BDIC 397B: Leadership and Networking
Where & When: Thursdays 5:30-7:30pm, Location: E Lab II.
(Join us on Tuesday nights at Rafters at 7:30 pm for our weekly social and networking session. Note: Rafter's is for ALL AGES.)
Class Leaders: Bob Lowry, Dan Gordon
Bob Lowry is a local entrepreneur and a co-organizer of the Entrepreneurship Initiative (EI). The goal of the EI is to assist students who wish to found their own organizations (business or non-profits). The EI website is: www.umassei.org The EI is housed in the Bachelor’s Degree with Individual Concentration program (BDIC). But EI classes are available on an unrestricted basis to students of all majors.
Dan Gordon is a professor of history and director of BDIC as well as interim associate dean of the Commonwealth Honors College. BDIC is the program in which students may design interdisciplinary majors that are not offered in the regular academic departments. The website is http://www.umass.edu/bdic/
Course Description: This two-credit class explores principles of positive leadership and how they create success in entrepreneurship and networking. The goal for each student is to initiate several friendships with people in career areas that excite them and to learn tools to foster these new relationships.
Grading:
- Attendance in class (50% of grade).**
- < Students contact five people and write about them in contact reports. (20% of grade).
- < 2 Papers (4 pages each) on books read in class - (20%) (see syllabus for due dates)
- < Paper (3 pages) on networking – (10%) Due April 28 4 PM via email.
- **A class can be made up for by writing a two-page synopsis of the reading due for that class. However, no more than three missed classes can be covered in this manner.
Required Readings:
- Dale Carnegie, How To Win Friends and Influence People – Distributed FREE in class.
- Jim Collins, Good to Great – Purchase at bookstore of your choice or online.
Calendar of Events (5:30-7:30pm in E Lab II)
January 21 - Discussion of Conscious behavior - Group exercise “What I want in my life”
Homework - Section 1 "How to Win Friends"
January 28 - Discussion of reading - Introduction to networking assignment - Workshop: Setting goals
Homework - Section 2 "How to Win Friends"
Write two networking goals (50 words each maximum) ***Bring hard copy of goals to class Feb 4th***
February 4 - Discussion of reading - Networking workshop using “goals” assignment
Homework - Page 115 to 157 "How to Win Friends"
February 11 - Discussion of reading - Discussion of networking
Homework - Pages 158 to 201 "How to Win Friends"
February 18 - Discussion of reading
Homework - Pages 205 to 249 “How to Win Friends”
1 contact report due via email 4 PM Feb 24
February 25 - Discussion of reading - Workshop on connecting people to people
Homework - Paper “How to Win Friends” Due March 10th 4 PM via email
March 4 - Discussion of reading
Homework - 1 contact report due via email 4 PM March 3rd
March 13 - Discussion of reading / Guest Speaker No Homework
March 25 - Guest Speaker
Homework - Chapters 1,2,3 “Good to Great” - 1 contact report via email 4 PM March 31
April 1 - Discussion of reading - Networking exercise “How's your networking going?”
Homework - Chapters 4,5,6 “Good to Great” - 1 contact report due via email 4 PM April 7
April 8 - Discussion of reading
Homework - Chapters 7,8,9 “Good to Great” - 1 contact report due via email 4 PM April 14
April 15 - Discussion of reading
Homework - 1 contact report due via email 4 PM April 21 - “Good to Great” paper due via email 4 PM April 21
April 22 - Guest speaker
Homework - Networking paper due via email 4 PM April 28
April 28 - EI Social
April 29 – Guest speaker