Georgia State University
Andrew Young School of Policy Studies
Department of Public Administration and Urban Studies
Syllabus

PAUS 8151: Public Personnel Administration

Fall Semester 2000

COURSE DESCRIPTION

PAUS 8151 is a graduate level introduction to public and nonprofit sector human resources policy and management in the United States. This course is designed to cover: (1) the history of human resources management in government and the nonprofit sector, (2) major elements of the personnel management process, (3) organizational functions of human resources systems, and (4) contemporary issues and problems confronting human resources managers and policymakers in the public and nonprofit sectors.

CLASS PROCESS

Emphasis will be placed on student participation and discussion. Discussions will center on analysis and critiques of assigned readings, answers to discussion questions in the text, and analysis of cases assigned from Reeves book.

House Rules

If you must miss a session or will be late arriving, please let the instructor know in advance if at all possible. Class normally will start at 4:30 PM. There will be a 15 minute break at approximately 5:45 PM. Class will resume promptly at 6:00 PM and end at 7:00 PM. Please note that the break time may vary somewhat in relation to class activities. You are welcome to bring beverages into class, but not food. If you must leave early, please let the instructor know in advance, and please sit in a location where your leaving will not disrupt the class. If you arrive late, please take the closest seat in order to minimize disruption.

REQUIRED TEXTS

Two texts are required and should be available at the GSU and Georgia Bookstores. They are:

1. Nigro and Nigro, The New Public Personnel Administration, 5th ed. (F.E. Peacock, 2000).
2. T. Zane Reeves, Cases in Human Resource Management (F.E. Peacock, 1999).

Please note that a number of handouts will be provided, and these also are required readings.

Please obtain the books in time to have completed the assigned readings for August 30th .

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Please note that written assignments may not be submitted via e-mail or fax without the prior approval of the instructor.

Course Requirements Include The Following:

A Research Paper

One major research paper on a topic selected in consultation with the instructor, such as recent developments in affirmative action law, new approaches to performance appraisal, initiatives in recruitment and selection, reforms in pay and benefits, civil service reform, re-invention and re-engineering initiatives, training and development, etc. Research papers should be based on materials obtained from scholarly and professional books and articles, government documents, and other credible publications. They may focus on the public and/or nonprofit sectors. Topics must be approved by the instructor. Please use the attached form. Course texts and handouts from the class must not be used as primary sources for the research paper. As a guideline, a research paper of this kind may be expected to be between 15 and 20 pages in length (double-spaced typewritten), assuming normal margins and fonts. Research papers will be due on November 29th. Papers submitted after this date automatically will be lowered by one letter grade for each 24 hours they are late.

Please Note Papers must follow an accepted format or style (You may refer to Turabian or any other standard style guide). These guides are available in the Bookstore. Papers must be free of obvious spelling, grammatical, and other errors. Spell-check programs are helpful, but do not depend on them: proofread carefully! An appropriate system of citations must be used, and all sources of information and concepts must be cited through footnotes or endnotes. All quotations must be clearly identified through the use of quote marks or block indenting with single spacing and, of course, full citation to the source. Violating these rules may result in plagiarism (see below) A bibliography of materials used and cited must be provided. Careful proofreading and correction of typographical and other errors prior to submission is expected. In addition to content, paper grades will reflect the quality of writing and organization of the presentation.

A Midterm Examination

On September 27th , a take-home open-book midterm examination covering all assigned readings, cases, class handouts, and instructor's lectures through September 27th will be handed out at the end of that class session. There will be no class meeting on October 4 (I will be attending the regional ASPA conference), so the completed midterm will be due at 4:30 PM in 531 General Classroom on October 11th). Please use the available time to work on your research papers once you have completed the exam. All responses should be double-spaced typewritten and the entire exam should be no longer than 10 pages (font no smaller than 10cpi).

Final Examination

There will be a comprehensive take-home, open-book, final examination covering all assigned readings, cases, class handouts, and instructor's lectures. The exam will be handed out on December 6th and will be due in Room 1246 Urban Life Building no later than 7:00 PM on December 13th , which is the scheduled date of the final exam. The final should be double-spaced typewritten and no more than 10 pages in total length (font no smaller than 10 cpi). Late exams will be penalized one letter grade unless prior arrangements have been made with the instructor. Late means 8:00 PM or after.

Please note that all requests for deviations from the above dates, times, and other conditions related to specific assignments must be approved in advance by the instructor and that approval of such requests is not guaranteed, but will depend on the reasons given for each request.

Case Studies Analysis

Members will be formed into 3 - 4 person groups which will be asked to present and defend their answers to the discussion questions posed at the conclusion of cases assigned from the Reeves case book.

GRADING

Research Paper: 35%

Midterm: 25% Final Exam: 25%

Participation 15%

*The participation grade will be based on attendance, participation in class discussions, case analysis, and other activities, and contributions to class activities.

CLASS SCHEDULE*

(Subject to Revision as Required)