Posted: February 3rd, 2016

take up one of the key philosophical thinkers (Plato, Mill, Kant, or Machiavelli) from this class, and apply his theoretical or historical approach regarding leadership to some particular contemporary issue

Option two: Application of theory
In this paper, you will take up one of the key philosophical thinkers (Plato, Mill, Kant, or
Machiavelli) from this class, and apply his theoretical or historical approach regarding leadership
to some particular contemporary issue. I expect you to go beyond just the readings we�ve done in
class, and your text should draw on between 3 and 8 outside sources, which must be cited and listed
in a bibliography. At least 3 of your sources must be PRINT (i.e. not from the internet).
Some questions you could ask and answer in this paper: How are these theories applicable to
contemporary issues? Are there elements of today�s society that are so different as to make these
ideas untenable? How might we make use of philosophical insights into leadership to address
contemporary problems? Note that these are just examples of questions you could ask/answer; a
good paper will not attempt to answer them all but will focus closely on a concise, specific issue.
Key point: your paper must present an argument and defend a conclusion about the issue/thinker
you choose. You might argue that Plato has a particularly strong position on leadership in education
that could inform contemporary education reform, or that Mill�s utilitarianism is a weak basis from
which to build a theory of corporate citizenship capable of addressing a specific contemporary
corporate problem, or �the possibilities are endless!
Some issues you might wish to take up:
� Leadership in Religion � Corporate Citizenship
� Capitalism and Democracy � Leadership in Education
� Minorities in Leadership � Leadership at home and abroad
� Parenting as leadership