CBL-5699: Leadership & the Law
SUMMER 2024
1 p.m. Monday/Wednesday
NQSC 232
Dr. Dean Smith
Office: NQSC 356
Office Hours: BY APPOINTMENT
Email: dsmth1@highpoint.edu
Required Text: NO REQUIRED TEXTBOOK – free online readings and videos will be provided by the instructor.
Course Catalog Description
Leadership & the Law is designed to give non-specialists a broad overview of the legal landscape in which businesses must operate. It will explore the balance between legal protections and legal obligations, with an eye toward legal risk management. Students will learn about the scope of First Amendment protection for corporate and commercial speech; federal and state legal systems and the roles of regulation and dispute resolution; employment law and when a business is liable for its employees; business torts, negligence claims and product liability; contract law within and without the organization; antitrust and anti-competitive behavior; IP law, from copyright to trade secrets; business organization from corporations to LLCs; and corporate governance and fiduciary responsibilities. The course will be taught in jargon -free English. No legal background is required. Three credits. No prerequisites.
Professor’s Further Description
This graduate course is designed to help students grapple with legal and ethical issues that shape, and sometimes constrain, communication styles, verbal and written, in professional settings. It is imperative for leaders to understand certain red flags and areas of concern that frequently arise in professional settings – from avoiding defamatory statements to adhering to nondiscrimination regulations, from advocating within legal limits on a company’s behalf to drawing a line between what might be legal but perhaps unethical. We will cover as many items in the catalog description above as time permits. More important, we will grapple with rigorous academic writing by top scholars and up-to-the-minute perspectives on the topics covered. Building the skills of an effective leader – in written assignments and verbal presentations – is only half of this course. The other half is intended to develop the critical habits of mind that will serve you well whether in the board room or classroom. You never know what your future might hold!
Outcomes & Assessments
Assignments corresponding to these Six Learning Outcomes are described below. More detailed instructions, guidelines and rubrics will be covered in class.
Students completing this course will:
1. Have a working understand of six fundamental legal issues covered in Weeks 2 through 7.
· Assessment: Reflection Posts, Teaching Presentations, Participation & Professionalism.
2. Have an appreciation for the ethical dimensions that shadow each legal area studied.
· Assessment: Reflection Posts, Teaching Presentations, Participation & Professionalism.
3. Be able to think critically about how these legal and ethical issues shape and constrain professional leadership.
· Assessment: Reflection Posts, Teaching Presentations, Personal Philosophy.
4. Have a well-composed personal leadership philosophy that reflects legal and ethical issues covered in the course.
· Assessment: Personal Leadership Philosophy, Final Presentation.
5. Have a professional online presence and high-quality showcase for their work.
· Assessment: Personal Website & Portfolio.
6. Have a professional style and comportment for verbal presentations and interpersonal communications reflecting a respect for the legal and ethical issues covered.
· Assessment: Teaching Presentation, Final Presentation, Participation & Professionalism.
Graded Assignments
Reflection Posts (6) = 30%
New Product Pitch (+ executive summary) = 12.5%
Court Case Briefing (+ executive summary) = 12.5%
Final Presentation = 10%
Personal Website & Portfolio = 15%
Personal Leadership Philosophy = 10%
Participation & Professionalism = 10%
Assignment Descriptions
Reflection Posts — At the end of Weeks 2-7, each student will write a 500-word post on their personal blog, to be created in Week 1, that reflects on that week’s substantive issue, the weekly reading, presentations by fellow students and in-class discussions.
Court Case Briefing — The class will be divided into working
pairs. The partners will be assigned a landmark court case touching on
substantive issues discussed throughout the semester. During the last two class
sessions, the teams will give the rest of the class a briefing session,
as though a corporate board, on their case and its implications. They also will
submit a four-page executive summary of their findings. Grading will be
based on evidence of preparation, quality of information presented and
presentation professionalism.
New Product Pitch — The class will be divided into working pairs. Each pair will be assigned an unusual new product, for which they will develop a marketing campaign that reflects best practiced based on copyright and trademark law. Grading will be based on evidence of preparation, quality of information presented and presentation professionalism.
Personal Website & Portfolio – Each student will create a personal website using Wix.com (or a publishing tool of the student’s choice) to establish a professional online presence and showcase for their work. This site can live on after the course and be used as an enduring online portal when students are applying for internships, jobs and graduate school opportunities. The site will include a blog used during the course, which can remain or be deleted at semester’s end.
Personal Leadership Philosophy – Each student will develop a personal philosophy to be displayed on their personal website, in addition to their professional biography. This written assignment will be at least 500 words and reflect an appreciation for the legal and ethical issues explored during the course.
Final Presentation – At semester’s end, each student will present their personal website, their portfolio and the personal leadership philosophy they developed throughout the course.
Participation & Professionalism – Each student is expected to be a fully engaged participant in this seminar-style course. That includes consistent class attendance, participation in discussions, courteous attention to lectures and presentations, thoughtful reflection on the readings, and professional comportment at all times. All graded presentations should reflect advanced preparation, quality of information and its sources, and attention to style and appearance.
Readings, Lectures & Presentations – Weeks 2-7 will focus each week on a discrete legal topic and accompanying ethical considerations. In place of a textbook, each week will feature a substantial law journal article written by a leading scholar in each field represented. Shorter online readings to accompany periodic lectures will be provided. Student teaching presentations also might include further readings for the class.
POLICIES & PROCEDURES
***NEW COVID POLICY***
Students in NQSC classes may request a short-term exception (no more than 5 school days) to the remote learning policy due to extenuating circumstances that prevent attending class (e.g., injury; university sanctioned travel). In addition, it is important that the students are in a physical condition that is conducive to learning. If a student is too ill to attend class, then the University encourages them to rest and recuperate, not attend classes remotely. You may access the form here: https://tinyurl.com/NQSC-RemoteLearningRequest
NQSC Policies, Practices and Expectations – Students
are expected to adhere to all standards outlined in the School of
Communication’s Policies, Practices, and Expectations, located here:
http://www.highpoint.edu/communication/files/nqsc_syllabus_policies.pdf
The link above contains detailed policies. Here a few I would like to highlight for this course:
ATTENDANCE: In this seminar-style course,
attendance is crucial for the success of both the individual student and the entire
group. Discussion is at the heart of the course’s teaching method. Being here,
being attentive, being an active participant – all of these factors will affect
your final Participation & Professionalism grade.
Each student will receive two (2) unexcused absences. Additional absences will only be granted for documented university-sanctioned events or hospitalization. One additional non-excused absence will result in class probation; a subsequent absence will result in the student being dropped from the class. Attendance will be taken in the STARFISH online system, which will automatically send students warnings when absences become a problem.
READING: This graduate-level course will challenge you with readings to a degree that might be new to you. That is as it should be. In place of a textbook, key readings will be scholarly articles written by scholars currently working in the fields we will explore. Students are expected to grapple earnestly with these texts to begin developing the ability to critically and analytically discuss and write about them.
WRITING: This course will present a valuable opportunity for students to work on honing their professional writing skills. Weekly blog posts and a personal website will be assessed based on the amount of effort and success in delivering writing that is mechanically clean, precise and professional.
PROFESSIONALISM: Graduate school is one step between undergraduate education and employment in the professional world. Students are expected to behave in ways that are courteous, respectful and attentive to others. That includes developing effective oral and written skills that comport with the norms, customs and expectations of any professional environment. This includes dressing appropriately under various circumstances, such as during presentations.
DIVERSITY: This is not a buzz word that refers only to race or ethnicity. It has many meanings: diversity of political thought, of religious or moral outlook, of socio-economic backgrounds, of learning styles, and so on. Professionals learn to navigate varied settings and situations while be conscious and sensitive to many types of diversity. Respecting differences is a hallmark of good leadership.
GRADING: Late work will not be accepted without permission from the instructor. Work not turned in at the beginning of class on the scheduled due date will result in a deduction of points for the assignment. Every attempt will be made to return assignments to students within one week of the due date.
Final grades will be assigned on the following scale:
|
A |
92.5%-100% |
B- |
79.5%-82.4% |
|
A- |
89.5%-92.4% |
C+ |
77.5%-79.4% |
|
B+ |
87.5%-89.4% |
C |
72.5%-77.4% |
|
B |
82.5%-87.4% |
C- |
69.5%-72.4% |
GRADE APPEAL: If a student has a complaint or concern about a faculty member regarding a grade, they should first try to resolve it with the instructor in question. If the complaint is not resolved through this interaction, the student should then go to the Department Chair. If the instructor of the course also serves as a Chair, then the student should approach the Dean as the first step in the process.
For this course, a student should pursue the following process:
1. Talk with the instructor of the course,
2. Talk with Dr. Ginny McDermott, Dean of the Qubein School of Communication and head of program. The decision of the Dean will final.
GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE: If a student has a complaint or concern about a faculty member regarding any matter other than a grade, they should first try to resolve it with the instructor in question. If the complaint is not resolved through this interaction, the student should then go to:
1. the Department Chair;
2. the Dean of the School of Communication; then
3. the Provost, which is the final step in the grievance process.
Bypassing any of these steps — going
directly to the president, for example — will not resolve the issue and will
only delay resolution. Senior administration will not deal with grievance
issues unless it has been discussed at the appropriate level.
FINAL EXAM DAY
3:30 p.m. MAY 2 – IN PLACE OF AN EXAM, WE WILL HAVE GRADED
PRESENTATIONS: Each student will present their personal website and
portfolio. Special emphasis will be on how the site will act as showcase in the
future. Students will discuss their personal leadership philosophy and how it
incorporates what they learned in the course. Professional presentation style
will be emphasized.
WEEK-BY-WEEK SCHEDULE
For a week-by-week schedule with readings and assignments, please go to the Class Website:
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