Courses

PLLC offers five experiential undergraduate courses in partnership with UAlberta host faculties, which are open to undergrads in any program. In these unique classes, students will actively apply course content via creative activities and facilitated discussion with the support of a graduate or law student Teaching Fellow, in addition to the course's instructor. Assignments and activities are mostly based on real-life situations, current events and innovative research that engage students to problem-solve and reflect on their leadership practice.

Our courses include:

* Foundations of Leadership (INT D 301) is a pre-requisite for the following classes.

Earn a certificate in leadership! The 12-credit requirement of PLLC's certificate program includes INT D 301, 306, 406 and 407. After completing 301, students can take the remaining courses in any order according to their availability. 

Experiential Learning Goes Online
PLLC courses are known for their innovative experiential learning activities as well as the personalized attention to each student's leadership development. With the move to remote learning, we wanted to let you know that this will not change! The professors and Teaching Fellows are committed to delivering the same highly engaging discussions and innovative learning activities that they always have. We promise - no 3-hour PPT lectures! The Teaching Fellows will support the professors to deliver meaningful opportunities for discussion and engagement, maintaining PLLC's commitment to connect you with each other and build a community, grow your leadership abilities, and lead from where you are.

INT D 135: Popular Representations of Leadership - Faculty of Arts

Instructor: Cristina Stasia, PhD | Director of Instruction, Peter Lougheed Leadership College

This course uses various media genres to explore both dominant understandings of leadership as well as shifts in those understandings. Exploring film, stage, television, and video games, we will analyze the way that popular culture is both informed by, and informs, popular theories and public understanding of leadership. Situating content within its historical and sociopolitical context, we will analyze how various texts inform public understandings of what a leader looks like, how they should act, and what is at stake in following them.

Next Section: Tuesdays/Thursdays at 12:30 pm in Fall 2021

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Foundations of Leadership (INT D 301) - Faculty of Arts

* co-requisite for other PLLC courses

Instructor: Cristina Stasia, PhD | Director of Instruction, Peter Lougheed Leadership College

What does it take to lead? Foundations of Leadership covers the theory and practice of leadership through case studies, innovative assignments and experiential activities. Develop your leadership skills, analyze your personal leadership challenges and explore pressing issues while working with interdisciplinary students from across campus. 

Next Section: Tuesdays from 5:30-8:30 pm in Fall 2021

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What will INT D 301 look like online? See Dr. Stasia and her plans for the class in the University of Alberta's Getting Ready for Fall 2020 series. 


Engage in Experiential Learning in INT D 301

  • In the Fall 2019 section of Foundations of Leadership, scholars started an alternate leadership map of Canada that recognizes non-prototypical leaders and the mark they left across Canada (pictured right).
  • The 2018-19 Foundations of Leadership class worked with a professional production team and connected with stakeholders across the U of A campuses to create #UAlbertaCares, a video series highlighting mental health challenges and strategies for various U of A audiences.
  • See an example of a Foundations of Leadership lesson plan on Teaching Fellow Dan Engelhardt's portfolio.

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  Leadership for Social Innovation (INT D 306) - Faculty of ALES

* co-requisite with INT D 301, allowing students to take both courses in the same semester

Instructor: Rhonda Breitkreuz, PhD | Professor, Faculty of ALES

Have you ever wondered what a wicked problem is? Are you interested in finding creative, ecological approaches to making a difference? Wondering where to start? In this course, you will explore the concept of wicked problems, and research socially innovative ideas to solve them using an approach called ecological leadership. You will hear from those who have been effective in turning a seed of an idea into an innovative solution. You will learn these skills: how to research an innovative idea, develop an effective proposal, and pitch that idea.

Current Section: Mondays from 5:30-8:30 pm in Winter 2021

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Outstanding INT D 306 Projects

In the Winter 2020 section of Leadership for Social Innovation class, students created socially innovative proposals as part of their final projects. See some of the projects below and get a feel for what you could learn in INT D 306.

An Accessibility Map to the University of Alberta
University of Alberta students and other visitors that require mobility accommodations have greater difficulty navigating campus and may experience anxiety in their attempts. Geneva Coulter proposes making a UAlberta campus accessibility map that offers routes and accessible washrooms, entrances, elevators, among other accessible features. Learn more in her pitch recorded on YouTube.
Shop Honest
Online shopping has created new opportunities, both for the worse and the better. Many consumers don't understand the implications of consumption, like the effects of fast fashion on the environment. Allie Quigley proposes using a browser extension to collect data on online consumption and educate online shoppers to make more sustainable choices. Read her proposal for more information.
The UAlberta Glocal Student Group
Studies show that students on large university campuses, such as the University of Alberta, often feel lonely or lack a sense of belonging. To connect local and international students at the U of A, Danielle Bailey-Heelan and Nicholas Vankka propose Glocal, a student group where participants can make friends and share their culture. Find out more in their pitch on YouTube.
Think! Don't Overdrink
Binge drinking is a harmful practice, but studies show that undergraduate students, like U of A students living in Lister Hall, often engage in it. Basel Moukaskas and Julia Craig propose activities at the start of the year that educate students on the risks of binge drinking and offers alternatives to making friends and having fun. View their pitch on YouTube to learn more.

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Innovation, Science and Leadership (INT D 406) - Faculty of Science

Instructor: Gordon Gow, PhD | Professor and Academic Director, Communications and Technology Graduate Program (MACT), Faculty of Arts

In this course we will explore leadership for innovation through an evidence-based practice approach. This approach emphasizes the effective use of scientific knowledge in decision making, raising questions about what constitutes valid and reliable evidence in a time when long held views on the scientific method are being challenged in new ways. We will consider some of those challenges and how they might (or might not) be reconcilable with the principles of evidence-based practice.

We consider leadership in relational terms as a social practice that aims to mobilize people to work together in pursuit of some shared enterprise. As such, we will need to consider the importance of communication and engagement in building a coalition of support for evidence-based practice and its outcomes. This will include a consideration of framing theory as an important strategy for influencing public discourse and shaping policy.

Current Section: Mondays from 5:30-8:30 pm in Winter 2021

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Learn Evidence-Based Practice in INT D 406

The Winter 2020 section of Innovation, Science and Leadership culminated in an iTEAM Challenge, where students learned to design and carry out a systematic review of evidence before making recommendations related to a pressing environmental and/or social issue. See three exceptional examples on our YouTube channel:

edmonton skyline at night with overlaid text: housing heroes building the way home
Housing Heroes
Mohamed, Emily, Anna and Arjun investigate the lack of proper infrastructure and policy to support adults who experience homelessness and substance abuse.
black and white thumbnails of five young women with the title Women in Black
Women in Black

Christy, Julie, Kayla, Nicole and Xiaoyu propose theatre-based interventions to improve the mental health of Indigenous male youth populations in Canada.

title page image reads fentanyl test kits: improving the healthcare of canadian drug users in response to synthetic opiods by i-team Preventanyl including campion, mason, robert and martin in the INT D 406 class
Preventanyl

Campion, Martin, Mason, and Robert investigate the emergence of Fentanyl and the adultering of the illicit drug market, and they pitch possible solutions.

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Workshops in Leadership (INT D 407) - Alberta School of Business

Instructor: Heather Caltagirone, PhD | Sessional Instructor | Assistant Deputy Minister, Alberta Education

The purpose of this course is to increase understanding of leadership and skill in exercising leadership roles. We will examine critical leadership aspects from a workshop point of view. You will be asked to contemplate the ideas presented, reflect on who you are as an individual and a leader, and how you might hone your repertoire of leadership skills considering the ideas presented. Integrated will be information on skills such as team building, mentoring, managing conflict, delegating, managing decision-making, creative problem solving, and stress management. This is accomplished by classroom learnings, workshops on topic areas, deliverables and supplementary readings and research to assist you in developing a comprehensive understanding.

Next Section: Mondays from 5:30-8:30 pm in Fall 2021

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