government - the greenville collision

Detailed Description:

On February 9, 2001, a US Navy submarine, the USS Greeneville, collided with a Japanese fishing trawler, killing nine people including four high school students.� The Navy convened a Court of Inquiry to determine the cause of the accident and decide if the commanding officer and crew should receive punishment.�

In this authentic learning environment integrating exploratory and dialogical qualities, the students will assume leadership roles in handling this tragic accident, including working as a member on the Court of Inquiry for the Navy.� The learning environment will give the students access to resources that were available to the actual Court of Inquiry. These resources will reflect the complex data on the accident and will include testimony from witnesses, press reports, and conflicting opinions from experts about the cause of the collision and the disciplinary action the Navy should take.�

The students will be asked to reach judgments based on their analysis of these resources and to propose, defend, and negotiate with peers a solution to the Greeneville accident. Along the way the students will reflect on important challenges of leadership, including how to cope with catastrophic mistakes committed by otherwise good employees or subordinates.

Learning Outcomes:

The learner will be able to:

Communicating with empathy and tact a message that no one will welcome, such as the news that people have died because of an error made by people within the leader�s organization.
Reaching a judgment about a past event based on a careful analysis of available facts.
Developing and persuasively defend a well-reasoned plan of action that others perceive as fair and ethical.
Finding the difficult balance a leader must strike in providing direction to followers while at the same time empowering them to make and act upon their own decisions.