This Course at MIT

This Course at MIT pages are part of the OCW Educator initiative, which seeks to enhance the value of OCW for educators.

Course Overview

This page focuses on the course 15.269 Leadership Stories: Literature, Ethics, and Authority as it was taught by Dr. Leigh Hafrey in Fall 2015.

Through films, novels, plays, and short fiction, this course examines issues of freedom and control, group norms and individual expression, as they bear on our ambition to manage both work and personal life. Materials vary from year to year. Drawing on various professions and national cultures, it is run as a series of moderated discussions, with students centrally engaged in the teaching process.

Course Outcomes

Course Goals for Students

  • Use story to address perennial questions such as, What do we do when people, events, or issues test our ideas of leadership, career, or proper behavior? and How do we respond to concerns over diversity, gender, and family in the workplace, or cope with the reality of war, death, and ordinary human frailty?
  • Through story, examine issues of freedom and control, group norms and individual expression as they bear on our ambition to manage both work and personal life.
  • Explore multiple professional perspectives in order to situate business in the larger social context.
 

Instructor Insights

Below, Dr. Leigh Hafrey describes various aspects of how he teaches 15.269 Leadership Stories: Literature, Ethics, and Authority.

I was obsessed with books as a child. I read tons and tons. And I think that sort of became reality for me. I’ve never broken free.

— Leigh Hafrey

 

Curriculum Information

Prerequisites

None

Requirements Satisfied

None

Offered

Every fall semester

The Classroom

  • Tiered fixed furniture tables arranged in a u-shape facing blackboards at the front of the room.

    Room 1 of 1

    Lecture

    Class sessions were held in a classroom with tiered seating and AV equipment.

 

Assessment

Grade Breakdown

The students' grades were based on the following activities:

The color used on the preceding chart which represents the percentage of the total grade contributed by classroom participation. 40% Class participation
The color used on the preceding chart which represents the percentage of the total grade contributed by team response papers and team teaching exercise. 25% Team response papers and team teaching exercise
The color used on the preceding chart which represents the percentage of the total grade contributed by individual midterm paper. 15% Individual midterm paper
The color used on the preceding chart which represents the percentage of the total grade contributed by individual final paper. 20% Individual final paper

Instructor Insights on Assessment

Written feedback was provided on all of the written assignments and the team teaching exercise. The instructor and teaching assistant aimed to provide feedback within 5-7 days of the team assignments and within two weeks of the individual assignments. At mid-term, they alerted students to lagging participation grades. On all assignments, they followed up with face-to-face discussions with students as needed.

Dr. Leigh Hafrey shares additional insights about giving students feedback.

Student Information

48 students took this course when it was taught in Fall 2015.

Breakdown by Year

Mostly graduate students

Breakdown by Major

Mostly students in the Sloan MBA program

Typical Student Background

Students often come to the course with in-depth work experience in various industries.

 

How Student Time Was Spent

During an average week, students were expected to spend 9 hours on the course, roughly divided as follows:

In Class

3 hours per week
  • Met 2 times per week for 1.5 hours per session; 25 sessions total.
  • Sessions were conducted as moderated discussions.
  • Nine sessions were co-taught by teams of students after extensive preparation with the instructor.
 

Out of Class

6 hours per week
  • Preparation for co-teaching
  • Three team writing assignments
  • Two individual papers
 

Semester Breakdown

WEEK M T W Th F
1 No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT. Class session scheduled No session scheduled. No session scheduled.
2 Class session scheduled No session scheduled. Class session scheduled No session scheduled. No session scheduled.
3 Class session scheduled No session scheduled. Class session scheduled No session scheduled. No session scheduled.
4 Class session scheduled No session scheduled. Class session scheduled and assignment due No session scheduled. No session scheduled.
5 Class session scheduled No session scheduled. Team co-teaching scheduled No session scheduled. No session scheduled.
6 No classes throughout MIT. No session scheduled. Team co-teaching scheduled No session scheduled, but assignment due. No session scheduled.
7 Class session scheduled No session scheduled. Class session scheduled No session scheduled. No session scheduled.
8 Class session scheduled No session scheduled. Team co-teaching scheduled and assignment due No session scheduled. No session scheduled.
9 Class session scheduled No session scheduled. Team co-teaching scheduled No session scheduled. No session scheduled.
10 Team co-teaching scheduled No session scheduled. No classes throughout MIT. No session scheduled. No session scheduled.
11 Class session scheduled No session scheduled. Team co-teaching scheduled No session scheduled. No session scheduled.
12 Team co-teaching scheduled and assignment due No session scheduled. Class session scheduled No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT.
13 Team co-teaching scheduled No session scheduled. Team co-teaching scheduled No session scheduled. No session scheduled.
14 Class session scheduled No session scheduled. Class session scheduled and assignment due No session scheduled. No classes throughout MIT.
15 No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT.
Displays the color and pattern used on the preceding table to indicate dates when classes are not held at MIT. No classes throughout MIT
Displays the color used on the preceding table to indicate dates when class sessions are held. Class session
Displays the symbol used on the preceding table to indicate assignment due dates. Assignment due
Displays the color used on the preceding table to indicate dates when no class session is scheduled. No class session scheduled
Displays the color used on the preceding table to indicate dates when team co-teaching sessions are held. Team co-teaching