Design and Implementation of an Interdisciplinary Leadership Studies Minor at an Historically Black, Liberal Arts College

This article summarizes the design, implementation, and current status of an undergraduate interdisciplinary leadership studies minor at Morehouse College. The college’s primary mission is to “develop men with disciplined minds who will lead lives of leadership, service, and self-realization,” as well as provide students with an understanding of the African American heritage and cultural experience. The leadership studies minor was designed as a place within the academic curriculum of the college program for students to learn about and reflect upon the study, practice, and interdisciplinary nature of leadership, its theoretical and historical foundations, and explore critical ethical leadership challenges that impact civil society with special emphasis on issues as they relate to African Americans, their heritage, and their cultural experience. Program results to date and the future of the minor in the college’s academic curriculum are also discussed.