Leadership & Discovery
What is Leadership & Discovery?
Becoming a leader in society is not just about holding a role – it involves academic and cultural awareness that extends beyond your usual areas of expertise. These courses will develop the curiosity and interdisciplinary awareness essential for discovery, encouraging you to explore new ways of thinking and to engage with challenges that might sit outside your comfort zones. You will be encouraged to think creatively, collaborate with diverse groups of students on local and global challenges, and take action as an emerging leader. Through these courses, you will develop an appreciation that there are more ways to know and solve than you initially thought possible and this will help you build a portfolio of knowledge and experience for your future career and citizenship.
Below, you can find a sample list of C4L courses within the Leadership & Discovery theme. Please note that they are subject to change. The finalised list of courses and details (including course descriptions, assessment and timetabling information) will be available ahead of enrolment opening in August 2026. Keep an eye on this page for more information!
Future Leaders for a Changing World
'Future Leaders for a Changing World' at a glance:
This course is available in Semester 1. Course code: DUMF1079. Credits: 20.
Please note this course is taught on the University of Glasgow Dumfries campus. Please only select if you are already attending classes in Dumfries as there is a significant distance between both campuses (Travel Distance: 125km)
What will I learn from this course?
This course aims to develop adaptable, reflective, and socially responsible graduates capable of exercising leadership in complex and uncertain environments. It equips students to integrate sustainability, ESG principles, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals into ethical and evidence-informed decision-making, while fostering creative, systems-based approaches to problem-solving. Through interdisciplinary learning, collaborative practice, and structured reflection, the course develops self-awareness, inclusive communication, and agile mindsets, supporting students to demonstrate agency, resilience, and connectivity, and to apply transferable skills for lifelong learning and leadership across diverse professional and community contexts.
How will I be assessed on this course?
|
Sequence |
Assessment type |
Group or Individual Assessment |
Weighting |
|
Formative |
Short reflection (written, audio or video) – Students analyse their early experiences of teamwork, decision-making and problem-solving during workshops and group activities. They briefly identify one leadership behaviour they feel confident about and one they want to develop further, using examples from class activities. |
Individual |
N/A |
|
Summative |
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 present their findings through a short report, briefing, prototype, or presentation to a panel (including community or industry partners where possible). |
Group |
50% |
|
Summative |
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. |
Individual |
50% |
The course ILOs:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
What unique learning experiences will I have on this course?
On this course you’ll get far more than lectures. You’ll dive into real-world problems through hands-on, experiential learning that connects study to actual situations. You’ll work on projects that simulate or involve real organisations or community issues, giving you a chance to practise leadership, collaboration, creative thinking and sustainability skills outside the usual classroom setting. Through this style of learning you’ll see exactly how the ideas you explore link to real workplaces and societal challenges, helping you build confidence, sharpen practical skills and leave with experiences and capabilities that matter beyond
Who are the course leaders?
Douglas Shand is leading this course.
Changing Society with Science!
'Changing Society with Science!' at a glance:
This course is available in Semester: 2. Course code: PHIL1013. Credits: 20.
What will I learn from this course?
This course will empower students to make scientifically literate contributions to the public policy sphere and encourage students to think critically about connections between scientific methodology and social decision making. The course will equip students with a robust, foundational understanding of the scientific method, the differences between science and pseudoscience, and the conceptual tools to recognise and evaluate value-laden decisions in the development and deployment of science-based public programs.
How will I be assessed on this course?
|
Sequence |
Assessment type |
Group or Individual Assessment |
Weighting |
|
Formative |
Conduct research and create their outputs via "workshops" |
Group |
N/A |
|
Summative |
Group report (1000 words) |
Group |
40% |
|
Summative |
Individual reflection on group report (300 words) |
Individual |
10% |
|
Summative |
Group podcast (10-15 mins) |
Group |
50% |
The course ILOs:
- ILO 1: Apply scientific findings to contemporary social problems.
- ILO 2: Explain key concepts in major science-facing debates around public policy, including climate policy and reliance on medical experts.
- ILO 3: Critically discuss public policy decisions that rely on or impact scientific investigation, including the ethical implications of data collection and decision-making based on algorithmic models.
- ILO 4: Explain and critically evaluate the ethical, social, and cultural values that underlie the subjects of scientific investigation and content of scientific theories.
- ILO 5: Investigate and evaluate the scientific basis for public policy decisions.
- ILO 6: Prepare and deliver research reports in a group setting.
What unique learning experiences will I have on this course?
Students will work in research teams, engaging collaboratively across different disciplines, on distinct topics, while tackling associated problems. These teams will enable students to learn from and with one another in concert with faculty-led classes. Students will gain direct experience of the division of intellectual labour and tasks which make up most activities once they join the workforce.
Who are the course leaders?
John Donaldson and Michael Hicks are leading this course.