Instructor:     Jos C.N. Raadschelders
                       room: PHSC 363
                       tel.: 325-6620
                       e-mail: raadschelders@ou.edu

Office hours: MWF 9.30-10.30 a.m. or by appointment

Required Texts:
- Sylvia, Ronald D., C. Kenneth Meyer (2002). Public Personnel Administration. Fort Worth: Harcourt College Publishers. ISBN 0-15-506268-9.
- P.B. Beaumont (1998). Human Resource Management: Key Concepts and Skills. London etc.: Sage. ISBN 0-803908815-x (pbk).

Grading: Grading will be based on two exams, a midterm (20%, 100 points) and final exam (25%, 100 points), weekly assignments (2 pages each: first page with article, second page with comments) (20%, 100 points), a group presentation individually graded (10%, 50 points), an individual term paper (4-5 pages) (20%, 100 points), and attendance and participation (5%, 25 points).

Grading Scale: A = 500 - 450, B = 449 - 400; C = 399 - 330; D = 329 - 280; F = 279 - 0.

Late Work: The Wednesday papers are due on the date indicated and must be turned in prior to class. The individual papers are due the week before the final exam. Late work will be penalized.

Course Content and Objectives: This class is concerned with one of the most important components of public organizations: the human resource. Human resource management is basically internal to any organization. Without it no organization could meet its external goal(s) (i.e. service delivery to the citizen). This course is intended to introduce you to the content, issues and problems of human resource administration. It is an exciting part of the study of public administration, especially because we all have implicit and explicit opinions about how the ‘human resource' should be handled. Furthermore, in response to such opinions, human resource administration has been through some major changes in the past three decades. Political correctness and HRA are closely related. During the course we will pay attention to the what, who, why and how of HRA. What is HRA and how has the field developed? Who are involved in HRA? Why is HRA important and what public goals does it (have to) meet? And, last but not least, how do HRA-people help organizations meet their needs.

Course Format: The course format will be one with lectures (M), weekly discussion of a recent publication in a newspaper or magazine (W), and presentations by students (F). The lectures on Monday will provide an introduction to the topic of that week and discuss prescribed literature. For the discussion meetings on Wednesdays, you will individually select a (part of a) recent article in a local, state or national publication (newspaper, weekly, monthly) that concerns the topic of the week. You may also use texts from novels. You should comment on that text in terms of the insight it provides about human resource administration. A copy of the article and comments should be presented and submitted each week prior to the Wednesday class. All of your ideas and comments will provide the basis for the discussion. On Fridays the group for that week will deliver a presentation of about 20-25 minutes, followed by class discussion. Since the deadline for the group papers is December 16 (i.e., the Monday of exam week) this means that the text does not have to be finished at the time of the presentation. Hence, those in earlier groups should not feel pressured. The individual term papers should not exceed 4-5 pages.

Academic Misconduct: University policy will be followed. See the Academic Misconduct Code, printed in full in the 1998-99 OU Student Handbook.

Students with disabilities: Any student in this course who has a disability that may prevent him or her from fully demonstrating his or her abilities should contact me personally as soon as possible so we can discuss accommodations necessary to ensure full participation and facilitate your educational opportunities

Religious Holidays: It is the policy of the University to excuse absences of students that result from religious observances and to provide without penalty for the rescheduling of examinations and additional required class work that may fall on religious holidays.

Students and instructor are both expected to go beyond that what they would be able to achieve without effort. Learning and - ultimately - wisdom are achieved through effort and digestion, not through brainless spoonfeeding.

- The student will study to the best of her/his abilities. This means that
1. every week the prescribed literature is read and studied prior to class;
2. every week the prescribed literature is summarized in writing and the key concepts memorized;
3. s/he will ask the instructor to explain in more detail in class or upon appointment, if the readings or the lectures are unclear. The true mark of an intellectual is admitting that s/he does not understand;
4. s/he will come to the instructor's office whenever considered necessary, for guidance, for explanation, whatever;
5. s/he will take the responsibility of spending the number of hours needed to adequately prepared for class and exams. For some this may be only two hours a week, for others it may be eight hours. But spend whatever time it takes.
6. the student will not discuss and negotiate grading scales. The highest possible commitment to this class should guarantee a satisfactory result.
7. the student will not ask the instructor what is important and necessary to know for the exams. What is discussed in the readings and the lectures is important. By the time the student can distinguish what s/he understands from what s/he does not understand, s/he is probably very well prepared for the exam and still has the time to ask the instructor for further explanation..
8. the grade ‘A' is not passed out like candy; An ‘A' indicates nothing more, nothing less but excellent performance.
9. papers will be submitted typed and in a well-organized manner.
 
- The instructor
1. is adequately prepared for the lectures;
2. will address the literature in a wider context for that helps the understanding of the literature; the prescribed literature will not be rehashed but discussed in class;
3. is available during office hours or upon appointment for guidance, tutoring, explaining etc.
4. will grade the weekly assignments before the discussion on Wednesday
5. is available to discuss draft term papers in order to advise on improvements;
6. is more impressed with academic performance, commitment and effort than with negotiating skills;
7. will discuss the proper answers to the questions of the mid-term exam in the class-meeting following;
8. will discuss the exams individually with the student who so desires;
9. is flexible enough to review the grading after the mid-term and final exams, if such is a) warranted in view of overall performance, b) in view of possible ambiguous questions, and c) in view of protest by individual students against the grading of a particular question. In the last case the instructor expects that the student is able to substantiate a claim to a higher grade or a higher number of points;
10. will monitor the progress of each student and will seek contact if considered necessary.

September 9: The Development of the Field
Literature: Sylvia/Meyer, chs.1 and 2; Beaumont, ch.1
September 11: 1st weekly assignment, discussion of comments upon collected newspaper article
September 13: Presentation group 1

September 23: Role and Position of Civil Servants
Literature: Sylvia/Meyer, ch.6
September 25: 3rd weekly assignment, discussion of comments upon collected newspaper article
September 27: Presentation group 3

September 30: Political-Administrative Relations
Literature: Beaumont, ch.8
October 2: 4th weekly assignment, discussion of comments upon collected newspaper article
October 4: Presentation group 4

October 7: Labor Unions and Collective Bargaining
Literature: Sylvia/Meyer, chs. 12 and 13; Beaumont, chs.7 and 9
5th weekly assignment, comments upon collected newspaper articles are due the 9th, no discussion
October 9: Presentation group 5
October 11: Student holiday (Texas game)

October 21: Time to prepare for mid-term: class meeting for those who have questions
There is no week assignment this week
October 23: Mid-term
October 25: Discussion of exam answers

October 28: Representativeness
Literature: Sylvia./Meyer, chs. 3, 4 and 5; Beaumont, chs. 3 and 4
October 30: 7th weekly assignment, discussion of comments upon collected newspaper article
November 1: Presentation group 7

November 4: Loyalty and Democracy
Literature: Sylvia./Meyer, ch.14
November 6: 8th weekly assignment, discussion of comments upon collected newspaper article
November 8: Presentation group 8

November 18: Before the Job: Planning, Job Description, Recruitment, and Selection
Literature: Sylvia./Meyer, chs. 6, 7 and 8
10th weekly assignment, comments upon collected newspaper article are due the 20th, no discussion
November 20: Presentation group 10
November 22:  During the Job: Career Planning, Promotion, Learning
Literature: Sylvia./Meyer, chs. 9, 10 and 11; Beaumont, ch.5
11th weekly assignment, comments upon collected newspaper article are due the 22nd, no discussion

November 27 - December 1: Thanksgiving

December 9: Presentation group 11
December 11: Reform
Literature: Beaumont, ch.2
12th weekly assignment, comments upon collected newspaper article are due the 11th, no discussion
December 13: Presentation group 12

Wednesday, December 18: Final Exam, 10.30 a.m. - 12.30 p.m.

Important to remember
1. Do not summarize the article you selected, for I can read it.
2. Pay attention to logic/line of reasoning
3. Pay attention to grammar and spelling (e.g. run a spell check)
4. The paper needs to be typed.
5. Present the paper in a manner that looks decent (e.g. cut the paper clipping and glue it on a page, followed by your comments on another page)

Format of the Wednesday assignment
- copy of text on one page.
- comments on text on another page, with your name and class.
- grading: maximum of 8 points per paper (A = 8, B = 7, C = 6, D = 5, F = 4 or less).

Format and content
1. General page format: The paper should be typed on 8,5 by 11-inch paper. Margins should be one inch on all sides of the paper. Select a font that is plain and easy to read such as Times Roman or Courier, 12 point type. Line spacing should be 1.25. Page numbers should start on the first page after the title page (hence the title page does not count as a page). Do not bind your paper or enclose it with a plastic cover. Place one staple in the upper left corner, or use a paper clip at the top of the paper. The paper should be four to five pages in length.
2. Title page: the following information will be centered on the title page:

Topics of Group Presentations and Individual Term Papers
Topic group 1: The Pendleton Act of 1883
The American civil service system experienced some major changes in the 1880s. The spoils systems so characteristic of the 1829-1883 period was replaced by something quite different. Describe the origin and meaning of the Pendleton Act.

Topic group 2: Stereotypes of Civil Servants
Students of public administration have a difficult time tackling the many misconceptions that exist about people in the public service. Present an overview of the stereotypes that exist about public servants and discuss why they are so persistent. Is it true to say: where there is smoke, there is fire?

Topic group 3: Chameleon or Manager and Policy Maker?
Civil servants are expected to faithfully execute the orders of their political superiors. These in turn also expect that civil servants provide them with input and knowledge. Discuss what possible roles a civil servants can occupy. What does the ideal civil servant look like?

Topic group 4: Politicians and Administrators?
During the first part of this century a distinction was made between politics and administration. Most scholars and practitioners no longer believe in that dichotomy. Describe and explain the variety of ways in which the work of political and administrative officeholders overlaps.

Topic group 5: Labor Unions: Problem or Necessity?
The reputation labor unions have vary from country to country and from era to era. In the USA some unions were very powerful in the past (e.g. truckers). What is the role and position of labor unions in the United States today?

Topic group 6: Government: Who Wanted it so Big?
It appears sometimes as if government expanded and continues to expand beyond our control. At the same time, though, government could not possibly grow if there was not a demand for its servicesl Present and discuss demand- and supply-side arguments for government growth.

Topic group 7: Representative or Expert Bureaucracy?
People can be recruited in the public service for a variety of reasons. First and foremost is their knowledge about and experience in particular positions. However, public organizations increasingly had to take other considerations concerning recruitment into regard as well. Should expertise be sacrificed for representativeness or vice versa? Discuss both  sides of this argument.

Topic group 8: Corruption and Whistle Blowing
Nothing is inhuman about bureaucrats. They are not a different class of people. Like other human beings, they too can be tempted to do things that are not officially allowed. Present and discuss types of corruption and how it can be prevented and/or discuss advantages and disadvantages of whistle blowing from the perspectives of the employer and the employees.

Topic group 9: HRA as Set of Techniques or as Context
Human resource management proper is concerned with everything that processes individuals in organizations. This is an important function. However, it is equally important to understand the context in which personnel managers operate. What should HRA be? Choose either the technical or the contextual approach and argue why.

Topic group 10: Objectivity of Selection Processes
When people meet each other for the first time, they often rely on their intuition when assessing a person. As understandable as that may be, we should strive to make selection processes as objective as possible. How can that be done?

Topic group 11: The Employee for the Organization or Vice Versa
In principle there are two approaches possible when discussing the relationship between employee and organization. The first is that the employee is hired by the organization, and that s/he should not expect anything but the salary, pension, and whatever else is needed to do the job. The second is that the employer is also responsible for the well-being of the employee, through help in career planning, paying (part of) the cost of continued education etc. Discuss both sides of this argument.

Topic group 12: Restructuring the Civil Service
It appears that many of the reforms discussed in literature concern reforms of the civil service in one way or another. Reforms of the structure of public organizations and of the political-administrative system as such are much less common. Why do reforms often focus on the civil service?