SYLLABUS
APLS 472 - Public
Personnel Management
Spring 2012
Dr. Carol Sears Botsch
Held in
H and SS 205
Last updated 1/4/2012
Office:
H & SS C-5
Telephone: 803-648-6851, ext.
3227
Fax: 803-641-3461
Email: carolb@usca.edu
Office Hours: Monday, 10 am
to11:50 am, and by appointment.
Credits: 3 hours
Text:
Public Personnel Administration 4th edition, by N. Joseph
Cayer. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning, 2004. This is a current general
text that addresses the development of the public personnel system as well as
how people are hired, promoted, evaluated, and fired. At the end of each
chapter you will also find a list of relevant websites and an exercise or case
study that we will use. Although it was written a few years ago, it is still
timely. You should buy a used copy at the bookstore or go online to find one,
though – the idea is to save you money! Remember if you go online, you must
account for shipping costs, and it may take time for you to receive the book.
Other
readings will be assigned and/or placed on reserve in the library. We will use
a number of online sources, newspapers and magazines. I cannot hand out copies
of these articles to you due to copyright restrictions so be sure to allow
adequate time to read them and complete assignments prior to class.
Course
Description
Most
students who take a public personnel management course fail to realize in the
beginning what a key role personnel management (often called human resources
management today) plays in politics and policy-making. Public personnel
management is at the heart of the governmental process. Some of the most
controversial issues in American society are actually personnel issues. These
include health insurance, sexual harassment, smoking in the workplace,
discrimination (against workers with AIDS, those who are gay, those who are overweight,
and the still current problems of racial and gender discrimination), the rights
of the disabled, unionization, and affirmative action. One of today’s biggest
political issues is how large government should be and what role it should play
– there is no doubt that this can be defined as a personnel issue, and today we
once again see government trying to do more with less (in the 1980s, we
referred to this as “cutback management”). We will examine a number of these
important issues during the semester.
Personnel
management is also highly legalistic in today's society. As you know, many
Americans tend to sue at the drop of a hat! Some have commented that without
personnel administration many of our law schools would have to close. Every
time I serve on a university search committee, I am reminded that the process
is subject to a whole set of steps designed in part to ensure that all
candidates are treated fairly, but also designed in part to ensure that we, as
a public institution, comply with the law and do not subject ourselves to
lawsuits! We will examine the implications of the legal environment in which
personnel management exists today as well.
Since
life (and politics) does not exist in a vacuum, we will review the evolution of
public personnel management in the United States and where it is going in the
second decade of the 21st century. The two key predictions made by most
forecasters are that the society of the 21st century will be highly
technological and that we will have a global economy. These trends will lead to
changes in how and where we work, perhaps in the nature of work itself. We’ve
already seen hints of this! Some people telecommute and many of you are
familiar with using Google Talk or Skype to communicate with others. Webinars,
podcasts, and teleconferences sometimes substitute for business and
professional travel. We are all heavily dependent on our computers, or for
some, our smartphones and tablets. Both public and private sector entities routinely
require one to listen to a canned message with a menu when one calls, and
reaching a human being seems to be a last resort. Business and even some governmental entities
frequently outsource customer service and other departments to countries
halfway around the world. While it is beyond our scope to make a
"fact-finding" trip abroad (unless someone can write us a large and
successful grant application or win the lottery!) we can and will explore these
changes, as appropriate.
Events
have a way of overtaking us, and to some extent, any paper text becomes
outdated before the ink is dry. Our text is about years old, and the general
principles of the field, the “nuts and bolts,” have not changed much, nor have
many of the issues that are important for our time. Think about the two “T”
words, terrorism and technology. There is no doubt that the Sept. 11, 2001
events changed the way we view government, at least in the short-term, and that
the continuing need for increased security has led to many changes both in our
lives and in the way government operates. What kind of impact does living in
the Age of Terrorism have on personnel management? And going back to what we said
about computers, think about how you communicate with your friends and family.
Are you practically attached to your smart phone? Do you have an account on
Facebook, like millions of others around the world? One of the questions our
Human Resources director asked us as we began a search to replace a faculty
member in our department, a search that is taking place during the 2011-12
academic year, was whether we wanted to explore their use of social media – in
other words, look at what they posted on sites like Facebook. That was
something that had not come up in previous searches on which I had served,
although as you no doubt know, many employers and potential employers do look
at what people post on these sites. It really is a brave new world!
In
addition, we will try to get a feel for what actually goes on in the field both
by inviting some experts who work in the field (usually called “practitioners”)
and by doing some of the same kinds of activities that personnel specialists
actually perform. For this, we will use the case studies/exercises in your text
and other selected exercises.
Our
goals for the semester are 1) to improve your knowledge and understanding of
public personnel management and the role it plays in our government and
society; 2) to improve your communication
skills, both written and oral; 3) to familiarize you with how you can use
computers and the Internet as a research tool – many of you are already experts
here and can help other students, as well as your professor! We will
accomplish the goals through our readings and class discussions and through
doing cases and exercises similar to those performed by personnel specialists,
as well as with homework assignments based on each chapter. I will
measure what you have learned through your performance on tests and on your
written work and term paper.
Grades
1. There will be two exams, each of which will cover one-half of the
course material. These will be based on the readings in your textbook and
related assignments. Each exam will count for 20% of your grade. The final
exam will be given as scheduled during the final exam period. At this juncture,
I plan that these will be essay exams.
2. A term paper will count for 20% of your grade. The paper must be at least eight
double-spaced typed pages, 12 point font, one inch margins, excluding
references. More information and the deadlines for each component of the
project will be provided early in the semester.
3. The remaining 40% of your grade will be based on written assignments and
classwork. You will have an assignment for almost every class. All of the
written work will be graded on a Satisfactory, Marginal, or Unsatisfactory
basis. You will receive a satisfactory for adequate work. If you have made a
minimal effort you will receive a marginal (two marginals count as one
satisfactory). All assignments must be turned in at the beginning of
class and on time. If you do not do the assignment, you will receive an
unsatisfactory. If you miss class, you may turn in your assignment at your
first class back, but no late assignments will be accepted except under
those very limited conditions. You may contact me if there are extenuating circumstances
such as a death in the immediate family (that’s parents, grandparents,
siblings, children, and spouse or partner), and you can always send an
assignment by email, if you wish (all emailed work should be sent in the body
of an email - no attachments please, and be sure to fill in the subject line if
you want me to open your email!). I will average the number of satisfactory
assignments into the total to get a percentage for this part of your
grade. Spelling, grammar and sentence structure count and you will
be penalized for excessive errors. If you need assistance with your writing
skills I will require you to go to the Writing Room. Please type all work.
You can use a computer on campus if you do not have one – you’ve already paid
for this privilege with your technology fee! Note: This is a pretty high
percentage of your grade, but in many ways, the easiest part for you to
complete and get a good grade in the course! It’s primarily a matter of time
management so you don’t fall behind on your reading, and have adequate time to
turn in good work!
Grading Scale
A = 90 or above
B+ = 85-89
B = 80-84
C+ = 75-79
C = 70-74
D+ = 65-69
D = 60-64
F = below 60
Honor Code:
All students are expected to abide by USCA's honor code. The honor code applies
to all work done during the semester, including exams, homework and papers.
Plagiarism, copying and cheating are grounds for failing the course. If you
have any questions about honor code violations, please see me. All honor
code violations will be reported in accordance with the policy in the faculty
and student handbooks.
Disability
Policy: If you have a physical,
psychological, and/or learning disability which might affect your performance
in this class, please contact the Office of Disability Services, 126A B&E,
(803) 641-3609, as soon as possible. The Disability Services Office will
determine appropriate accommodations based on medical documentation
Writing
Proficiency Portfolio Requirement: Your instructor values
good writing in this course. Please remember that the written work that you
produce in this class can be included in your Writing Proficiency Portfolio.
For further information on the portfolio requirement please consult your USCA
Undergraduate and Graduate Studies Bulletin or visit Dr. Lynne Rhodes,
Director of Writing Assessment, or Karl Fornes, Director of the Writing Room.
Cell
phone/laptop policy: Please mute or turn off your phone
in class out of courtesy to your fellow students and your professor, and put it
away during our class. You may use phones and laptops only for class related
activities at the direction of your professor! Playing video games,
communicating with friends via email or social media, and texting, are all
activities that should be carried on before or after class. However, you are
welcome to bring food and drink to class for your breakfast, lunch, or a snack!