Course Syllabus

Semester and year: Fall 2026

Number/Title:          SPEA-L 384 (undergraduate*) // SPEA-L584 (graduate+), Employee Relations

Class number:          29580* // 31135+

Day and Time:         Hybrid

                                   Meeting on even numbered meeting weeks throughout the semester

                                  Tuesdays 6-8:40 p.m.

                                  Sept. 1, 15, 29; Oct. 13; Nov. 3, 17; Dec. 1

                                  Alternate weeks: Asynchronous online work through Canvas.

Location:                 BS 2008

You can access the Word version of the syllabus L384 584 Staggs 29580 31135 hybrid.docx

Instructor:               Heather Staggs

Office hours:           By appointment only – please message in Canvas to set up a meeting.

Location:                  Meetings with instructor will be held in Zoom.

E-mail address:       hstaggs@iu.edu

Official course description

This course focuses on the crucial information needed to maintain employee-supervisor relationships including communication, trust, organizational culture, fairness, advocacy, conflict resolution, leadership, US labor relations, and the legal context using employment case law and real-world examples.  

Required course materials

• Employment Law for Business (2024) 10th ed., ISBN 978-1-264-87859-8

NOTE - This text is accessible in Canvas.  You do not need to purchase anything extra.

• Journal articles linked through the class Canvas site.
• You will need Microsoft Office Word for opening articles, course resources, and completing course assignments.

IU Indianapolis students have access to free software through IU Ware at: https://iuware.iu.edu/

Course learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, a student should be able to:

• Evaluate employment decisions made in the hiring and firing processes for legal compliance and organizational practice.
• Identify effective ways to address a variety of employee-related legal issues.
• Develop an understanding of the terms, laws/regulations, processes, and practices for maintaining effective employee and labor relations.

Profiles of learning for undergraduate success (for L384)

IU Indianapolis prepares all students to communicate, innovate, and engage local and global communities to solve the problems of the 21st century. The skills needed to do this work are grouped into the four learning profiles set out below. IU Indianapolis students have multiple opportunities to learn and enhance their abilities in each profile.

Communicator

An IU Indianapolis communicator can evaluate information, listen actively, build relationships and convey ideas effectively. IU Indianapolis students learn to convey ideas effectively and ethically in oral, written, and visual forms across public, private, interpersonal, and team settings, using face-to-face and mediated channels. Communicators are mindful of themselves and others, listen, observe, and read thoughtfully, ask questions, evaluate information critically, create messages that demonstrate awareness of diverse audiences, and collaborate with others and across cultures to build relationships. 

Problem solver 

An IU Indianapolis problem solver thinks critically, collaborates, analyzes, synthesizes and evaluates information and perseveres in the face of challenge. IU Indianapolis students work individually and with others to collect, analyze, evaluate, and synthesize information to implement innovative solutions to challenging local and global problems.

Innovator 

An IU Indianapolis innovator investigates, creates and designs, confronts challenges and makes decisions. IU Indianapolis students learn to build on experiences and disciplinary expertise to approach new situations and circumstances in original ways, are willing to take risks with ideas, and pose solutions. They learn to create a plan to achieve their goals and carry out that plan to its completion. Innovators use their knowledge and skills to address complex problems. 

Community contributor 

An IU Indianapolis community contributor builds community, respectfully engages cultures, behaves ethically and anticipates consequences. IU Indianapolis students learn to be responsible, self-aware, civically engaged and to look outward to understand the needs of society and the environment.

IU Indianapolis policies and codes

Students are expected to adhere to all campus-wide policies governing the conduct of courses at IU Indianapolis, including maintaining academic and professional honesty and integrity, being responsible for their behavior, respecting the rights and dignity of others both within and outside of the university community, and others. These policies can be found at https://studentcode.iu.edu/about/index.html.

Instructor's classroom policies

Due dates and late work

Published assignment due dates are final and you should work to submit all course work on time.  Work submitted by the due date will be reviewed for possible full credit.  Late work will be accepted for partial credit: 10% off penalty for first day late, 20% off penalty for first week late, and 50% off penalty for second week late, and no credit for the work will be provided if submitted any later.  If you have an issue with a due date due to emergency, illness, or otherwise, please contact the instructor in a timely manner.

Communication

The best form of communication is the inbox messaging system within Canvas.  Please reach out to me with any questions, concerns, needs, etc. and I will plan to respond to you in 48-72 business hours. I work full time and will typically respond to messages in the evenings – thank you in advance for your patience.  I will do most of my grading on the weekend, however I will aim to grade and provide feedback as quickly as possible after the assignment due date.

Assessment and grading

Grading scale

Grade	Letter Grade
97-100	A+
93-96.9	A
90-92.9	A-
87-89.9	B+
83-86.9	B
80-82.9	B-
77-79.9	C+
73-76.9	C
70-72.9	C-
67-69.9	D+
63-66.9	D
60-62.9	D-
0-59.9	F

Summary of course grading

Course components	Quantity	Points
Classroom Attendance	7	35 (5 pts. each)
Application / Analysis Assignments	3	150 (50 pts. each)
Case Study Discussions	3	150 (50 pts. each)
Quizzes	7	105 (15 pts. each)
Reflection Paper	1	40
Final Exam	1	200

TOTAL 680 points

Course components

 Application/Analysis Assignments

Students will be expected to review the Assignment (case study), submit a high-quality on time well thought-out and logical written response to the questions for the case study, document any sourced content to give credit to original author or regulation.

Case Study Discussions

Discussions include engagement with peers and the instructor as part of an active learning environment – these are not stagnant reply, respond, and move forward.  To earn full credit, students will review the case study and submit by the deadline a high-quality written response that includes documentation of any sourced content (to give credit to original author or regulation) and reply to peer posts.

Quizzes/Exams

You will have the opportunity to prepare for the Final Exam by participating in online quizzes each week to reinforce key concepts from the textbook and supplemental readings.  Quizzes are open from the first day of class and you can take each quiz as many time(s) as you like before the due date to earn the maximum number of points.  Only the highest score will be saved.

Reflection Paper

Complete paper answering questions given in the guideline.

Final Exam

This course includes a final exam which will be online and open book.  The final exam includes multiple choice and essay/short answer responses.  Two hours will be allotted for you to complete the exam, and it must be done in one sitting (i.e. once you start, you must finish).  This exam must be completed independently.