PLS 4873 – Human Resource Management in Government
Eastern Illinois University
Spring 2002
Professor: Dr. Jeff Ashley
Class Times: MWF 12:00-12:50
Office: Coleman 2335
Phone: 581-8418
Email: cfjsa@eiu.edu
 

COURSE DESCRIPTION
 Once considered merely interchangeable cogs in the production machine, people are the driving force behind the success or failure of the modern organization.  This being the case, greater attention and care needs to be placed on the recruitment, cultivation, and retention of “good people.”  Therefore, Dennis Riley lays the foundation for our course by stating, “find good people and make it possible for them to do their best work.  Sounds simple enough, but that definition of personnel administration will lead us to explore subjects as diverse as the validation of employment tests, protection for employees who want to criticize their bosses, the legal liability of government to warn citizens of impending danger, and comparable worth as response to generations of wage discrimination against American women” (pp. 1-2).  These and other topics are the essence of our course for Spring 2002 – it will be fun!

COURSE OBJECTIVES
1) to familiarize students with the major federal (some state) employment laws. This objective will be met primarily through lecture and application via case studies
 
2) to provide a basic understanding of several human resource development techniques including recruitment and selection, training and development, and performance appraisals.  This objective will be met through course readings and discussion, and through applying what we have read to various case studies.
 
3) to broaden our understanding of some current “hot issues” in HR management.  This will be met through assigned readings, cases studies, and discussion/presentation of student book reviews.

REQUIRED READING MATERIALS
 Dennis D. Riley, Public Personnel Administration, 2nd ed., (New York: Longman, 2002).
 Walter D. Broadnax, ed., Diversity and Affirmative Action in Public Service, (Boulder, CO: Westview, 2000).
  T. Zane Reeves, Cases in Public Human Resource Management, (Itasca, Il: Peacock, 1999).
  Selected Chapters from Carolyn Ban and Norma Riccucci, Public Personnel Management, 3rd ed., (New York: Longman, 2002)
 * Ban and Riccucci chapters will be on reserve in the library

ATTENDANCE POLICY
 Since this is a graduate course, I feel somewhat uncomfortable even mentioning attendance.  However, for those of you who are new, it goes without saying that attendance is a must!  Since we are all adults, I don’t anticipate any problems with mandatory attendance.  In a similar vein, we are adults and circumstances often arise making perfect attendance impossible (sometimes).  If something comes up that forces you to miss class, please let me know so that we can work out alternative arrangements.

OFFICE HOURS
 Normal office hours are MF 3:00-4:00 and Th 4:00-6:00.  However, I am often in my office at other times - - please feel free to phone or stop by.  Furthermore, I am always willing to set up appointments to meet at other times.  The point is, DO NOT HESITATE TO COME AND TALK TO ME!  If you are having any difficulty with the material but are uncomfortable discussing it in class please see me.  The bottom line is that I want you all to understand the material and to do well in the course.

EVALUATION
 There will be two exams (mid-term and final)
      the mid term is worth 100 points
      the final is worth 100 points
 Each student will prepare and present to class a book review on a human resource topic of their choosing (with instructor approval)
      the book review is worth 50 points (see below)
 There will be written responses to case studies
      these will add up to 80 points
 preparation and participation (especially discussion leading) are evaluated
      this accounts for 20 points (see below)

Book reviews should be 3-5 pages in length and include the following:
 1) a brief summary (do not get bogged down with play-by-play details)
 2) what methods do they employ....are they appropriate?
 3) what is your opinion of the book
 4) how does the book compare to other works on the same topic (compare to a couple of other books.....which seems to be better, why?)
copies of the book review are to be handed out in class so that each member will accumulate a  number of resources for future use.  Reviews should be presented with the possibility of discussion in mind.

Discussion leading - Students will take turns acting as “discussion leader” over assigned readings.  Each week, we will have a different leader or group of leaders guiding us through the material.  When it is your turn to lead, bring discussion questions to be distributed to everyone in class (including me).  These questions should not take the form of quizzes or detailed summaries of the reading.  Instead, they should be thought provoking reflections on the material which attempt to raise questions and facilitate further discussion and inquiry.

GRADING
 A= 90% and above
 B= 80-89%
 C= 70-79%
 D= 60-69%
 F= below 60%
 

COURSE OUTLINE and ASSIGNED READINGS (to be read prior to week assigned)

Week one (1/7)
 introduction to the course/ overview of some important employment laws

Week two (1/14)_____________________________
 Chapter one on Riley
 Ban and Riccucci Chapter on reserve
 cases 15 & 18

Week three (1/21)____________________________
 Part one in Broadnax – Representative Bureaucracy
 (No class on Monday – Martin Luther King, Jr.)
 case 14

Week four (1/28)_____________________________
 Part two in Broadnax – Affirmative Action
 cases 12 & 13

Week five (2/4)______________________________
 Part three in Broadnax – Diversity
 (No class on Friday – Lincoln)
 case 7

Week six (2/11)______________________________
 Part four in Broadnax – Gender
 cases 2 & 16

Week seven (2/18)____________________________
 Part five in Broadnax – Aging and Disabilities
 cases 6 & 27

Week eight (2/25)_____________________________
 Chapter three in Riley
 (No class Friday – MIG)
 EXAM #1 on Wednesday over ch. 1-3 in Riley and Broadnax (entire)

Week nine (3/4)______________________________
 Chapter four in Riley
 cases 8 & 19
 
Week ten (3/11) SPRING BREAK

Week eleven (3/18)___________________________
 Chapter five in Riley
 Fernandez, Lowman, and Rainey Chapter on reserve
 cases 11 & 21

Week twelve (3/25)___________________________
 Chapters six and nine in Riley
 cases 3 & 4

Week thirteen (4/1)___________________________
 Chapter seven in Riley
 Ban Chapter on reserve
 cases 1 & 5

Week fourteen (4/8)__________________________
 cases 23 & 29
 (No class Wednesday or Friday – conference)

Week fifteen (4/15)___________________________
 Chapter ten in Riley
 Sims Chapter on reserve
 cases 22 & 24

Week sixteen (4/22)__________________________
 Chapter eight in Riley
 Kellough Chapter on reserve
 cases 25 & 26
 
Week seventeen -- FINALS WEEK
 
*please note that this syllabus is subject to change at the instructor’s discretion
 

University Policies

Learning Disabilities/Physical Challenges Policy
 Students with disabilities who require special accommodation are encouraged to meet with the instructor during the first week of class.  For further assistance or information, please contact the EIU Office of Disability Services at 581-6583.

Student Assistance
 The purpose of both the EIU Counseling Center and the EIU Learning Assistance Center is to help you obtain maximum educational benefit from your time here.  The support offered enables students to obtain help for both academic and personal problems.  The Learning Assistance Center (581-6696) can help with individual tutoring for academic needs.  The Counseling Center (581-3413) has a staff available to assist you with any personal problems which might arise.  College can be a very stressful experience, and I would encourage anyone to take advantage of these services when they feel the need.
 
Academic Integrity
 The university takes an extremely serious view of violations of academic integrity.  As members of the academic community, EIU’s administration, faculty, staff, and students are dedicated to promoting an atmosphere of honesty and are committed to maintaining the academic integrity essential to the educational process.  Inherent in this commitment is the belief that academic dishonesty in all forms violates the basic principles of integrity and impedes learning.

 It is the responsibility of individual faculty members to identify instances of academic dishonesty and recommend penalties to the department chair or college dean in keeping with the severity of the violation.  At a minimum, academic dishonesty will result in a failing grade for this course.