MSL 402,Mission Command and the Company Grade Officer 21Jan2015

Course Syllabus

Instructor

CPT Darryl T. Washington

TAMUCT Founder’s Hall, Rm. 412, MW 0900-1040, Fri 0730-1020

Office Phone: 254-519-5703

Email:

CourseDescription

MSL 402 Mission Command and the Company Grade Officer explore the dynamics of leading in the complex situations duringUnified LandOperations I, II, and III. Examine the Art of Command andhow to properly communicate with your NCOs and Soldiers during Taking Charge 1, 2 and 3, and Developing Others (counseling). During Cultural Awarenessand Cultural Property Protection (CPP), you willdiscuss numerous situations on how ethical decisions impact personnel and the unit mission. Through the understanding of your roles and responsibilities,you will learn about Comprehensive Soldier Fitness (CSF), Being Ready and Resilient (R2C), and Individual and Family Readiness. These subjects can assist you in preparing your Soldiers and their Familiestoreduce and manage stress during times of uncertainty. The course places significant emphasis on preparing you for BOLC B and your first unit of assignment. It uses case studies and scenarios to prepare you to face the complex ethical demands of serving as a commissioned officer in the United States Army. This semester, you will:

  • Identify the leaders roles and responsibilities for enforcing Army policies and programs
  • Explore the dynamics of building a team prepared to handle any future operational environment and win
  • Examinethe importance of understanding culture and how it can affect your unit and mission
  • Develop both oral and written communication skills by conducting a battle analysis and decision briefs

Course Design

This course was designed to be student-centric with the onus of learning on the student, but facilitated by the instructor. Army Officers are expected to be life-long learners who take responsibility and personal initiative for their learning. You must properly conduct your pre-class assignments in order to come to class with a foundation of knowledge on the subject taught by your instructor. Doing so will allow your instructor to spend the majority of the class time on specific areas that are least understood from the pre-class assignment rather than your instructor re-teaching the subject from scratch. Your instructor has a wealth of experience and knowledge to share in the classroom—do your homework so your instructor can spend more time sharing his personal knowledge and experiences with your class. Class is conducted in an interactive manner with ample opportunities for small group discussions and practical exercises. Everyone will be responsible for contributing to the success of the learning experience.

Six Army Learning Areas

  • The Army Profession
  • Professional Competence
  • Adaptability
  • Teamwork
  • Life Long Learning
  • Comprehensive Fitness

NOTE: The six Army Learning Areas are replacing the five Leadership Tracks. As course documents are updated and revised, the five Leadership Tracks will change to the six Army Learning Areas.

The Advance Course is designed to enhance student interest in ROTC, the Army, and the six Army Learning Areas/MSL IVOutcomes while producing a junior officer who:

The Army Profession

-Synthesizes all aspects of Army Values and Warrior Ethos required to succeed as an Army Officer.

Professional Competence

-Demonstrates the ability to plan, prepare, execute, and assess platoon-level training strategies including individual and collective tasks to enable mission accomplishment.

Adaptability

-Recognizes and analyzes ambiguous situations and develops solutions to tactical, ethical, and leadership problems.

-Demonstrates ability to apply agile and adaptive decisions in a complex and ambiguous environment.

Teamwork

-Demonstrates the ability to build and sustain multi-functional teams in a complex, uncertain environment and able to accomplish the mission within the commander’s intent.

-Assesses the impacts of cultural differences on military operations and anticipates the consequences.

-Analyzes and synthesizes the communication process to effectively communicate as a leader.

Life Long Learning

-Applies the principles of lifelong learning and continued education ensuring personal, professional, and organizational improvement.

Comprehensive Fitness

-Demonstrate leader responsibilities in the Comprehensive Soldier and Family Fitness program to reduce and manage stress (spiritual, psychological, physical).

MSL 402 Course Requirements

Reading

NOTE: Student Selected books and articles as determined by professor

Selected readingsavailable online at:

  1. Army Doctrine Publications (ADP)
  2. Army Doctrine Reference Publications (ADRP)
  3. Field Manuals (FM)
  4. Leader Guide (LG)
  5. Army Regulations (AR)
  6. Training Circulars (TC)
  7. Other Resources
  • Cadet eBook
  • Leadership Development Program Handbook

Class Participation

You are expected to participate actively in learning through critical reflection, inquiry, dialogue, and group interactions. This includes participating in class discussion, sharing personal perspectives and experiences related to principles discussed in class or reading, working with fellow students to engage in class exercises, and leading lab exercises.

APFT

As a future officer, you are expected to set the example for physical fitness according to Army regulations. You willbe required to take a record APFT at the end of the spring semester. Your APFT score will make up 10% of your final grade. You may also opt to take a diagnostic APFT at the beginning of the spring semester. If you decide to take the diagnostic APFT at the beginning of the semester, the higher of the two APFTs will be used for 10% of your final grade.

Staff Ride Prep

1. During this semester, you will plan and execute a Staff Ride. Each of you will be assigned roles for during planning and execution. Performance in these roles will account for 20% of your final grade..

.

Term Project

1. Write a term paper, ten pages or more, (typed and double-spaced) where you compare and contrast the organizational leadership between two or more clubs, sport teams, organizations or extracurricular activity you actively participated throughout the semester, of which one must be your Cadet or Cadre ROTC Battalion.

Evaluation and Grading

Class Participation10%

Reading Assignments10%

Staff Ride Prep 20%

Term Paper20%

APFT10%

Midterm15%

Final Exam15%

The following grading scale will be used based on 100 points possible.

90-100A

80-89B

70-79C

Every attempt will be made to offer adequate written assessments in explaining evaluations. All late papers and assignments will receive a 10% reduction in grade.

Uniforms and Appearance

MS IV Cadetswill wear ASUs to Monday classes and ACUs to all other classes and labs. There will be additional requirements for uniforms and mandatory equipment. This information will be disseminated via the Cadet Chain of Command.

Collaboration

You are encouraged to work together with your fellow MSL IVCadets and seek guidance and help from your instructor and other ROTC cadre.

Special Needs

The American with Disabilities Act of 1990 requires universities to provide a reasonable accommodation to any individual who advises us of a disability. If you have a limitation that requires an accommodation or an academic adjustment, please arrange a meeting with me at your earliest convenience.

Office Hours and Appointments

Office Hours are:

I, along with the rest of the cadre, am available to Cadets anytime. However, my set office hours are M-F, 0900-1700. As we are a military organization, please utilize your Cadet Chain of Command when scheduling to meet with me for routine matters. My door is always open for emergencies or instances where you feel consultation with the Cadet CofC is inappropriate.

Page 1 of 5