OAGD 1010 - Women and Leadership

This course will explore the impact of gender on our perception and understanding of women and leadership. It will examine challenges and opportunities related to women’s leadership development in various settings. Throughout the course, students will be exposed to research on gender and leadership styles, traits, and effectiveness. The experiences of both women and men leaders will be analyzed to understand the evolution of women and leadership in the recent past and why the glass ceiling is still very much present. Effects of stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination on women’s under-representation in leadership will be discussed. Through case studies and discussions with leaders from various sectors, students will assess how successful women and men have navigated power and authority, applied knowledge and core competencies, and balanced life and work.

The course will also examine how women and men have worked to advance equality and diversity both in the public and private sectors.

Overall, the course will not only allow for a better understanding of the contemporary narratives that impact women who seek or hold positions of authority, it will also be an opportunity to assess and develop strategies for the development of more access to leadership positions for women and for the advancement of equality and social change more generally.

Learning Outcomes

• Understand the status of women in leadership roles in a variety of sectors and settings, and be able to articulate reasons to explain the lack of women in senior‐level positions
• Understand the perspectives of diverse women in leadership positions
• Understand the challenges women may face when asserting their leadership
• Assess and develop strategies for the development of more access to leadership positions for women
• Recognize and advocate useful strategies that can be employed by men who want to partner in advancing women in leadership

Professional Skills

Analytical Skills / Public Speaking / Critical thinking / Research & Writing

• Participation: based on structured debates organized in class 20%
• Individual paper that will consist in writing an Op-Ed (800-1000 words) 35%
• Group paper: in groups of 5, students will be asked to develop a strategic plan (1500-2000 words) that will offer concrete recommendations to bridge the gender gap in leadership positions in the sector of their choice (45%)