Welcome to the Homepage for NAVSC 204.
Course Description
Leadership and managerial thought and behavioral theories with emphasis on how they apply to Naval organizations. Prerequisites: 5 credits of Naval ROTC courses.
Instructor's Objective
To nurture your ability to lead Sailors and Marines as a Navy or Marine Corps Officer. This course will provide a foundation for leadership and managerial theory and application that will be continually built upon throughout your academic and practical experiences while enrolled in NROTC and Penn State and after your commissioning as an Ensign or 2nd Lieutenant. In essence, you will start building the academic foundation of your ‘Leadership Tool Kit’ that you will use throughout your Navy or Marine Corps career.
Throughout this course you will become familiar with some of the more widely accepted techniques and theories of leadership and management within the context of our Naval Services. At the end of the course, you should comprehend the interrelationship between authority, responsibility, and accountability within a task oriented organization and feel more confident in your ability to lead Sailors and Marines in the fleet.
Instructor's Intent
This course will be primarily conducted in seminar fashion. I will employ a variety of teaching methods, to include lectures, case studies, guest speakers, videos, personal experiences, etc. Your active participation is the key to gaining the most benefit from this course. Therefore, course reading, both assigned and personal selections, coupled with your synthesis of the course material to your experiences, are of primary importance to class discussions. You should view your class preparations and participation in class discussions as integral elements of your development toward being a more effective leader
To succeed in any team endeavor, particularly within the Naval Services, you must be confident in your ability to clearly and persuasively articulate your thoughts and opinions in a variety of media and settings. In addition to your seminar participation, writing assignments, briefings, and practical exercises will be used to make this course as interesting and valuable to you as possible.
Assignments
The lesson topics in the course schedule identify areas of emphasis for each class session and assignments.
There will be two exams, a cumulative mid-term and a cumulative final. There is a potential for both announced and unannounced quizzes throughout the course. The exams will be primarily short answer but may also have essay, multiple choice, and true/false questions. Details for each exam will be provided separately.
There will be several Written Assignments which will be short point papers addressing a leadership or managerial challenge facing junior officers in the operating fleet or Fleet Marine Force, or a Midshipman Officer in the Penn State NROTC Battalion. Details on the papers will be provided separately.
The Student-led classes are an opportunity for student teams to lead class discussions of the presented topics or case studies. Students will prepare a briefing from either the selected reading, film (or both) and present it to the class. In addition to the presentation, the student teams will lead class discussion on the leadership or management attributes derived from the case study. Expectations are provided below. Amplifying details will be provided separately.
Grades
The following grading guidelines apply for this class:
| Quality of Academic Performance | Letter Grade | Minimum points (out of 100) | Grade-Point Equivalent (4.0 scale) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Excellent, Exceptional Achievement | A | 94.0 – 100.0 | 4.00 |
| A- | 90.0 – 93.9 | 3.67 | |
| Average achievement | B+ | 87.0 – 89.9 | 3.33 |
| B | 83.0 – 86.9 | 3.00 | |
| B- | 80.0 – 82.9 | 2.67 | |
| Marginal performance & achievement | C+ | 75.0 – 79.9 | 2.33 |
| C | 70.0 – 74.9 | 2.00 | |
| Poor, Minimal achievement | D | 60.0 – 69.9 | 1.00 |
| Failure, Inadequate achievement | F | < 60.0 | 0 |
Student Led Assignment
Assignment: Students will be assigned to teams which will present the selected topic or case study to the NAVSCI 204 class. Students will use the text’s material and video, if available, to illustrate leadership issues associated with the case study and facilitate the class’ discussion of the presented topics. Student teams can use a prepared PowerPoint presentation, video clips, or other source to present the case study material.
Note: Size of the student teams will be determined by the instructor based upon size of each section. Students may be directed to prepare and brief a case study in another section if section distribution warrants.
Grading: In addition to your analysis of the reading/film, your ability to engage the class and facilitate class discussion will be a primary consideration for the graded portion of the class. Grading will be on a scale of 0-100 points allocated as follows:
Content 20%
Format 10%
Preview 10%
Delivery Knowledge 10%
Voice Volume / Eye Contact 10%
Effectiveness 20%
Reference Materials 10%
Time (30-40 mins) 10%
Objective: The selected case studies provide real world, primarily naval service, examples of the concepts presented in the classroom and course text. Student led facilitation provides students with an opportunity to develop confidence in leading and briefing small groups as well as displaying an understanding of the course material.
Feedback
I am open to your suggestions for improvement on any aspect of this course and welcome the opportunity to discuss the progress, development, and my facilitation of this course with you. I will ask you to provide an input near mid-term so we can make this course more valuable to you, to me, and to your shipmates who will follow you in the classroom and into the fleet in future years.
Office Hours
Office Hours: I am committed to providing you an opportunity and environment to succeed in this course, throughout your tenure in the NROTC Battalion, and, ultimately, in the Fleet. To the extent I am able, I will maintain an open door policy to discuss any issue of importance to you. However, you may find it more convenient for the both of us to make an appointment to discuss your issues. Your Battalion chain of command, peers, and the unit staff are excellent sources for assistance and mentoring as well.
Texts
Leadership and Management, Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps
Leadership Embodied, Thomas, Joseph J., ed.