10 courses with the subject CL, each shown exactly as we captured it from the college's catalog, with every element we hold. Where the wording looks broken, that is our reading of the catalog, not the college's text.
CL 6101Theory and Practice of Creative Leadership4
This foundational survey course examines leadership through a creative lens. A key premise of this course is that we need the methodologies of artists and designers alongside those of scientists and entrepreneurs to undertake necessary transformational change and worldmaking. The in-demand creative skills introduced through this course, which can be applied at any scale and scope of endeavor, include: resourcefulness, adaptability, comfort with reinvention and failure, deep listening, empathy, critique, systems thinking, disciplined imagination, storytelling, facilitation, and community building. The course reviews major contemporary leadership theories and approaches; and students spend time considering their own leadership style, philosophy, strength
This course introduces students to a framework and processes to address complex social challenges, grounded in the principles and methods of design thinking with elements from other schools of thought, such as social entrepreneurship, systems change, lean methodology, and community-centered approaches. Addressing such challenges requires a set of behaviors and mindsets that can be mastered and applied by intrapreneurs or entrepreneurs. Following a conceptual foundation, the course will shift to the analysis of case studies which illustrate the impact and potential scalability of design-informed solutions to complex social problems. Students will then apply tools they have learned moving from insights to execution in an iterative manner. Key steps in th
How do you co-create workplaces where people can thrive and feel agency? Where policies, practices, language, programs and initiatives center values of anti-racism, inclusion, equity, and justice? What are the tools, frameworks, resources, questions, and approaches that can help “operationalize” a commitment into a reality? And what work do leaders need to do internally to undertake this change with others? These are among the questions addressed in this course. Key topics to be covered within the overarching themes of cultural competence and workplace inclusion are: recognizing and addressing biases; shifting a racist culture or climate within your organization; creating an anti-racist, anti-oppressive organization; the work of decolonization; equitab
CL 6207Designed for Change: Structure and Finance2
How is change funded if not with philanthropic dollars? How do you convert social capital to economic capital? What are the advantages and disadvantages of creating an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), versus a cooperative versus incorporating as a 501c3 Nonprofit? When is a joint-venture appropriate and when is a partnership agreement a better option? This course examines both traditional and emerging business structures, financial models, and forms of partnership used to create and sustain social, cultural, or environmental change. A key premise of this course is that the business structure and financial model used by an organization should align and advance (not undermine or constrain) its social, cultural, and environmental values and ability t
In support of a more inclusive, equitable society, this course invites exploration of a range of relational practices for cultural understanding and change, in response to calls for civic imagination and systemic transformation. It examines how practices of artists and other creators develop critical (lost) ways of knowing that are central to human development and how they support an increasingly called-for shift in leadership-away from one grounded in individualism, competition, scarcity, exploitation of people, and extraction of natural resources, but toward one grounded in self-organizing (or collectivism), collaboration, abundance, and care for both people and planet. Students will experience and reflect on resilience under pressure, their habits o
There is increasing recognition that transformational change is needed to realize a just society where all life thrives, but less clarity on what this involves. During this course, students explore the essential role of collaboration across differences to imagining and realizing transformational change. In doing so, it honors the wisdom embodied by many indigenous groups and spiritual traditions and attempts to decolonize the practice of 'systems change.' This course additionally challenges the dichotomous relationship between culture and nature that is embedded in a Western worldview and, alongside the models for change from the natural world, asserts the critical role of creators, culture-bearers, as well as the capacities for (and fruits of) human i
This course focuses on the issues and trends in the area of ecological and regenerative sustainability, with attention paid to their interconnection to economic and social sustainability (e.g. environmental and social justice, inequity, and the North-South divide), as well as the role of art and design in sustainability. While a range of sustainability frameworks (e.g. triple bottom line, limits to growth, nature’s principles, and the natural step) are covered, students move beyond the goal of reducing harms and explore regenerative approaches. Students ultimately apply course concepts to design a regenerative approach to sustainability within a real-world context, and initiate a personal journey of transformation for regenerative leadership.
Management is evolving to address increasingly unpredictable and complex environments. This course invites students to assess emerging models of organizations that are based on human-centered principles, processes and practices and are decentralized and agile to be responsive to persistent change. Students will examine pros and cons of decentralized functions such as planning, decision-making, and operations. Flatter structures are coupled with remote or hybrid operations and the course will address how all of these dynamics influence management, culture, roles, collaboration and more. As a key component of thi s work, students will explore mindsets and approaches to employee motivation, personal growth, power and psychological safety. The course will
To graduate, all students must complete a capstone designed to apply and demonstrate knowledge and skills gained throughout the program. The Creative Leadership Capstone is composed of a handful of components related to one's matter of interest (a values-based change that one is seeking to address within their community); planning and implementation of the change one seeks to co-create with their community; establishing a vertical and horizontal eco-system of subject matter experts, mentors, and supports which is encouraged to transition into a community of practice and care; and a summarized demonstration, presentation, written essay, or exhibition highlighting the process of creative transformation within oneself and their community. This course is o
This three-week course is composed of two online weeks and one long week in residence in Minneapolis. It is designed to work in tandem with Creative Leadership Capstone (7410). In the process of completing key elements of their capstone, or sharing this work with others, students demonstrate a range of skills that are necessary to Creative Leadership community building, including: empathy, perception, authentic interpersonal communication, active and deep listening, facilitation or community coaching, and effective storytelling or other methods for engaging / educating others. During the week in Minneapolis students share their Creative Leadership stories, knowledge, and skills with others; support the development of an MA Creative Leadership Community
