Public Personnel Management

Course Description

Employment practices as applied in the public sector; merit and merit systems, position management, equal employment opportunity and affirmative action, unionization, employee rights, and representative bureaucracy. Prerequisite: PSC 600 or permission of instructor.

Syllabus

Student Learning Outcomes, Goals, Objectives:

Students successfully completing this course will be able to:

  • Explain the historical and legal foundations of public human resource management in the United States and in North Carolina.
  • Conduct a job analysis and write a classification-ready job description for a public-sector position.
  • Analyze workforce data and translate the results into a manager-ready recommendation.
  • Design defensible recruitment, compensation, and performance management processes.
  • Manage discipline and grievances within North Carolina due-process law.
  • Produce and present a professional organizational assessment with evidence-based recommendations.

Course Grading Information:

Activity/Performance Measure Percentage/Points
Skills Portfolio (five competency deliverables and a reflective memo) 30%
Organizational Assessment: decision memo, presentation, and peer evaluation 25%
Midterm Examination (in-class, scenario-based) 25%
HR Issue Briefing (individual oral briefing with slides) 10%
Participation 10%

Attendance/Participation:

Class participation, which reflects attendance, engagement in class discussions, and involvement in in-class activities, is worth 10% of the final grade.

Course Materials Purchased by the Students:

Guy, M. E., & Sowa, J. E. (2022). Human Resource Essentials for Public Service: People, Process, Performance. Irvine, CA: Melvin & Leigh.

Scholarly Perspectives

This course engages diverse scholarly perspectives to develop critical thinking, analysis, and debate and inclusion of a reading does not imply endorsement.