Northouse, Leadership, 9e
SAGE Publishing, 2022
“This I Believe” Photography Project
This project exposes students to Zana Briski, an artist who unexpectedly becomes an activist
and a leader. The film Born into Brothels describes her journey. Students discover how
artistic vision can empower leadership and then design a project that reflects their learning.
The project spans several class periods during the final weeks of the course. It involves some
reading, online research, inviting a guest speaker to class, watching a film and discussing it,
taking and developing photographs, and integrating students’ learning with their life
experiences.
The teaching goals of the project are to:
(2) connect leadership concepts and behaviors to new people and realms of life
(integration)
Preparation:
• Invite an art professor or professional photographer to speak to the class about
basic photography and photojournalism. What makes a photograph effective?
How does looking through a camera lens change the way one sees the world?
• A week before the photojournalism lecture, have students view the film,
• At the next class period, discuss the film. Ask students to bring two questions
to class about the film. If students run out of questions, be prepared to ask
• Before the photojournalism lecture, have students look up some
photojournalism websites such as Magnum Photo or Ryan Spencer Reed.
How do the photos in the gallery tell a story? Move people? Move people to
action?
• After the lecture, have students look up websites related to artistic vision and
read the statements by artists about how they see the world. A simple but
profound insight is that artistic vision is about learning to see. How is this
related to leadership?
Northouse, Leadership, 9e
SAGE Publishing, 2022
• For the next phase of the project, students are asked to take their own photos
(see handout), focused on leadership. Some students may be able to use their
Discussion Questions for Born into Brothels
• Why did Zana Briski go to Calcutta? What was the original project?
• What did she discover once she got there?
• What effect did using a camera have on the children?
• Once she started teaching the children photography, what efforts were
• What cultural challenges did she face? What are some of the values of that
• Is it presumptuous for an American to go into another culture and intervene?
Would an Indian photographer have had the same impact?
• What explains Briski’s behavior? Would anyone have done the same thing in
• What might be the long-term impact of her work? Should a person even try to
intervene against insurmountable odds?
• What aspects of authentic leadership or ethical leadership did Briski embody?
• The power of context: Would we have cared as much as if this were child
labor in an ink factory?
• Can an example like Briski’s be used to train leaders?
Handout for Photography Project
(Instructor should adapt to their own course)
Northouse, Leadership, 9e
SAGE Publishing, 2022
This project should reflect the culmination of your thoughts about leadership. It is based on
the NPR radio series “This I Believe,” but with a twist. Rather than writing an essay about
your beliefs in general, you are asked to photograph images that reflect your beliefs about
leadership.
In preparation, we have watched the film, Born into Brothels, and are learning from Prof.
Part 1: You will have 1 week to shoot 24 photos and develop them. Apply what you have
learned about composition and color from Prof. ______ in your selection of shots.
Part 2: Once the film is processed, think about the best format for presenting your images—on
a poster board? As a collage? As a sculpture? A mobile? Arrange your photos in the form of
your choice and bring to class on ______.