What makes a good or bad leader?  This course will be a mix of geography, economics, law and government, culture and history.  We will be looking at all these areas through the focused lens of leadership, with issues of social justice being discussed throughout.  There will be some readings to do before each class (not very long), we will have discussions and debates during class as well as learning some new content through games, video clips and brainstorming.  There will also be  the opportunity to write and engage in some projects together.  

The first class will introduce the concepts and focus on leadership qualities.  A comparison of two very different leaders will be discussed and analyzed.  (George Washington and Nero of the Roman Empire).  

The second class will focus on government leaders. Here we will focus on leaders who advanced system of government for the people they led.  We will look at Pericles, democracies first great leader and Queen Victoria, who helped give the power to the people by leading her country into the era of a Constitutional Monarchy.  A nod to Thomas Jefferson, founder of modern democracy will also be included.  

The third class moves into Military leaders looking at Napolean Bonaparte, and Hannibal the great conqueror from North Africa.  This  class gives us a chance to gain understanding of geography and how countries have moved and changed through military leadership.  This class we will also have the chance to share (if the student wants) a class project on what qualities they have inside of them which makes them a good leader.  

The fourth class marks the beginning of the focus on social justice in leadership as we begin to look at leaders and the law.  Hammurabi who developed the first code of law will be briefly touched on.  Abraham Lincoln and JFK and their use of the law to advance their leadership will be studied.  

In the fifth class we focus on non-violent leadership.  Giants in this art form, Mahatma Gandhi and MLK will be the focus.  Malcolm X will also be studied.  

In the sixth class, we will continue to look at non-violent protest and social advocacy with the added tilt of gender and leadership.  To study these concepts, we will look at Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and the duo of Ceasar Chavez and Delores Huerta.  

The seventh class will focus on leaders who sought to fight for not only society, but for the earth.  Chief Joseph and Wangari Matthai will be the focus, a comparison of their leadership styles and the outcomes they were able to achieve.  

In the eighth and ninth class we will study more closely those in more modern day who have led during war times.  The focus will be on Roosevelt, Stalin, Hitler, Churchill and Hirohito.  This in depth study will take what we have learned during the class about characteristics of strong leaders and apply them to the world powers at work during one of the worlds greatest periods of uppheavel.  Students can truly analyze what makes good leadership in context.  

The tenth class will be a chance to wrap up, to reflect and do some writing exercises to see if their thoughts on leadership have evolved over the class period.  This will also be a time for students to present their project study of their favorite current day leader.