Course Catalogue

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Dynamic, impactful, and socially responsible leadership is essential to transform our future and to support the ambition of the United Nations Sustainable Development goals (SDGs 8,9 and 11). Future leaders need to be globally aware while being locally impactful. Interdisciplinary skills beyond leadership theory are essential to address the grand challenges, which are systemic, embedded and multi-faceted. This course will build a foundation of practical and interdisciplinary leadership skills, developing transferable social and emotional skills to create a new generation of leaders who have environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations at the heart of their leadership approach.

With workshops to develop practical skills for problem solving, ethical decision making and creative thinking students will be provided with a set of reusable skills applicable in any workplace, at any level, enabling students to begin to own their learning trajectory.

The course will provide insight into the wider impacts of decision making to develop and enhance awareness of self, community, and positionality and to enable change that can confront the biggest societal challenges.

Students will become creative leaders and change makers developing and driving solutions to sustainable futures. Students will develop the cognitive skills and curiosity to approach the most complex challenges with drive, ambition, and a desire to make a difference. Our new leaders will be able to collaborate, encouraging cognitive diversity, and limiting impacts of cognitive bias. Students will develop an agile mindset, essential for today's rapidly changing world.

Face to face teaching, live synchronous. In semester 1 this course will be taught in Dumfries. In the next academic year 27/28 the course will also be delivered in Glasgow in semester 2.

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Assessment 1: Global Challenge Group Project (Apply / Interact / Disrupt)

Students work in interdisciplinary teams to analyse a complex sustainability or social-impact problem and create a practical, innovative solution. They will share their findings through a short briefing paper, report, prototype, or in a presentation to a panel (including community or industry partners where possible). The assessment approach will be discussed with the students and one of these options selected. The assessment aims to provide a realistic problem to analyse and an output that is typical of that expected in the workplace. The briefing paper or report will be a maximum of 2000 words, the prototype will be a theoretical demonstration of product or a service and the presentation would be a 20 minute presentation, delivered by all team members, with 10 minutes for questions.

ILO1, ILO 2, ILO4

Assessment 2: Individual Reflective Leadership Portfolio (Enhance)

Students submit a curated portfolio containing weekly reflections on positionality, leadership behaviours, teamwork, cognitive bias, and skill development, showing how their thinking changed over the course. Self-reflection helps to develop good habits and provides time to analyse and process both academic learning and practical experiences. ILO 3

This course aims to equip students with the knowledge, skills and confidence to become responsible, creative and effective leaders in a rapidly changing world. It introduces key concepts in sustainable and socially responsible leadership, while giving students hands-on opportunities to tackle real-world challenges through interdisciplinary teamwork and practical problem-solving. The course also aims to help students develop greater self-awareness, understand how their values and positionality shape their decisions, and build the communication, collaboration and critical-thinking skills needed to lead positive change in their communities, workplaces and wider society.

ILO 1 - Interdisciplinary Leadership & ESG Awareness

By the end of this course, students will be able to explain and apply key concepts of socially responsible and sustainable leadership, demonstrating an understanding of how ESG principles and the UN SDGs (8, 9, 11) shape effective decision-making in contemporary organisational and community contexts.

ILO 2 - Creative, Ethical, and Systemic Problem-Solving

Students will be able to analyse complex, multi-faceted societal challenges and generate creative, ethical, and evidence-informed solutions, drawing on interdisciplinary frameworks to address uncertainty, systems-level interactions, and competing stakeholder needs.

ILO 3 - Self-Awareness, Positionality & Reflective Practice

Students will be able to critically reflect on their own leadership behaviours, positionality, and cognitive biases, demonstrating growing self-awareness and the ability to adapt their leadership approach in response to diverse teams, communities, and contexts.

ILO 4 - Collaboration, Communication & Agile Mindsets

Students will be able to collaborate effectively in diverse groups, employing clear communication, agile thinking, and emotional intelligence to co-create solutions and contribute positively to team-based challenges and real-world scenarios.