Part II requires students to analyze and explain their own development journey from an objective, theoretical perspective. Part II requires that students use at least one theory of adult development to explain the student’s evolution as a person and at least one theory of leadership to analyze the student’s evolution as a leader. Students may choose to use more than one theory for each. This means that students will have, at least, 2 references listed on their “Reference” page. This will also mean that students will have several in-text citations as they paraphrase and/or quote from their resources. Keep in mind, students should paraphrase in their own words more often than using direct quotes.
Part II must also include details focused on your future development and who you want to become as a leader. Students must also include cognitive, emotional, and/or behavioral development activities that might help further their development and what results they anticipate as an outcome.
The following questions should be addressed as well:
- What will positive development toward your aspirations look and feel like and what will drive it?
- How can you facilitate the development of other people?
- How can you build a shared culture for positive development in the direction required by the work of your organization or community?
- What are the implications you see for adult development as it connects with the exercise of leadership? In other words, development for what purpose?
- No theory is perfect, so what is your critique of developmental theory? Where are the holes? The unanswered questions? The gaps?
This assignment requires students to adhere to APA formatting and writing guidelines. No abstract or table of contents is required. Please be sure to check out the sample papers available in the Student Resource section. Also, be sure to use the grading criteria listed on the next page to guide your efforts. It is expected that each section be 4- 5 pages long (this means that your final submission will be 8-10 pages long). You may go over this page count; however, grades will be assigned based on quality, not quantity, of analysis.
As this is the final course paper, late work will not be accepted for this assignment.
Developmental Autobiography Grading Criteria
- Analysis: How well did you integrate theory and data to create a coherent diagnosis of the current situation and future action in the paper?
- Translates major theoretical perspectives from the lectures and the readings to leadership theory being studied into concrete implications and interventions in his/her own learning and practice.
- Demonstrates the ability to make connections between organizational processes and larger social dynamics and patterns
- Self-Reflection: How well did you demonstrate an understanding of how elements of your identity and history affect your world view, development and exercise of leadership?
- Expresses unique personal insights derived from application and evaluation of course content.
- Sustains sense of inquiry
- Data: How well did you utilize descriptive data to support your analysis?
- Uses specific examples from your own life.
- Offers a description of the situation giving the reader enough background to follow your analysis.
- Presents evidence, interprets evidence, relates evidence to own development and strategies for the exercise of leadership.
- Theory: How well can you apply the conceptual material offered in readings and lectures to reflect on and provide new insights into personal experiences?
- Relates subject of paper to course concepts and materials and has sufficient number of references.
- Outlines theory’s relevance to one’s own development, world view, and exercise of leadership.
- Organization: How clear, focused, and well-organized is the paper?
- Demonstrates masterful organization that strengthens your analysis.
- Synthesizes connections making explicit statements (not expecting instructor to infer student’s meaning).
- Writing: Does the paper reflect professional and graduate-level quality in grammar, writing style, and adherence to APA 6th format?
- Cites course materials (lectures, readings) appropriately.
- Properly formats paper using 12pt font, 1-inch margins, double- spacing, and proper sub-headings.
- Avoid contractions (i.e., I’m, you’re, we’re, etc. in academic writing)
- Indent all first lines of paragraphs (.5-inch tab)
- One main idea per paragraph with 2-3 supporting sentences (paragraphs should be 3-5 sentences in length.
