Courses ofInstruction
The Centennial Center
The Centennial Center was created to support HWS students in gaining access to coursework, presentations, workshops and community projects that deepen their understanding of leadership. Through innovative co-curricular programs such as the Centennial Scholars Program, the First-Year Mentor Program, the Leader in Residence Speaker Series, and the Public Leadership Education Network (PLEN), The Center offers unparalleled experiences and resources for young leaders to develop global awareness, community focus, and the skills to transform conviction into change. Students are encouraged to pursue leadership courses beginning in spring of their first year.
Offerings
The Centennial Center offers a Leads Leadership Certificate and a Degree with Leadership Distinction. The Leads Leadership Certificate Program is designed to purposefully guide students in the study of leadership and offers the opportunity to develop as leaders through academic enrichment and applied learning. This program provides the foundation for students to embark upon, or continue, their journey of developing into ethical, inclusive and value-based leaders.
The Degree with Leadership Distinction allows students to complete the same milestones as the Leads Leadership Certificate students but done in the context of their chosen field. Through experiential learning, mentorship, and interdisciplinary coursework within their chosen field of study, they will acquire insights, perspectives and experiences that will support them along their personal and professional journey at HWS and beyond. Participating majors include: Anthropology, Art History, Asian Studies, Economics, Educational Studies, Gender, Sexuality & Intersectional Justice, Geoscience, Greek and Roman Studies, History, International Relations, Management & Entrepreneurship, Music, Politics, Psychological Science, Public Health, and Spanish, Latin American, and Bilingual Studies. Students who fulfill the program requirements earn a leadership designation on their degree and develop a thorough comprehension of proficient leadership within their selected field of study.
Course Descriptions
LEAD 104: Leadership Theory I By providing an overview of contemporary leadership theories, this course deepens students' understanding of leadership and balances academic enrichment with engaged learning. Students enter in a cohort by way of the Leadership Theory I course and complete a cohort project together. Students also start an individual portfolio that chronicles their growth, perspectives, values, experiences and personal leadership understanding. Students will add to their portfolio throughout each of the certificate requirements and be expected to submit a copy of their completed portfolio.
LEAD 106 HWS Leads: Public Speaking HWS Leads: Public Speaking Reader's College introduces students to the basics of public speaking and presentation techniques, an essential leadership skill. Topics covered include: critiquing a speech, analyzing an audience, exploring a topic, arranging a speech, the use of language and the performance of speech through the voice and body. This course provides a practical opportunity for students to become a better public speaker while framing techniques for ethical, inclusive, value-driven leaders who are posed to articulate their views.
LEAD 250 Leadership and Peer Mentoring in Theory and Practice This course is exclusive to First-Year Mentors. In this course, students will explore: learning theory, leadership theory, science of motivation, mind-set, and behavior, facilitation methods, public speaking, engagement models, as well as honing the skills of critical thinking, reflection, and analysis. They will have the opportunity to put their theory into practice as they support first-year students through their respective FSEM courses. This course will host a collective group of students to learn, collaborate and share best practices in a classroom setting to be directly applied to the FSEM course they are mentoring.
LEAD 251 Leadership and Peer Mentoring This course is an extension of LEAD 250 for student mentors who are repeating the First-Year Mentor Program and have already taken LEAD 250. This course is offered every Fall with course code and will be taught by the same professors teaching LEAD 250 (Emily Kana and Ingrid Keenan).