DPLS 703: Global Leadership

Expected Competencies

  1. Intercultural Self-Awareness:
    Deepen understanding of one’s own cultural worldview and develop humility in recognizing the influence of cultural background, privilege, and bias.

  2. Global Systems Thinking:
    Analyze global interconnectivity through political, economic, and social lenses. Understand how systemic inequities influence leadership at national and global levels.

  3. Cultural Competence and Development:
    Build capacity for intercultural sensitivity and competence through the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) and reflection on cultural interaction styles and communication norms.

  4. Global Citizenship and Ethical Leadership:
    Engage with social justice frameworks and consider leadership’s role in ethical decision-making across cultures, with attention to marginalized communities and systemic inequity.

  5. Contextual Analysis of Global Issues:
    Apply a multidisciplinary perspective to analyze global case studies in areas such as education, healthcare, environment, and human rights. Critically reflect on lived experiences and identity in relation to these systems.

Achieved Competencies

  1. Intercultural Development Insight:
    Through the IDI and related reflection, developed a vulnerable and honest appraisal of intercultural development. Identified Minimization as a default stance and engaged in active growth planning to increase cultural self-awareness and empathy.

  2. Leadership in Context:
    Connected personal experiences of privilege, power, and marginalization to broader global systems. Reflected on lived realities of systemic inequity within one's own community and how this informs leadership practice.

  3. Cultural Analysis through Story and Film:
    Utilized the film Whale Rider to examine indigenous leadership traditions, gender, colonization, and modern identity. Critically questioned how cultural narratives are framed and interpreted through dominant lenses.

  4. Global Systems Critique:
    Identified gaps in global worldview within one’s community, and proposed educational and societal approaches to fostering broader awareness and empathy at local and national levels.

Applied Competencies

  1. IDI Reflection and Development Plan:
    Applied the IDI framework to reflect on personal intercultural development and designed steps for increased engagement, particularly within a monocultural community. Critically evaluated how family legacy, environment, and social dynamics shape identity and interaction.

  2. Final Reflection on Global Leadership:
    Wrote a final reflection synthesizing course themes, highlighting a shift toward global perspective-taking, and suggesting curricular updates to integrate current events such as COVID-19. Proposed student-led comparative country projects as a future course addition.

  3. Whale Rider Cultural Deconstruction:
    Analyzed the film through an intersectional lens, exploring colonization, indigenous resilience, gender equity, and narrative power. Connected Polynesian and Maori experiences to personal cultural encounters and broader global patterns.

Artifact Inclusions

1. Intercultural Development Inventory Reflection
A rich, autobiographical exploration of identity, culture, and worldview shaped by personal, familial, and geographic contexts. This paper traces intercultural development across decades, offering vulnerable insights into how Minimization shows up in inclusive language and assumptions of shared values.

2. Global Final Reflection
A summative essay reflecting on course themes, local-global dynamics, privilege, and personal growth. The reflection explores how COVID-19 exposed regionalist thinking, called for systemic educational reform, and emphasized the urgency of cultivating a truly global mindset.

3. Whale Rider Cultural Reflection Paper
This paper explores the cultural symbolism and gender dynamics within the Maori community, comparing them to Hawaiian and other indigenous traditions. It questions colonized interpretations and calls for more nuanced understanding of indigenous leadership, resilience, and evolving identity.

References

  1. Hammer, M. R., Bennett, M. J., & Wiseman, R. (2003). Measuring intercultural sensitivity: The intercultural development inventory. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 27(4), 421–443.

  2. Tatum, B. D. (2000). The complexity of identity: "Who am I?" In M. Adams et al. (Eds.), Readings for diversity and social justice (pp. 9–14).

  3. DuPraw, M., & Axner, M. (1997). Common cross-cultural communication challenges. PBS.

  4. Caro, N. (Director). (2002). Whale Rider [Film]. South Pacific Pictures.

  5. Mikaere, A. (1994). Maori women: Caught in the contradictions of a colonized reality. University of Waikato Law Review.

  6. Steger, M. B., & Wahlrab, A. (2017). What is global studies? Theory and practice. Routledge.

  7. Rothenberg, P. S. (Ed.). (2006). Beyond borders: Thinking critically about global issues. Worth Publishers.

Keywords

Intercultural development, global leadership, privilege, equity, cultural sensitivity, indigenous leadership, COVID-19, Whale Rider, Maori culture, colonization, systems thinking, global citizenship, identity, cultural worldview, ethical leadership, social justice.