Skills for Civic Leadership
Spring 2024
Tuesday and Thursday / 12:15 pm – 1:45 pm
Course Objectives:
The principal objective of the course is to build skills and offer opportunities to practice what is needed to become an effective civic leader, in various roles, including: as an everyday citizen; as an organization leader; or as an elected or appointed official. Students will get to hear from active professionals about their career journeys and receive personalized feedback reports on their own leadership strengths. As a result of attending this course, students will have increased their knowledge and skills about public leadership and will feel more confident in their ability to engage in civic life.
Course Outcomes By Section:
Section I: The Leadership Journey
In this section, students will learn about key elements that make an effective leader. As a result of attending this section, students will be able to:
- Know their own leadership strengths and identify areas for growth
- Professionally use their ‘selves’, embracing their positionality in each situation
- Navigate vulnerability and empathy for more effective leadership
- Identify their own key values and know how they impact success
Section II: Engaging as an Everyday Citizen
This section focuses on essential skills for the everyday citizen. As a result of attending this section, students will be able to:
- Understand the current state of voting and voter registration in Texas, compared to other states in the nation
- Write a letter to an elected official about an issue they care about
- Reflect on news consumption habits and the role it plays in their engagement
- Experience volunteering in their community
- Give oral testimony about an issue important to them
- Join a group, participate in civic life
Section III: Organizational Leadership
This is a section focused on the unique elements of public leadership while working for a government agency or as an organization (nonprofit/ coalition/ interest group / association) leader. As a result of attending this section, students will be able to:
- Build positive cultures within an organization
- Navigate collective impact groups and coalitions
- Support teams and utilize performance motivators
- Identify stakeholders and strategies for engagement
- Understand how to get to know your audience and/or community
- Manage crisis as a leader
- Execute techniques for getting information to the public
- Use social media for education campaigns
Section IV: Elected or Appointed Officials
This section will focus on the skills needed to be an effective civic leader through elected office. As a result of attending this section, students will be able to:
- Understand how to leverage politics through position-taking and influence-building
- Talk to the media, give interviews (camera, print, and radio), and state their positions clearly
- Gain knowledge about public deliberation techniques, including debate and negotiation
- Know how to show up for your constituents as a leader during a crisis
- Facilitate public meetings