Course Syllabus

V373 COURSE SYLLABUS

HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR

Fall 2026        SECTION 9108

    Instructor:    Christopher Schrader, SPHR

            Time:     Tuesday/Thursday 12:45 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

      Location:     Ballantine Hall Room 110

           Office:     SPEA 335

              Cell:      812.322

          Email:       cschrade@iu.edu            

Office Hours:    By appointment

                TA:      Erica Werblow

           Email:    ewerblow@iu.edu

               Cell:    

______________________________________________________________________________

Reference Text:  None; all required reading may be found in the Files section of Canvas for this class in the folder marked Reading.

Course Overview:

Human Resource Management (HRM) is best defined as “the policies, practices, systems, and work culture that influence employee’s behavior, attitudes, and performance.”  Whether it’s a departmental function or managerial skill set, HRM is essential to every organization’s success.  Students who intend to pursue a career in any form of management must be concerned with the concepts and techniques needed to carry out the complicated “people” aspect of their jobs. This course provides both a conceptual and pragmatic framework for understanding the management and operation of HRM techniques and systems in private /public organizations.

Course Teaching Goals and Objectives:

1. Familiarize students with the principles and practices of Human Resources

Management (HRM) through course readings, case studies, discussions, and exams.

1. Develop an appreciation for the roles of managers and practitioners in the field through course readings, discussions, case studies, and the preparation of investigation interrogatories. Provide students with opportunities to research and apply HRM Techniques and critical thinking skills to real-world problems through case studies.
2. Develop analytical and problem-solving skills in addressing HRM issues through case studies and in-class exercises.
3. Integrate learned HRM concepts to prepare students for management careers in public and private organizations through exercises and case studies.

 Expected Student Learning Outcomes:

 Recruitment and Selection: Students can select and apply legally and practically appropriate staffing techniques according to basic principles of validity and reliability.

• Employee Development: Students can articulate the value of employee training, development, job design, and job enrichment.
• Compensation, Benefits, and Performance Management Systems: Students can summarize basic components of compensation plans and performance evaluation systems, assess potential deficiencies, and compare elements as they relate to organizational objectives.
• Employee Relations, including Health and Safety: Students can consider the connection between employee relations practices, health and safety initiatives, diversity and inclusion, and organizational outcomes.
• Employment Law: Students can articulate compliance with, and apply, major labor laws regarding recruitment and selection, compensation and benefits, employee relations, health, and safety.

Exams

There will be 2 - 200-point exams.  All will be administered on Canvas and each exam will be timed based on the number of questions (short answer).  Understand, once you begin an exam, you MUST complete it.  If you start and walk away closeout, the clock will continue to count down.  Exams will auto-submit at the end of the designated time frame.  Exams will open as indicated below and will close as indicated below.  If you miss an exam, I will NOT reopen it.  So please pay close attention to the dates.  If you are experiencing internet issues, I would suggest that you take the exam on campus.  Students have one week from the end of the close date of the exam to discuss their scores.  After that time, the score stands.

 Exam Dates

                           Open                                                                 Close

Lectures 1-16:  October 15 at 2:00 p.m.                        October 22 at 11:30 p.m.

Lectures 17-29: December 10 at 2:00 p.m.                    December 17 at 2:40 p.m.

The questions on the exams require short answers.  The exams are based on lectures, as well as class activities. Exams are not cumulative and only cover the relevant lecture series.

Cases

There will be 3 cases worth 60 points each.  Cases will be discussed on the dates shown below in progressive order. Student teams will have 45 minutes of class time on each case delivery date to read the case and begin working on a solution; I will be available to give guidance as necessary.  One person from each team will be responsible for keeping minutes of team meetings to document the participation of each person on the team.  The case solution(s) should be cited (e.g. if gained from lecture or another source, such as SHRM) as required. Both the minutes and the solution in MS Word format will be submitted on Canvas by whomever the team designates.  Case solution due dates and time deadlines are shown below:

 Case Solution Due Dates

 September 17    October  13     December 10   Due NO LATER than 11:30 p.m.

Class Participation

Participation points are tracked through Top Hat.  Students must be present on the days class participation questions/exercises are presented to earn points.  These are not announced in advance.

Attendance

Students will be allowed two absences without penalty for the Semester.  Understand, although it is appreciated to receive notice when you are out ill and cannot attend class, anything beyond two missed classes will result in a deduction of 10 attendance points.  The SOLE exceptions will be for Juniors and Seniors with conflicts arising from job or internship interviews that are documented by email or text.  Failure to provide documentation will result in a loss of attendance points.  Attendance is tracked via Top Hat. 

 Grading Policy

Graded items are valued as follows:

Exams (2 @ 200 points each)       400 points         26%

Syllabus Quiz                                  10 points           1%

Investigation Project                       80 points           5%              

Case work (3 @ 80 points each)   240 points         16%

Class Attendance                          280 points         18%

Class Participation                        525 points         34%

Total                                              1,535

 IU Grading Scale

 A+       100% - 97%                            A      96% - 93%                       A-      92% - 90%

B+         89% - 87%                            B      86% - 83%                       B-       82% - 80%

C+         79% - 77%                            C      76% - 73%                       C-       72% - 70%

D+         69% - 67%                            D      66% - 63%                       D-      62% - 60%

 O’Neill School Expectations of Civility and Professional Conduct

The O’Neill School takes matters of honesty and integrity seriously because O’Neill is the training ground for future leaders in government, civic organizations, health organizations, and other institutions charged with providing resources for the public, and for members of society who are vulnerable and who are lacking in power and status. Precisely because O’Neill graduates tend to rise to positions of power and responsibility, it is critical that the lessons of honesty and integrity are learned early.

O’Neill requires that all members of its community – students, faculty, and staff – treat others with an attitude of mutual respect both in the classroom and during all academic and nonacademic activities outside the classroom. A student is expected to show respect through behavior that promotes conditions in which all students can learn without interruption or distraction. These behaviors foster an appropriate atmosphere inside and outside the classroom:

• Students are expected to attend class regularly and to be prepared for class.
• Students must be punctual in their arrival to class and be present and attentive for the duration of the class. Eating, sleeping, doing work for another class, wandering in and out of the classroom, and packing up or leaving class early are not civil or professional behaviors.
• Students must abide by the course policy regarding use of electronic devices in the classroom.
• Students must responsibly participate in class activities and during team meetings.
• Students must address faculty members, other students, and others appropriately and with respect, whether in person, in writing, or in electronic communications.
• Students must show tolerance and respect for others.
• Students must not destroy or deface classroom property nor leave litter in the classroom.
• Computer usage is for class participation/case work only. Students found to be using computers for purposes not related to this class will be penalized.

Honors Students

Any student who is a Hutton Honors or a SPEA Honors student should meet with me during the first week of class.  There will be one extra assignment to be completed for the semester.  Instructions for the assignment will be distributed later in the semester.

Course Materials—Instructor’s Exclusive Rights

I hold the exclusive right to distribute, modify, post, and reproduce course materials, including all written materials, study guides, lectures, assignments, exercises, and exams. While you are permitted to take notes on the online materials and lectures posted for this course for your personal use, you are not permitted to re-post in another forum, upload to AI, distribute, reproduce content from this course, or sell the instructor’s course materials (including notes and study guides) without the express written permission of the faculty member.

Violations of this policy will be reported to the Dean of Students as academic misconduct (violation of course rules). Sanctions for academic misconduct may include a failing grade on the assignment for which the notes/study guides are being sold, a reduction in your final course grade, or a failing grade in the course, among other possibilities.

Additionally, you should know that selling a faculty member’s course using IU email, or via Canvas may also constitute a violation of IU information technology and IU intellectual property policies; additional consequences may result.

COURSE POLICIES

Note Taking

Students are NOT permitted to use computers for note taking unless required as a reasonable accommodation as determined by DSS.  All note taking must be done by hand.  Research has shown students retain information they write far better than that which they type.

Extra Credit for Note Taking

Students may earn up to 10 points of extra credit for submitting copies, screenshots, or scanned file attachments of notes (2 points per submission for up to 5 unique submissions)

 Policy Regarding Academic Dishonesty

SPEA faculty do not tolerate cheating, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty.  If you have not done so, you should read the IUB Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct, which can be accessed at http://dsa.indiana.edu/Code/, so you will be sure to understand what these terms mean and what penalties can be issued for academic dishonesty.  Academic dishonesty can result in a grade of F for the class (an F for academic dishonesty cannot be removed from the transcript).  Significant violations of the Code can result in expulsion from the University.

Plagiarism is using another person's words, ideas, artistic creations, or other intellectual property without giving proper credit.  The Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct, states a student must give credit to the work of another person when s/he does any of the following:

1. Quotes another person's actual words, either oral or written;
2. Paraphrases another person's words, either oral or written;
3. Uses another person's idea, opinion, or theory; or
4. Borrows facts, statistics, or other material unless the information is common knowledge.

Use of generative AI (such as ChatGPT) in this class.  Using AI to assist in completing assignments in this class is prohibited.  If you do use AI, you will be committing plagiarism* and will be subject to penalties in this class and sanctions by Indiana University.  You are permitted to use the free version of Grammarly and Microsoft Word’s spelling and grammar tool. 

WARNING: Submitting any questions, assignments, notes, slides,  or other instructor-produced course materials into Generative AI without permission is a violation of the faculty member’s exclusive rights and will be reported to the Dean of Students as academic misconduct.

 *Plagiarism: Plagiarism is defined as presenting someone else’s work, including the work of other students, as one’s own. Any ideas or materials taken from another source for either written or oral use must be fully acknowledged, unless the information is common knowledge. https://studentcode.iu.edu/responsibilities/academic-misconduct.html. (emphasis added)

 Policy Regarding Course Withdrawal

Students who stop attending class without properly withdrawing from the class will receive a grade of F.  It is important to withdraw from a course within specified timeframes (refer to the Office of the Registrar website at https://registrar.indiana.edu/index.html

Policy Regarding Disabilities

If any student will require assistance or appropriate academic accommodations for a disability, please contact me after class, during my office hours, or by individual appointment.  You must have established your eligibility for disability support services through the Office of Disability Services for Students in Franklin Hall, Room 006, and (812) 855-7578.

Syllabus Disclaimer

I reserve the right to change the syllabus as needed throughout the course of the semester.  Whenever a change is made, students will be notified as early as possible during class and/or via email about the change(s).

Counseling and Psychological Services

For information about services offered to students by CAPS:  http://healthcenter.indiana.edu/counseling/index.shtml

 TimelyCare

Indiana students have free, 24/7 access to virtual mental health care services with TimelyCare. Students do not need insurance to access TimelyCare services. https://www.iu.edu/mental-health/find-resources/timely-care.html#0

Religious Accommodation Requests

The "Request for Accommodation for Religious Observances" form must be submitted by the student to the professor no later than two weeks prior to the anticipated absence.  A separate form must be submitted for each absence and for each course. Faculty do not have to consider accommodations for the purpose of allowing students to travel away from Bloomington for religious observance.  Information about the policy is found here: https://vpfaa.indiana.edu/resources/religious-observances-information.html.

 Accessible Educational Services (formerly Disability Services for Students) 

Securing accommodations for a student with disabilities is a responsibility shared by the student, the instructor, and the AES Office. For information about support services or accommodations available to students with disabilities, and for the procedures to be followed by students and instructors: https://studentlife.indiana.edu/student-support/iub-aes/index.html

Sexual Harassment 

As your instructor, one of my responsibilities is to help create a safe learning environment on our campus. Title IX and our own Sexual Misconduct policy prohibit sexual misconduct.  If you have experienced sexual misconduct, or know someone who has, the University can help.

If you are seeking help and would like to talk to someone confidentially, you can make an appointment with:

1. The Sexual Assault Crisis Service (SACS) at 812-855-8900
2. Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) at 812-855-5711
3. Confidential Victim Advocates (CVA) at 812-856-2469
4. IU Health Center at 812-855-4011

For more information about available resources:  http://stopsexualviolence.iu.edu/help/index.html. It is also important to know that federal regulations and University policy require me to promptly convey any information about potential sexual misconduct known to me to our campus’ Deputy Title IX Coordinator or IU’s Title IX Coordinator.  In that event, they will work with a small number of others on campus to ensure that appropriate measures are taken and resources are made available to the student who may have been harmed.  Protecting a student’s privacy is of utmost concern, and all involved will only share information with those that need to know to ensure the University can respond and assist.  I encourage you to visit http://stopsexualviolence.iu.edu/help/index.html to learn more.

 IU Culture Centers: https://studentlife.indiana.edu/communities/culture-centers/index.html