PADM 2110 Public Leadership for Social Change

Course Description

Public service organizations touch every part of your life and are tasked with helping improve the opportunities available to all members of society. Understanding the leading role public service organizations play in responding to and directing change is the first step in participating in that change yourself. Governments at all levels, professional associations, civic and/or nonprofit organizations, and local commerce enterprises are key actors in overcoming the increasingly challenging and complex challenges facing society. Different public service values shape the response of and leadership choices made by public service organizations when working to support social change.

This course extends the School of Public Administration's mission statement to undergraduate students that will go on to contribute to public and/or not-for-profit organizations that function at all interrelated levels of government around the globe. Students will acquire critical knowledge and skills to help them address ethical, equity, and managerial challenges in a complex and diverse world. This is an applied, experiential course that prepares you to lead productively according to public service values by requiring active learning practices and developing your communication skills by thinking through and defending solutions to problems with no easy answers and tremendous tradeoffs.