Course Descriptions
* General Education Course
+ Course may be repeated
# Lab Required
PERM: Permission
PR: Prerequisite
Courses for Undergraduate Credit
LDRS 105 Foundations of Leadership in Society: This course will expose students to concepts, theories, and skills relevant to contemporary leadership thought. Students will be challenged to consider their conceptions and philosophy of leadership. Students will examine leadership within contexts such as creating change, ethical leadership, leadership and management, and historical leadership thought and leaders.
LDRS 120 Issues in Leadership: Students will explore behaviors and concepts related to a leadership topic of interest.
LDRS 200 Discovering Leadership: Discovering Leadership invites you to explore how leadership shapes individuals, unites groups, and transforms societies. Students will explore human behavior as a social science, examine leadership in different cultures, and develop critical capacities in confidence, optimism, resilience, and engagement. You will create a personal plan for your leadership future while gaining practical tools to lead in ways that are effective, authentic, and sustainable.
LDRS 300 Introduction to Leadership Concepts: Leadership is grounded in a set of applied principles that you can learn, practice, and use every day. This course invites you to explore leadership past and present, from major theories to real-world issues. Students will gain knowledge about the foundational science that supports our understanding of how humans and organizations work. Through interactive learning, you will discover how to use leadership to be more effective working with people.
LDRS 302 Introduction to Leadership Behavior: This course builds your foundational skills and teaches you how to do the work of leadership. You will develop real-world abilities in collaboration, adaptive leadership, communication, conflict resolution, and creative thinking. Through strategic projects, students will design change processes for organizations or communities while building personal and organizational leadership abilities.
LDRS 306 Leadership and Team Dynamics: You will be introduced to key concepts of effective team leadership including structural elements of team design, how to set the stage for team effectiveness, and key practices in navigating the challenges of teams. Students will apply these concepts through a team-based collaboration preparing them to lead and contribute meaningfully in diverse team settings.
LDRS 310 Field Work in Leadership Studies: In this course, you will apply foundational leadership knowledge to address a real community challenge by designing a strategic plan and applying collaborative leadership in partnership with an external community partner. Through this service-learning experience, students will engage in a process of action and reflection. Requisite Information: P.R., LDRS 300, and LDRS 302
LDRS 401 Advanced Leadership Seminar I: Theory gives way to practice in this course. Through experiential skill-building activities, assessment, and coaching, this course provides students with various skills necessary for success. The system requires students to demonstrate a solid conceptual understanding of leadership and the ability to diagnose and plan interventions. This course is a prerequisite to Advanced Leadership Seminar II and will serve as the planning and beginning stages of the execution of a chosen VALUE project. Requisite Information: P.R., LDRS 300; LDRS 302; and Acceptance into the VALUE program
LDRS 402 Advanced Leadership Seminar II: This course is an extension of LDRS 401 and requires students to apply lessons learned in the previous lab to implement the developed change plan. Through experimentation and consultation with faculty, peers, and mentors, students will work to increase skills related to operations and collaboration. Students will create a comprehensive ePortfolio to showcase their final project and reflections. Requisite Information: P.R., LDRS 300; LDRS 302; LDRS 310, and Acceptance into the VALUE program
LDRS 407 Global Challenges: This course aims to educate and encourage the development of globally competent citizens and leaders. The course is designed to provide students with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to be engaged, responsible, and influential members of a globally interdependent society. Most importantly, students will be asked to think deeply about their world (including its future, current issues, its impact on their local area, and our responsibility as global citizens).
LDRS 420 Women and Leadership: Current issues and trends of women and leadership will be examined from historical to contemporary and from social to personal perspectives.
LDRS 450 Advanced Leadership Behaviors: This course strengthens your leadership practice by building advanced skills for influencing others and navigating complex group dynamics. You will deepen your abilities in motivation, decision-making, conflict management, negotiation, and meeting facilitation. Through applied projects and interpersonal challenges, students will integrate leadership theory into real-world practice, preparing to lead and follow effectively in high-functioning teams. Requisite Information: P.R., LDRS 300, and LDRS 302
LDRS 490 Topics in Leadership Studies: Courses will provide an in-depth study of a particular topic in the study of leadership behavior. The class schedule will display the course title and subject of study.
LDRS 493 Capstone in Leadership Studies III: This course is designed for students in their final stage of the leadership studies field of emphasis. Activities include practical experience in an organization that will allow students to exercise, observe, and appreciate leadership behavior.
LDRS 600 Seminar in Organizational Leadership: Students will conduct an in-depth examination of a particular topic in the study of organizational leadership. The course title and subject of the study will be displayed in the class schedule.
LDRS 640 Principles of Civic Leadership:This course explores the forces that drive social change, both within and beyond governmental systems. You will learn about the Social Change Model of Leadership and be challenged to step up as changemakers: designing bold strategies to address urgent issues facing societies.
LDRS 650 Principles of Organizational Leadership: This course examines the principles associated with the growing organizational leadership discipline. Course materials will emphasize human behavior in organizations, leadership's role in corporate life, and the process of organizational change and improvement. Students will apply principles of organizational behavior and leadership theory to develop innovative approaches to improve organizational effectiveness. Requisite Information: P.R., LDRS 300 and LDRS 302 or graduate standing
LDRS 651 Readings in Leadership Studies: Directed readings on a specific topic in leadership. Requisite information: permission required
LDRS 660 Global Leadership: This course aims to introduce students to the emerging field of global leadership. Students will gain an understanding of the history and origins of global leadership and the theoretical approaches to global leadership in complex, mondern contexts. Students will be challenged to access primary sources of international leadership and think deeply and critically about academic development in global leadership. Students will also explore various global leadership competencies and learn how to apply these competecies in multiple regions and cultures worldwide. Requisite information: P.R., LDRS 300, or permission.
LDRS 670 Leadership and Personal Development: This course challenges you to examine the unique life experiences that have shaped your leadership journey (past), where you are now (present), and your aspirations (future). Students will hone their leadership and communication skills through self-assessment and deep introspection. Requisite Information: P.R., LDRS 300, or graduate standing
MIL 100 Fundamentals of Soldiering: This course introduces students to the fundamentals of the U.S. Army and the Army National Guard. Students learn basic soldiering skills, including critical thinking, time management, goal setting, communication, and introduction to effective leadership practices. This course also provides a basic understanding of tactics, Troop Leading Procedures, and Operations Orders.
MIL 102 The U.S. Army: This course is a deep dive into the history and core competencies of the U.S. Army. Topics will include Military Justice, Awards, Promotions and Evaluations, U.S. Army History, Rank Structure, Military Occupational Specialties, Pay and Allowances, and the Organization of the U.S. Army.
MIL 201 Introduction to Military Leadership: This course will introduce all functions of military supervisory positions from Junior and Senior Non-Commissioned Officers to Company and Field Grade Commissioned Officers and translate those into their civilian counterparts. Topics covered will include Mentorship, advanced analysis of Troop Leading Procedures, Evaluations, Counseling, After Action Reviews (AAR), Risk Management, and Leadership Theory.
MIL 203 Basic Army Fieldcraft: This course will focus on the foundations of U.S. Army Field Training. Topics include Buddy First Aid, Medical Evacuation Procedures, Military Radio Communications, Weapon Systems, Basic Field Craft, Terrain Analysis, Introduction to Plans and Orders, and Orienteering.
MIL 301 Introduction to Military Briefings and Instruction: This course introduces instructor roles, delivery methods, teaching and learning models, and professional and ethical requirements. The study also introduces students to classroom management techniques, the basics of building learning objectives and lesson plans, and techniques for effective communication. Students will be evaluated on their ability to deliver planned briefs and instruction while maximizing engagement and learning. Modules will include Introduction to Public Speaking, Slideology, Military Briefings, Direct Instruction, and Group Instruction.
MIL 302 Soldier Health and Fitness: This course introduces students to the Army's Holistic Health and Fitness doctrine. Modules will include Behavioral Health, Personnel Readiness, the Performance Triad, Holistic Health, Army Physical Readiness Training, Injury Control, the Occupational Physical Assessment Test, and the Army Combat Fitness Test.
MIL 401 Platoon and Staff Leadership I: This course explores military leadership at the unit level. It is a required course to complete the Kansas Army National Guard Officer Candidate Program and is a prerequisite for MIL 402 Platoon and Staff Leadership II. The focus will be on introducing military leadership principles and reinforcing basic soldier skills.
MIL 402 Platoon and Staff Leadership II: This course continues MIL 401 Platoon, and Staff Leadership I. Completing the Kansas Army National Guard Officer Candidate Program is required. The focus will be on the intensive study of military leadership functions and processes and reinforcing basic soldier skills. Requisite information: P.R., MIL 401
Courses for Graduate Credit
LDRS 801 Theoretical Foundations of Leadership: This course exposes students to the large body of organizational leadership theory and research. Both historical and contemporary approaches will be examined in detail. Students must analyze the research critically from both theoretical and empirical perspectives. Finally, course material will focus on organizational leadership in multiple contexts and levels of analysis (individual, team, organization, and community). Requisite Information: P.R., graduate standing
LDRS 802 Organizational Systems, Change, and Leadership: This class will challenge students to embrace a systems view of leadership and organizational change at the corporate level. Students will compare, contrast and critique seminal and modern theories and models of organizational learning, knowledge creation, and organizational capacity building and apply them to their corporate settings. The course will enhance student ability to think systematically and develop a comprehensive understanding of the core competencies required to initiate and sustain organizational change. Requisite Information: P.R., graduate standing
LDRS 807 Leadership in Teams and Collaborative Environments: This course examines the leadership process in the context of team and group dynamics. It investigates process and content issues of team building, interpersonal and group relations, and practical problem-solving and decision-making skills in collaborative environments. The course places particular emphasis on the relationship between teams within organizations. Requisite Information: P.R., graduate standing
LDRS 810 Qualitative Research Methods: This course will give students an understanding of the scientific method and its application to qualitative research. Students will develop a research question, collect and analyze data and develop conclusions for qualitative methods. Students will explore appropriate means to present and disseminate the research to help organizations and communities to make accurate and informed decisions. Requisite Information: P.R., graduate standing
LDRS 811 Organizational Intervention Strategies: Students will apply leadership concepts and assessment techniques to design, deliver and analyze leadership development interventions. Students will develop practical applications to leadership development programs on the individual, unit, and organizational levels. Requisite Information: P.R., LDRS 810
LDRS 818 Ethical Leadership This course develops a framework for ethical thinking and reflection. The course emphasizes organizational leaders' moral, honest, and social responsibilities and applies principles to organizational leadership behavior and decision-making. Students will also investigate current research trends regarding business and administrative, ethical issues. Requisite Information: P.R., graduate standing
LDRS 870 Readings in Organizational Leadership: Students will develop a research question, intensively review selected readings and critical research to provide a foundation for answering this question, and then offer implications addressing the material studied. The instructor and students will agree upon the research question and develop a plan creating a basis for answering the question and providing recommendations for further review. Requisite information: permission required
LDRS 890 Internship in Organizational Leadership: This course is designed for students in the final stages of the Master of Professional Studies program. Activities include practical experience in an organization allowing the student to participate in a meaningful leadership experience. Requisite information: final semester or permission required
LDRS 895 Research Project in Organizational Leadership: This course is an individual study of a selected problem relating to leadership theory, organizational leadership, leadership development, or leadership education. Requisite information: final semester or permission required