What you'll learn

Skills you'll gain

Specialization - 6 course series

In this Specialization, learners will engage with ethical and moral issues in business and leadership contexts. In each course, participants will communicate ethical and moral leadership perspectives through a progression of skill-based critical thinking, self-reflection, and decision making learning experiences. Each course concludes with a project. These projects include: exploring the role of business in society by applying a critical thinking model; crafting an active listening action plan; applying critical ethical theories to real-world technology situations; creating a personal leadership development plan; examining the presence of diversity, inclusion, equitable leadership, and justice-seeking leadership in personal and professional settings; and identifying the beliefs that define learners morally and spiritually in their professional lives.

Welcome to Ethics of Communication. Geared toward working professionals in both the corporate and nonprofit sectors, Ethics of Communication covers key topics in the modern world of business. Areas of focus include an in-depth examination of the ethical dimensions of professional communication, self-examination of individual conflict styles and preferences, and crisis management scenario analysis and strategy. You will develop and enhance skills related to these concepts through lectures conducted by Notre Dame Professor, Dr. Amanda G. McKendree, written communication exercises, self-reflection, peer-graded assignments, and a variety of readings.

Because it is likely you either want to improve your leader effectiveness or you may want to increase the number of leadership opportunities you have, this course will focus on outlining the factors that predict leader emergence (whether someone will emerge as a leader) and leader effectiveness. Because those predictors are numerous, this course will be broken down into three distinct parts: 1) who one is as a leader (evaluating leaders/leadership and applying to your own personality/traits/character); 2) what one's knowledge, skills, and abilities should be (KSAOs); and 3) how leaders should approach and resolve problems when in a position of leadership. Leadership develops over time and can be aided by repetition (experience), feedback, and self-reflection. Unfortunately, no one can teach you how to lead. My goal as your professor is to give you the tools that will enable you to teach yourselves how to be better leaders.

There is an important difference between leading from without and leading from within: the way decisions are made. Those who lead from without make moral decisions based on external pressure or the opinions of others rather than on the basis of deeply held personal values and beliefs. When they speak about moral issues they do so without authenticity and inspire doubt rather than confidence in their followers. Those who lead from within have deeply held personal values and beliefs and courageously make decisions based on those convictions. They have a clear sense of purpose in their own lives and inspire a clear sense of purpose and direction in others. This course will provide tools and insights that will help you successfully lead from within at the personal, organizational, and societal levels.

Ethics of Communication

Ethics of Technology

The Discipline of Leadership

Leadership for an Increasingly Diverse World

Leading from Within