The Ethical Leader

Overview

This aims primarily at post-baccalaureate students interested in leadership theory and ethical leadership. The first part of this course introduces students to the classical literature in philosophical ethics, including consequentialist, regularian, deontological, and virtue theory approaches. This includes exploration of the ethical responsibilities leaders have toward themselves, corporations, the government, and the public. In the second part of the course, students apply decision- making frameworks, drawing from theories of leadership, and gain experience in decision-making surrounding ethical issues. Finally, students will consider the moral challenges that artificial intelligence poses to ethical leaders. This is one course in the Coursera specialization, Leadership: An Introduction. It examines the latest trends in leadership theory invoking several disciplines, including business, sociology, philosophy, history, and psychology. To complete this course successfully students should be able to analyze college-level readings and audio/visual presentations into understandable parts, including premises and conclusions; synthesize the results of the analysis into coherent and accurate summaries; and evaluate the results for accuracy and practical applicability. Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to • Identify ethical principles for leadership practices • Compare theories of leadership in terms of their ethical strengths and weaknesses • Apply ethical principles for leadership practices • Compare and contrast industry standards and techniques of ethical leadership practices