Leading with courage is not always easy, particularly when faced with ethical and moral dilemmas. Such situations call for leaders with integrity, compassion, and fortitude. Students in this course will define and learn the theoretical and practical application of courageous leadership by paying particular attention to character, conscience formation, receiving and seeking constructive feedback, decision-making, and taking calculated risks. The intended outcome of the course is to help students with the self-awareness and skills to lead with purpose, bravery, and a bold visionary outlook— ultimately embodying a courageous approach to leadership.

Taught by two respected leaders, former Governor Bill Haslam and Chancellor Donde Plowman, this course will be facilitated primarily through moderated discussion, assigned readings, case studies, and insights from influential, courageous guest speakers. 

Will transition to an IAC course upon university approval.

Focusing primarily on constitutional amendments and landmark legislation, as well as judicial interpretation thereof, this course examines how a series of policy challenges have been addressed through the American constitutional framework. Topics include voting rights and other civil rights issues, privacy and reproductive freedom, economic regulation, gun rights and gun control, immigration, criminal justice, foreign policy and military policy, etc.

This course examines the founding of the United States, the adoption and ratification of the Constitution, the challenges facing the new republic, and concludes with an examination of slavery, the Civil War, and Reconstruction. It weaves together history, political philosophy, and constitutional law and theory. The course surveys the history of the American experience from the colonial era through the Revolution, the framing of the Constitution and the battle over its ratification, the establishment of the new republic, the Civil War and Reconstruction. The course examines the major ideas that influenced the Revolution and the adoption of the Constitution, in particular classical republicanism and the political theories of the Enlightenment era.

This course examines the role that culture plays in the relationship between civil society and the state. Using an international perspective, students will interact with a wide variety of cultures throughout the world in order to investigate whether cultural norms and social capital are necessary for producing and sustaining democratic political systems. The course is designed to intersect with and draw insights from a variety of disciplines including Anthropology, Geography, Economics, History, Literature, Philosophy, Sociology, Political Science, and Psychology.

Will transition to an IAC course upon university approval. Offered at the request of Military Science/ROTC

This course will explore civil-military relations, including such issues as civilian control of the military, changing roles for the military, military service, interagency cooperation, military effectiveness, and operational challenges. Throughout, the course will consider the complex relationships among policy, politics, and society focusing on the constitutional underpinnings and ethical issues of defense. The course will be offered by Dr. Priscilla Zotti, formerly Dean of the Division of Humanities and Social Sciences at the U.S. Naval Academy.