View from the Classroom - learning from each other within the cohort

What an amazing class tonight! Among other things, we discussed gender and leadership.

In this new cohort of students we have a wide age range -- students in their 20s through students in their 50s. I can't share specifics of the discussion as students shared many personal stories and so I will respect the confidentiality of the classroom. However this amazing group of students, with their varied experiences, in part emerging from age differences (as well as many other factors) took a fascinating, challenging, and complex look at gender and leadership. We discussed and debated and developed new ideas about a range of topics including: the glass ceiling, gender difference in leadership, stereotypes, prejudice, mentoring, and various experiences of how women treat each other in the workplace.

We pushed each other to reflect on personal experience, ask hard questions, and think deeply. We concluded our discussion considering our spheres of influence -- from home and our kids to the workplace, as well as communities and professions -- asking ourselves what kinds of commitments we can each make to address these issues. The list was rich and inspirational!

Until next time,

Harriet Schwartz

PRL instructor

View from the Classroom -- Why Interdisciplinary?

Last week I attended a residency for my doctoral studies, an interdisciplinary PhD program with Antioch University (I am in my third year and on the doorstep of starting my dissertation). And tonight I was back teaching at Carlow. Both experiences have made me stop and think about the incredible potential and power of studying in an interdisciplinary program.

In tonight’s class (Leadership and Ethics), students initially worked in pairs, not matched by discipline. We were talking about anger as a factor in the workplace and in leadership. Students explored this topic across disciplines. The discussion was rich and powerful.

In the second hour of class, students divided into groups by professional discipline: education, nursing, and corporate. In working to learn various leadership theories, they developed a case common to their field and then applied one of the theories we read about this week to address the case. For example, the nurses used Situational Leadership as a model for working as a charge nurse where one is leading a group of nurses that have a wide range of skills, experience, and motivation. The groups then brought the cases back to the larger group. These presentations had depth and clarity as they emerged directly from the students’ professional lives and they had collaborated with colleagues who understand the context intimately.

Finally, we talked about authentic and bogus empowerment. Students generated examples from their own organizational experiences and in the discussion saw common themes across disciplines as well.

This class reveals several aspects of the power of interdisciplinary learning. I believe an interdisciplinary program offers the best of both worlds – you will work with colleagues from your field and colleagues from other fields. Even when working with colleagues from your own field, typically they are from organizations other than your own and different experience levels from your own. This can be terrific as you will tend to understand a great deal about the professional issues and context of your work, and yet you are not intimately involved in the same organization, so you can offer each other new perspectives. Similarly, working with student colleagues from other disciplines can bring a fresh perspective as well as the affirmation that comes with the discussion of topics that cross disciplinary lines.

More soon.

Harriet Schwartz
PRL instructor

The Start of a New Semester

This week marks the beginning of the spring semester! We are all busy with new classes -- several courses offered for continuing students and PRL 713, Leadership and Ethics, the first course to greet our new students, our January class.

More soon!

Harriet Schwartz

Instructor