HIST2700 Leadership Lessons from History

History is full of examples of leaders faced with challenges that mirror the modern world.  In this course, we will consider the lessons for leadership offered by a variety of historical figures, with a focus on ancient Greece and Rome.  By balancing historical specificity with universal applicability, this course will teach students about both the past and the present.  This course will also give an opportunity for working on communication skills.  There is no final paper.  Instead, students will complete a multimedia project.

5/9 Introduction

Reading: What makes a great leader? & Leadership Lessons from History & Why Study Plutarch

12/9 Vision

Reading: Plutarch, Life of Lycurgus

19/9 Drive

Reading: Plutarch, Life of Alexander the Great

26/9 Ethics for Leaders I (+PPT skills) 

Reading: Plutarch, Moralia (sections VII-IX, XXVI) & PowerPoint Skills

3/10 Ethics for Leaders II

Reading: Machiavelli, The Prince (XVII Cruelty and Compassion) & Machiavelli: A Very Short Introduction

10/10 Persuasion

Reading: Plutarch, Life of Cicero

17/10 Public Speaking (Rhetoric) Workshop

Reading: Classical Rhetoric for the Modern Student, pp. 1-26

24/10 Communication for Leaders: The Digital Revolution I (Video Editing)

Reading: OpenShot Tutorial

31/10 Communication for Leaders: The Digital Revolution II (Data & Communication) Reading: https://public.tableau.com/app/resources/learn

7/11 Making Change

Reading: Plutarch, Life of Cleomenes

14/11 The World of Ancient Mediterranean Leaders (Meet at Special Collections, UL 3/F)

Reading: Bringing Material Culture to Life

21/11 Leadership in Electoral Politics

Reading: Cicero, On Canvassing for Office [online via library catalogue]

28/11 Aging

Reading: Cicero, On Old Age      

Readings

Students are expected to prepare for class ahead of time by doing the assigned reading.

The majority of the readings can be found here:

https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/e/roman/texts/plutarch/lives/home.html

Assessment

• 20% Participation in Tutorial

Active and enthusiastic participation in the tutorial on the basis of the reading (5% per tutorial). Tutorials will consist of in-depth discussion of the following topics:

1. 1. 1. Comparing Plutarch’s Moralia and Machiavelli’s The Prince
      2. Leadership and Communication in Plutarch’s Life of Cicero
      3. How to create a persuasive video
      4. Running a large organization and Plutarch’s Life of Cleomenes

•   25% Attendance and participation in lecture and departmental seminars

Each student is required to attend the weekly lecture and the tutorials, as well as participate in class exercises, etc. (5%).  Students must also ask at least two questions over the course of the semester (you must announce your name before you ask the question) (10%) with half the grade given for asking the questions (5%), then the other half given for the quality/relevance of the questions (5%).  From time to time, we will also cold-call students on students. 

Students must also attend at least 3 seminars from among term 1’s various meetings of the History Department World History Seminar or RIH Digital Humanities Talk Series via Zoom (send screen shot to TA as proof). You should also ask at least one question during one of the Q&A sessions (also send screen shot of chat box to TA as proof). The schedules will be announced in due course (10%). 

• 40% Video Project  

Produce a 3- to 5-minute video describing the leadership lessons from the life and works of one of the historical figures studied in this course. This video should include sound, images (like a PPT) and may include video extracts. Although it is not required, you can also produce Tableau visualizations. NB These will be uploaded to a class YouTube page.  In making the videos, you should follow relevant copyright guidelines.

Due by email to the TA who will put them on the YouTube site: Friday 6 December at 5pm.  

• 15% AI-diary

The use of AI is permitted (and encouraged!) in this class. However, it must be documented and reflected upon.  An important part of the assessment is therefore an AI diary. This can be a Word document or other format, in which you record the prompt, the response, 50-word personal reflection on the value of the response and how you might want to further prompt the AI or edit the output. You must document every single use of AI related to the course. You should begin keeping the AI diary from the very beginning of the course.

Due by email to the TA: Friday 6 December at 5pm.  

 AI Policy

By requiring an AI diary, this course follows Approach 3 in the CUHK Use of Artificial Intelligence Tools in Teaching, Learning and Assessments A Guide for Students:

Use only with explicit acknowledgement

In courses where students are allowed or expected to collaborate with or use AI tools, students may use these tools for in-class learning activities, exercises or assignments as long as they explicitly cite or acknowledge the use of these tools. Details will be spelt out clearly in the course outline and/or the instructions of the assignments. Students shall follow the instruction strictly and are expected to understand the limits and appropriate uses of these tools. 

Email Policy

The TA and I are here to help you.  We aim to respond to emails within 48 hours of receiving them (excluding weekends and public holidays). If you do not receive a response within 48 hours, please send a follow-up email. 

Attention is drawn to University policy and regulations on honesty in academic work, and to the disciplinary guidelines and procedures applicable to breaches of such policy and regulations. Details may be found at http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/policy/academichonesty/.

With each assignment, students will be required to submit a signed declaration that they are aware of these policies, regulations, guidelines and procedures.

• In the case of group projects, all members of the group should be asked to sign the declaration, each of whom is responsible and liable to disciplinary actions, irrespective of whether he/she has signed the declaration and whether he/she has contributed, directly or indirectly, to the problematic contents.
• For assignments in the form of a computer-generated document that is principally text-based and submitted via VeriGuide, the statement, in the form of a receipt, will be issued by the system upon students’ uploading of the soft copy of the assignment.

Assignments without the properly signed declaration will not be graded by teachers.

Only the final version of the assignment should be submitted via VeriGuide.

The submission of a piece of work, or a part of a piece of work, for more than one purpose (e.g. to satisfy the requirements in two different courses) without declaration to this effect shall be regarded as having committed undeclared multiple submissions. It is common and acceptable to reuse a turn of phrase or a sentence or two from one’s own work; but wholesale reuse is problematic. In any case, agreement from the course teacher(s) concerned should be obtained prior to the submission of the piece of work.