Syllabus

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

EDU 810 – Ethical Leadership – Fall B 2020

Credits - 3

Description

This course examines traditional philosophical and ethical frameworks as well as moral development in terms of how transformative leaders can practically apply these concepts to teaching, learning and educational leadership. Students explore approaches to moral and ethical reasoning and will use these approaches to discuss ethical dilemmas related to leading change in schools, agencies, and organizations. 

 

Materials

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

Students will be introduced to a number of theories of moral behavior and, using case studies of ethical dilemmas in leadership, will learn to evaluate the relevance and efficacy of various moral philosophies to ethical decision making. On completion of the course, the successful student will be able to:

1. Define moral philosophy (ethics) and differentiate it from feelings, religion, law, and cultural relativism.
2. Differentiate among the fundamental philosophical frameworks of ethics: deontology, consequentialism,  and value/virtue ethics.
3. Evaluate multiple perspectives on and responses to ethical dilemmas using applied ethical theories and tools.
4. Practice the process of deliberating and making decisions about ethical dilemmas.
5. Develop a personal theoretical framework to guide your leadership practice based on moral philosophies (ethics) introduced in this course.

Assignments

There are seven graded discussions and three graded assignments in this course. The first written assignment occurs in Week 3 and is an analysis of an ethical dilemma from the student’s professional experience, using the theories that were studied in the first three weeks’ readings. The second assignment, due in Week 5, is an annotated outline that will be used to guide the final assignment in Week 7, which is a summary of the student’s personal philosophy of ethics as it relates to leadership.

Discussion forums are an integral part of this course. Student-to-student and student-to-teacher dialogue around course content will primarily occur in the Class Discussion areas. Your first post should be submitted by the day specified in the prompt. Respond to your classmates’ posts throughout the rest of the week. The minimum number of substantive, meaningful responses you should make before the end of the learning week is two. If you are aiming for a High Pass in the course, you should go significantly beyond minimum expectations.  

Chapter 2 Full Draft (Program Review)

The process of crafting Chapter 2 of your study is iterative and a true evolution of thought, growth, and research. At the end of EDU 809, you were charged with the maintenance and growth of this chapter, and to complete the edits and revisions given by your instructor. You are now asked to submit that completed chapter.

While this assignment will not impact your grade in the EDU 810, it is an opportunity for the program to evaluate your progress. We have learned that the degree to which students demonstrate a firm grasp of the literature describing their topic informs their success in the next phase of their doctoral work. To that end, we have established a review process to evaluate your draft of Chapter 2 and will provide you with feedback on areas of strength, and areas that require improvement

Grading Policy

Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:

Grade Breakdown

Week	Assignment	Points
1-8	7 Graded Discussions @ 5 points each	35
3	Assignment #1 Ethical Dilemma Analysis and Reflection	20
6	Assignment #2 Annotated Outline of Personal Philosophy Statement	15
8	Assignment #3 Ethical Philosophy of Leadership (or Practice)	30
	TOTAL	100

The criteria for all courses in the Ed. D. program are described in the modules and/or rubrics. Assignments will include guidelines with rubrics, descriptions of expectations, or examples, and include point values. Coursework will be assessed and graded using individual evaluation protocols that are provided for the three major assignments. Final “grades” will reflect the following schema:

• High Pass (HP): Work that exceeds all or most of the criteria of the respective assignment. To receive a high pass the work must demonstrate exceptional command and display of all or most required elements;
• Pass (P): Work that meets all requirements and expectations as specified in assignments, and is fully satisfactory in every respect;
• Low Pass (LP): Work is deemed unsatisfactory.

Note** The instructor will determine if an assignment may be revised and resubmitted for rescoring. Candidates may proceed to subsequent courses in the curriculum with one LP grade, and although there is no failing grade, a second LP course grade results in termination from the doctoral program.

All assignments are to be completed in a timely manner with appropriate accuracy, detail, thought and reflection fitting of doctoral-level degree candidates. All assignments (done in writing or with other media applications) are graded on the basis of faculty assessment of your ability to accurately apply concepts from readings, organization, and mechanics. See the appendices for grading rubrics. Please note that you must save all submitted documents in Microsoft Word in order for them to transmit successfully. All work must be properly identified and include author(s)’ name(s). Submit all written work in APA style (Refer to the APA Publication Manual for guidance; Purdue OWL is an excellent, user-friendly resource).