Ideas in Antiquity--Leadership in the Ancient World: From Telemachus to T'Challa

Week Fourteen: Conclusion

This week we will watch and discuss Ryan Coogler's The Black Panther. Many, if not all, of the themes of leadership we have discussed in this course can be discussed through this work.

Session One

Assignment: Watch The Black Panther on NetFlix or the like and answer the following questions:
1. Identify three places in the movie where one could argue that at that precise moment T'Challa becomes a leader. What is the best argument for calling him a leader at this point in the movie? In which of your three moments do you believe T'Challa is truly a leader? What is the process that has brought him to this point of being a leader?
2. What kind of leader is T'Challa compared to the others we have studied in this course?
3. Does Killmonger ever become a leader? If so, when? What is his process of becoming a leader like compared to T'Challa's (compare especially his initiation to become king of Wakanda)?
4. What other characters in the movie could be considered leaders--and why?
5. Is king T'Chaka a good mentor/role model or a bad one?
6. The Black Panther concludes with T'Challa's plan to share technological information with the rest of the world (Shuri will oversee this) as well as "social outreach" (Nakia will oversee this). What do you believe T'Challa/Nakia has in mind by "social outreach"? Specifically, what is it about leadership, culture, or political organization that you believe Wakanda can share to improve the world? 

Session Two

Assignment: Students lead! Think about the aspects of "becoming a leader" we have not covered in this course, or have not covered in enough detail. Come to class prepared to lead the class in discussion. You may circulate something brief (2-4 pp.) beforehand for us to read, if you like.