Why Should I Study Leadership?

The human social experience always has involved leadership. No matter your major or path in life, the process of leading and following will be present. The purpose of studying leadership at the undergraduate level is to help you develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes to participate meaningfully in the leadership process in all of those settings.

To ensure the highest quality of instruction in this signature area of study for the university, CNU created the academic Department of Leadership Studies with professors dedicated full-time to teaching courses in the minor, advising students, and researching and publishing in the discipline of leadership.

What Will I Learn?

Leadership can be learned, and we can become better leaders and followers. In the Minor in Leadership Studies program, you will learn the answers to questions such as these:

• What is leadership?
• Does leadership differ from management and from being the boss?
• How does the leadership process work in various situations?
• What can be learned about leadership from history that I can use today?
• What are the cutting-edge leadership ideas, and how can I apply them?
• What are the skills, attitudes, and abilities that I need to be a better leader?
• What can followers do to ensure effective leadership?
• What are the ethical and social responsibilities of leadership?

Why Take Courses in American Studies?

American Studies examines the American experiment from an interdisciplinary perspective, based on the liberal arts and sciences, such as literature, history, creative arts, anthropology, geography, sociology, politics, psychology, religious studies, communication, economics, and leadership studies. American Studies employs investigative methodologies from multiple disciplines, including reading, writing, conducting research, and critically thinking about the nature of American life.

American Studies provides an education that is grounded in the principles of liberal learning and dedicated to the ideals of scholarship, leadership, and service in one’s community and nation. Students should gain increased self-knowledge and a sense of civic awareness and responsibility.

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