offered in Summer and Fall 2024. Please contact Dr. Evatt, LEAD Program Director, at leadminor@wcu.edu if you have any questions.
SUMMER 2024 (FULLY ONLINE)
| Course Title | Class Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| LEAD 250: Leadership Lessons through Film (CRN: 50831) |
Class will be fully online (asynchronous) and self-paced throughout the summer. | Online elective course open to ALL students |
FALL 2024
| Course Title | Days | Times | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEAD 244: Principles of Leadership (CRN: 82813) |
Tues/Thurs | 3:30-4:45 pm | Open to ALL students (core class for LEAD minor) |
| LEAD 344: Advanced Leadership Practices (CRN: 82814) | Mon/Wed | 11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. | Must take LEAD 244 before taking this course |
| LEAD 494: Ethical Leadership (CRN: 82815) |
Tues/Thurs | 11:00-12:15 pm | Elective course open to ALL students |
As part of their leadership capstone project, students will design and present a comprehensive leadership ePortfolio that reflects their learning and growth throughout the LEAD minor. The ePortfolio is used as an on-going tool for self-reflection throughout LEAD courses and can be used to demonstrate leadership knowledge and skills to future employers and graduate schools.
Students are encouraged to officially declare the minor as part of their academic program of study as soon as possible. To do so, contact your academic advisor or email leadminor@wcu.edu. Declaring the minor will let the program director know you are interested and they can build your needs into the course scheduling. This will also put you in the communication thread for updates on the minor, including course offerings each term.
In partnership with the Department of Residential Living, first-year students have the opportunity to join a Living-Learning Community (LLC). LLCs allow students with similar interests and goals to take a LEAD class together while also being housed on-campus in themed floors. LLCs have a high degree of faculty and staff involvement and make the student experience richer and more meaningful. To learn more about Living-Learning Communities visit the Residential Living website.
The LEAD Minor consists of 18 credit hours of coursework. Of those credit hours, nine are required courses and nine may come from approved electives. Within the elective options there are three types of courses: LEAD Core Electives, LEAD Track Electives, Partner-Program Electives. Students from any major may elect to complete the LEAD Minor. LEAD Core Electives are leadership courses taught through the LEAD Minor and highlight leadership in specific contexts. LEAD Track Electives are, generally, living learning community classes for freshmen, as well as freshman leadership programming courses and job training classes specific to on-campus employment. Partner-Program Electives are non-LEAD courses that complement the mission and goals of the LEAD Minor. These classes count for the minor and are taught by other majors.
Required Courses:
LEAD 244 Principles of Leadership, 3CR
LEAD 344 Advanced Leadership Practices, 3CR
LEAD 444 Leadership Minor Capstone, 3CR
Electives (9 hours required)
LEAD Core Electives
LEAD 249 Diversity and Leadership, 3CR
LEAD 250 Leadership Lessons Through Film, 3CR
LEAD 294 Special Topics in Leadership, 3CR
LEAD 300 Leadership for Racial Justice, 3CR
LEAD 301 Women-Centered Leadership, 3CR
LEAD 302 International Perspectives of Leadership, 3CR
LEAD 343 Dimensions of Spirituality in Leadership, 3CR
LEAD 346 Civic Engagement and Leadership, 3CR
LEAD 381 Leadership Minor Independent Study, 1-3CR
LEAD 494 Special Topics in Leadership, 3 CR
LEAD Track Electives (maximum of 3 credit hours)
LEAD 140 Freshman Leadership Initiative, 2CR
LEAD 141 Leadership in the Campus Community, 1CR
LEAD 150 Band of Brothers: Leadership and Masculinity, 2CR
LEAD 151 Secrets of Powerful Women, 2CR
LEAD 152 Going Green: Leadership & Environmental Responsibility, 2CR
LEAD 153 Global Citizenship: Leadership from a Global Perspective, 2CR
LEAD 156 Cultural Competency & Social Justice, 2CR
LEAD 180 Freshman Leadership Initiative II, 2CR
LEAD 241 Leadership in the Campus Community II, 1CR
LEAD 483 Leadership Minor Internship, 1-3CR
Partner-Program Electives
BA 195 Movers and Shakers: Experienced Leaders and Experiential Leadership, 3CR
ENT 195 Social Entrepreneurship: Creating Innovative Solutions to Social Problems,
3CR
ENT 301 Innovation Leadership, 3CR
HPE 305 Adventure-Based Learning, 3CR
PAR 102 Western Moral Traditions, 3CR
PRM 270 Leadership and Group Dynamics, 3CR
MGT 300 Introduction to Management
PSC 101 American Government, 3CR
PSC 169 Global Issues, 3CR (previously PSC 110)
SOC 103 Human Society, 3CR
SOC 240 Social Change, 3CR
SOC 448 Social Movements, 3CR
SOCW 251 Social Issues, Policy, & Programs, 3CR
We make every attempt to offer the LEAD required classes and LEAD Electives on the following schedule*:
Fall
LEAD 244
LEAD 344
LEAD XXX (one LEAD Elective – selected on a rotating basis)
Spring
LEAD 244
LEAD 444
LEAD XXX (one LEAD Elective – selected on a rotating basis)
Summer
LEAD XXX (one LEAD Elective – selected on a rotating basis)
This schedule does not account for the class offerings designated as LEAD Partner-Program electives. Many of the courses listed in this category are offered each semester. Since they are taught in other academic programs, those interested in the offerings need to check the course schedule each term or contact the academic program that offers the course.
* The schedule on which courses are offered depends on many factors, including: number of available faculty along with their expertise, having sufficient numbers of students to enroll in a course, scheduling courses that match the majority of students working to complete the minor, and more. We do try to offer the core courses in the minor within a pattern so that students can anticipate how they might complete the core sequence. Given this, the information offered here is aspirational and not a guarantee.