UNIVERSITY OF SAN DIEGO
EDLD 557: Leadership & Spirituality Fall 2004
School of Education
Mary Woods Scherr, Ph. D. Office: AW1- Rm. 210
Phones: Home: 760-729-3263; Office: 619-260-2274: e-mail: scherr@sandiego.edu Office Hours: Tuesdays 1:30-3:30 and Thursdays 1:00-3:00; For appointments call: 260-2274. Other hours available, including after class.
Course Description Two contemporary meanings of spirituality are currently prevalent. “One is characterized by withdrawal, turning inward, parochialism, and attending to God and one’s inner self” (Harris, 1996, p. 75) the second form of spirituality “demands even deeper involvement and immersion in the world than usual” (Harris, 1996, p. 75) and therefore is the focus for this course in which participants will seek to link leadership and spirituality and reflect on how we go about our daily lives “in the light of the Mystery at the core of creation” (Harris, p. 2). Spiritual practices that enable leaders to be the kind of leaders they wish to be, or wish to become, will be considered and students will have an opportunity to practice various time-honored methods of meditation. In addition, reflection for achieving greater awareness of one’s inner life will be a focus in many discussions. Therefore, spirituality as an awareness, or consciousness, of both the internal world and the external world and the complex interactions between them will be a continuing topic throughout the course. The commonalities within all the great spiritual traditions will be emphasized; however, considering the plethora of books, articles, and workshops/retreats now dedicated to spirituality in both the academic and popular literature, it will be necessary to focus on three strands for our course readings and discussions: Christianity; Buddhism; and psychology that emphasizes the potential of human beings. Therefore, two strands draw upon religious traditions while the third strand is a secular approach to the inner life described by the Greek philosophers as well as the 21st century psychological literature that includes the emerging research on the biochemistry of the brain. These strands overlap and intersect fostering an ecumenical perspective and an approach that celebrates the whole human person: body, mind, and spirit. Students will have an opportunity to explore a particular type of spiritual practice that holds personal significance for them: A practice associated with their ethnicity or religious background and one that holds promise for guiding their individual inner journeys. These explorations may vary considerably and illustrate the cultural richness among ancient and contemporary practices. For example, fasting, silent retreats, sweat lodges, meditative chimes, breathing exercises journaling, labyrinth walks, or taize music
2
During a culminating activity, participants will share their insights regarding the intersections between spirituality and leadership that they believe hold promise for a transcendent leadership that elevates the human spirit and inspires actions with the potential for moving the world towards peace and justice. Course Objectives • To become aware of the rapid and dramatic changes taking place in the spirituality of contemporary Americans, including the impact of technology. • To appreciate the rich, diverse spiritual practices that have evolved throughout the world. • To explore a particular spiritual practice that holds personal significance: A practice associated with your religious background, ethnicity, or current philosophy that holds promise for enriching your own inner journey. OR request an alternate assignment. • To learn how spiritual practices can nurture and support leaders, especially during extremely difficult times. • To develop a personal philosophy that articulates the conceptual intersections between spirituality and leadership
Texts: Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1993) The evolving self. New York: HarperCollins. Easwaran, Eknath. (1991). Meditation: A simple 8 point program for translating spiritual practices into daily life. Tomales, CA: Nilgiri. Harris, M. (1996). Proclaim jubilee! A spirituality for the twentyfirst century. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press. Hanh, T. N. (1992). Peace is every step. New York: Bantam Books. ( an ecumenical approach based on “engaged Buddhism.” Wuthnow, R. (1998) After heaven: Spirituality in America since 1950’s. Los Angeles: University of California Press. A Reader for EDLD 557 will be available Sept. 9th.
3 Course Requirements: • Attend all classes prepared to participate in the discussion topic for that night. (20% of grade) • Complete all “Scholarly Reflection Papers” as scheduled. (30 % of grade) At the end of each paper type: “I am willing to share this paper in class” OR “I consider this paper personal.” • Write a 12-15 page paper in which you describe your own views regarding spirituality and leadership. Follow APA style as well as the guidelines for a scholarly paper provided in class. (35% of grade). • Present an oral review of your paper and facilitate a discussion for a minimum of 20 minutes. (15% of grade
COURSE OUTLINE: EDLD 257
Week
Topic/Authors
Readings
Sept. 02
Introductions, course overview, consideration of key concepts: Spirituality, spiritual practices, leadership, transcendence
Sept. 09
Philosophical frameworks of spirituality Emerging research on ancient texts
Wuthnow ch. 1,2 Starratt, #1 Mary M, #14
Sept. 16
The intersection of spirituality and leadership Reflective paper DUE on authors for 9/09 Huston Smith: A gentle man and a scholar
Paper DUE Wuthnow, ch. 3-5 Moore, #7
Sept. 23
Leading from within-- An exploration of the Self that is leading Intro to Spiritual Practices, Strand One: Christian Mystics- Centering Prayer
Palmer, Reader Wuthnow, ch. 6, 7
Week
Topic/Authors
Readings
4
Sept. 30
Oct. 07
Leadership for peace and justice
Harris, ch. 1-5
Strand One continued Hildegard and Antigone Reflective paper DUE on one of authors above
Paper DUE Video and Tape Easwaran bk
Policies and actions to address contemporary problems locally & globally
Harris, ch. 6-10 Easwaran bk Senge & Wheatley, #9
Oct. 14 Spiritual Practices, Strand Two: Buddhism and And Eastern influences Breathing exercises Reflective paper DUE on Harris
Oct. 21 Spiritual Practices, Strand Two continued Walking meditations Paper due on Hahn and/or Easwaran
Easwaran bk Hahn, ch. 1-5 Paper DUE
Hahn, ch. 6-10
Oct. 28 NO CLASS THIS WEE8
Nov. 04
Week
The future of the human race Paper due on Hahn and/or Easwaran Spiritual Practices: Strand Three: Psychological perspective on the potential of Human beings
Topic/Authors
Csikszentmihalyi ch. 6 and 7 and #12 Paper DUE Begley,#5
Readings
5 Nov. 11
Psychological approaches to spirituality and the power of transcendence
Nov. 18
Spiritual practices reconsidered
Nov. 20
Csikszentmihalyi, Ch. 8, 9, 10 Gunther, #3 Dolbee, #4
Reflection paper DUE on Csikszentmihalyi,
Pert, #16 Hubbard, #17 Paper DUE
ALL DAY RETREAT SEE agenda
HO
Nov. 25
THANKSGIVING DAY
Dec. 02
Oral presentations Draft of Final Paper DUE for discussion & reading
Dec. 09
Concluding Discussions Final paper DUE by end of class
N.B. Unless you receive permission to submit work after Dec. 9th your final grade will be based on the work you have completed by the end of class on December 9, 2003.
Minor changes in the class schedule may be necessary to accommodate speakers on dates that were not confirmed as of press time.
BIBLIOGRAPHY Anderson, S. R. & Hopkins, P. (1991). The feminine face of God. New York: Bantam Books.
6 Bateson, M. C. (1990). Composing a life. New York: Penquin Books. Bolman, Lee and Deal, Terrence (1995). Leading with soul: An uncommon journey of spirit. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Breeze, A. (1996). Spirituality and leadership: A conversation with Parker Palmer, Concepts and Connections, 4(3), 1,3,4, 14. Capper, C. A. & Keys, M. W. (April 1999). The role of spirituality in educational leaders leading for justice. AERA Annual Meeting, Montreal, Canada. Chardin, P. T. de (1975). The phenomenon of man. (B. Wall, Trans. ) New York: Harper and Row. (Original work Le Phenomene Humain, copyright 1955). Chardin, P. T. de (1969). The future of man. (N. Denny, Trans. ) New York: Harper and Row. (Original work L’Avenir de l’Homme, copyright 1959). Chopra, D. (1994). The seven spiritual laws of success. Publishing and New World Library.
San Rafael, CA: Amber-Allen
Coates, V. The art and science of foundational spiritual leadership in business. Cox, H. (1977). Turning East: The promise and the peril of the new orientalism. New York: Simon & Schuster. Damasio, A. (1994). Descartes’ Error: Emotion, reason, and the human brain. New York: Grosset Putnam. Fenwick, L. T. (Ed.) (1999). School Leadership: Expanding Horizons of the Mind and Spirit. Lancaster, PA: Technomic Publishing. Fritz, R. (1984). The path of least resistance. New York: Ballantine Books. ( a secular approach which emphasizes energy fields) Fullan, M. (1997) Emotion and Hope: Constru tive Concepts for Complex Times, In Hargreaves, A. (Ed.) ASCD Yearbook: Rethinking educational change with heart and mind. Alexandria, VI: ASCD Fox, M. (1983). Original blessing. Santa Fe, NM: Bear & Co. Fox, M. Work and spirituality. Galen, M. & West, K. (1995, June 5) Companies Hit the Road Less Traveled, Business Week, 82. Gawain, S. (1998). Living in the light. Novato, CA: New World Library.
7 Hanh, T. N. (1992). Peace is every step. New York: Bantam Books. Hanh, T. N. (1989). The miracle of mindfulness. Boston, MA: Hanh, T. N. (1988). The sun in my heart. Berkeley, CA: Parallax Press. Harris, M. (1991). Dance of the spirit: Steps in women’s spirituality. New York: Bantam Books Harris, M. (1995) Jubilee Time: Celebrating women, spirit, and the advent of age. New York: Bantam Books. Heschel, A. J.(1951). The Sabbath: Its meaning for modern man. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux. Jaworski, J. (1996). Synchronicity: The inner path of leadership. San Francisco: BerrettKoehler Publishers, Inc. Kantrowitz, B. with King, P., Rosenberg, D., Springen, S. Wingert, P., Namuth, T. and Gegax, T., (November 28, 1994). The search for the sacred: America’s quest for the sacred, Newsweek, 51-55. Kia, B. F. (April 1999). The inspiring power of the Bantu Cosmology. AERA annual meeting, Montreal. Myss, C. (1996). The anatomy of the spirit. New York: Three Rivers Press. O’Keefe, J. (April 1999). The institute for spiritual growth: How it influences the professional lives of educators. AERA annual meeting, Montreal, Canada. Palmer, P. (1996, Winter). Leading from Within, Noetic Sciences Review, 35-47. Peck, S. M. (1995). The road less traveled: A new psychology of love, traditional values, and spiritual growth. New York: Simon & Schuster. Perle, A. (1997, March). Heart and soul, Workforce, 122-123. Scherr, M. W. (1999) Embracing spirituality: The inner jouney of educational leaders. In Fenwick, L. (Ed.) School Leadership: Expanding horizons of the mind and spirit. Lacaster, PA: Technomic Publishing Company. Redmont, J. (1999). When in doubt sing. New York: Harper Collins. Rita, (April 1999). Spiritual portraitures of women leaders. AERA annual meeting, Montreal.
8
Starratt, R. J. (April 1999). The philosophical frameworks of spirituality in education. AERA annual meeting, Montreal. Tu, W. M. (1998, Spring). Illuminations: A newsletter of the Eugene M. Burke C. S. P. Lectureship on religion and society. San Diego: University of California, San Diego.