Political Science 3543.5041: Public Personnel
Administration
University of Central Oklahoma--Spring
1998
Course Description
This course addresses human resources
management practices at all levels of the public sector work force. Specific
topics include civil service reform, equal employment opportunity, affirmative
action, sexual harassment, job analysis, recruitment, selection, public
sector labor relations, compensation, benefits administration, and risk
management.
Instructor
Brett S. Sharp is currently Employment
Manager for the City of Oklahoma City. He has over twelve years of human
resources experience working in state and local government . He holds a
Masters in Public Administration and is completing a Ph.D. in Political
Science/Public Administration from the University of Oklahoma. He has been
a Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of Oklahoma teaching graduate-level
public administration and has previously taught Public Policy Analysis
at UCO. He has also been recently certified as a Senior Professional
in Human Resources (SPHR) by the Society for Human Resources Management.
Required Texts
Carter, Stephen L. (1991). Reflections
of an Affirmative Action Baby. New York: Basic Books.
Cozetto, Don A., Pedelski, Theodore B.,
and Tipple, Terence J. (1996). Public Personnel Administration: Confronting
the Challenges of Change. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice
Hall.
Evaluation Methods and Grading
Instructor will determine course
Grading
components
grades using the following scale:
will
include:
90-100 = A
Article Review 10%
80- 89 = B
Book Report 40%
70- 79 = C
Final Examination 50%
60- 69 = D
0- 59 = F
Class Attendance
Class attendance is an important part
of succeeding in this class and is expected of all students. Class time
provides an opportunity for you to ask questions, clarify concepts, deepen
your understanding of the concepts covered in the texts, and to fully participate
in class discussion and activities. If you are absent, it is your responsibility
to get any notes, assignments, or changes in the schedule that were made
during that class period. If you come in late, it is your responsibility
to ensure that the attendance record is correct. Class attendance may be
a factor for helping to determine marginal final grades.
Assignments
Article Review
For the class period assigned to you by
the instructor, bring a written article relevant to a particular area of
public personnel administration or human resources management that interests
you. Make copies of your article to share with your colleagues the week
before the class period assigned to you. You will make a short presentation
summarizing the article and its relationship to public personnel administration.
Be prepared with questions you will ask to open up the topic for class
discussion. Provide a copy of your article and written questions to the
instructor.
Book Report
Write a 5-7 page, double-spaced typewritten
report over Stephen Carter's book, Reflections of an Affirmative Action
Baby. Your report should be in the form of an essay which includes
a concise summary of the book. In addition, answer the following questions
within the text of your report:
1. What is the purpose of this book and
its central thesis (philosophy or perspective)?
2. Does the book achieve its goals?
3. What does the author mean by shibboleth?
What are its political implications?
4. What general conclusions does the author
reach? Are the conclusions credible?
5. What are the primary strengths and weaknesses
of the book?
6. Would you recommend this book to someone
interested in the issue of affirmative action? Why or why not?
This assignment is due Thursday, March
5.
Final Examination
The final exam will be comprehensive and
will be composed of multiple choice, list completion, short answer, and/or
essay questions.
Course Schedule
