Course name: EMPLOYMENT PRACTICES Number: HRPO 2303
COURSE MASTER SYLLABUS
MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT
CIP CODE AREA: 52.1001
COURSE LEVEL: Intermediate (Sophomore Level)
COURSE NUMBER: HRPO 2303 (WECM Course)
COURSE TITLE: Employment Practices
CREDIT HOURS: 3; Lecture Hours: 3 Lab Hours: 0
PREREQUISITE: None
METHOD OF PRESENTATION: Three-hour lecture/discussion each week.
COURSE DISCRIPTION: A study of employment issues including techniques for human
resource forecasting, selection, and placement including interview techniques, preemployment testing and other predictors. Topics include recruitment methods, the
selection process, Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO), EEO record keeping, and
Affirmative Action Plans.
REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS/ MATERIALS:
Title:
Employment Law for Business
Author: Dawn D. Bennett-Alexander and Laura P. Hartman
Publisher: Irwin McGraw-Hill, 3rd edition
ISBN: 0-07-234103-6
SCANS (SECRETARY’S COMMISSION ON ACHIEVING NECESSARY SKILLS):
Course SCANS Competencies for
Course name: EMPLOYMENT PRACTICES Course number: HRPO 2303
Please go to http://phred.dcccd.edu/~ttg/syllabi/scans.htm for a complete definition and
explanation of SCANS. This list summarizes the SCANS competencies addressed in this
particular course.
RESOURCES
INTERPERSONAL
1.4 Manages Human
Resources
2.1 Participates as a
3.1 Acquires and
Members of a Team
Evaluates Information
TECHNOLOGY
BASIC SKILLS
THINKING SKILLS
6.2 Writing
6.3 Arithmetic
6.5 Listening
7.1 Creative Thinking
7.3 Problem Solving
7.5 Knowing how to Plan
7.6 Reasoning
6.6 Speaking
INFORMATION
SYSTEMS
PERSONAL
QUALITIES
8.1 Responsibility
8.2 Self-esteem
8.3 Sociability
8.4 Self-Management
8.5 Integrity/Honesty
INSTRUCTIONAL METHODOLOGY: See specific instructor’s syllabus
COURSE RATIONALE:
COMMON COURSE LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
The Regulation of Employment – the student will be able to:
• understand the regulatory environment of the emplo yment relationship.
• determine whether regulations are necessary or if the employment relationship
would better with less governmental intervention.
• understand and explain the employment at will doctrine
• explain the impact the Model Uniform Termination Act has on the employment
relationship.
The Employer-Employee Relationship – the student will be able to:
• define employee and employer in connection with various statues and regulations.
• understand the importance of defining who is and is not an employee based on
applicable statute.
• explain the benefits and costs of hiring someone as an employee and as an
independent contractor
• determine it means to be designated as an employer and the ramifications of that
designation
Title VII of the 1964 Civil Right Act – the student will be able to:
• have obtained a good overview of the mechanics and specifics of Title Vii and
why the law was enacted.
• understand Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
• determine who Title VII applies to
• understand the prohibited catego ries
• how to proceed with alleged violations und the Act
Title VII: The beginning of the Employment Relationship – the student will be able to:
• explain the recruitment procedure and highlight the regulations of recruitment
• define preferential treatment
• know how to gather employee information from the application and interview
process
Affirmative Action - the student will be able to:
• explain the legal requirements of affirmative action
• dispel the misconceptions and information about affirmative action
• explain affirmative action, what it is not, what the law requires and the role of
manager and supervisor as it relates to affirmative action
Race Discrimination – the student will be able to:
• explain what constitutes race discrimination
• recognize race discrimination and remedy it before liabilities
Gender Discrimination – the student will be able to:
• explain Title VII’s prohibition against gender discrimination
• identify the many different and diverse gender discrimination manifest in the
workplace
• understand the need for the Title VII gender discrimination provision
• avoid liability in the area of gender discrimination by having become aware of the
ways it occur and how it can be avoided.
Sexual Harassment – the student will be able to:
• explain the legal framework of sexual harassment
• dispel the myths and misinformation and replace with legal reality
• explain what the law requires to prove sexual harassment
• describe what employers can do to minimize sexual harassment claims
Affinity Orientation – the student will be able to:
• understand what the law allows regarding workplace discrimination against gays,
lesbians, transgenders, and those with bi- gender affinity orientation
• differentiate between personal feelings and the role one must take as a manger,
supervisor, or business owner who must uphold the law in a business
• understand the importance judging employees based on relevant work-related
criteria
• list what laws apply in this area, and which do not.
• explain what the law require and how to avoid liability for discrimination in this
area
Religious Discrimination – the student will be able to:
• explain the ways religious discrimination arises in the workplace
• explain what the law requires and how to avoid liability
• understand the requirements and limitation of the law regarding religious
discrimination
National Origin Discrimination – the student will be able to:
• identify the different forms of discrimination on the basis of national origin
• understand the relevance of the Immigration Reform and Control Act
Age Discrimination – the student will be able to:
• explain the arguments for and against protection on the basis of age
• understand the Age Discrimination in Employment Act
• list the defenses employers may use in their defense of age claims
Disability Discrimination – the student will be able to:
• identify the forms of discrimination based on disabilities
• define disability
• explain the potential liability of employer in disability discrimination claims
Employment Test – the student will be able to:
• identify the different types of employment test
• explain the purposes, strength and weakness of various types of employment test
• explain the relevance of testing to disparate treatment and disparate impact
Evaluation and Regulation of Job Performance – the student will be able to:
• define performance appraisals and evaluations schemes
• discuss the legal regulation of performance appraisals and evaluation
• describe the means employers may legally discipline employees
The Right To Privacy – the student will be able to:
• distinguish the rights of public and private sector employees
• identify the extent privacy is protected in the employment sector
Labor Law – the student will be able to:
• explain the legal framework and rules regarding labor law
• explain the laws governing labor law and what labor law requires
• explain what management can and cannot do regarding collective bargaining in
the workplace
Occupational Safety and Health – the student will be able to:
• explain the Occupational Safety and Health Act
• explain OSHA’s background, rules and application
Employee Retirement Income Security Act – the student will be able to:
• explain Employee Retirement Income Security Act
• explain ERISA’s background, rules and application
Immigration Reform and Control Act – the student will be able to:
• explain the Immigration Reform and Control Act
• distinguish the requirements of IRCA from Title VII
• explain IRCA’s anti-discrimination provisions
Workers’ Compensation – the student will be able to:
• explain the laws which governs worker’s compensation and how the law works
• explain the factors which impact the employer’s workers’ compensation liability
• explain how employers can avoid unnecessary worker’s compensation liabilities
COMMON COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES: The student will identify key legislation
affecting the employment functions of human resource management; establish a
recruitment plan; define job requisitions by matching skills to needed competencies;
develop an employment policy related to recruitment and selection; and develop selection
tools.
GRADING SYSTEM:
COURSE POLICIES: Departmental policies for Incompletes, Attendance, and Withdrawal are
as follows:
Incomplete Policy: An incomplete (I) will be granted to a student in rare circumstances.
Generally, to receive a grade of I, a student must have completed all examinations
and assignments to date, be passing, and have personal circumstances that prevent
course completion that occur after the deadline to withdraw with a grade of W.
Attendance Policy: All students are expected to attend classes. Non-attendance will
have an impact on the student’s grade.
Withdrawal Policy: It is the student’s responsibility to withdraw from a course.
Instructors are allowed to withdraw students but students must not rely on their
instructor to withdraw them if they wish to withdraw.
Austin Community College policies for Academic Freedom, Scholastic Dishonesty,
Student Discipline, and Students with Disabilities are as follows:
Academic Freedom Statement : Each student is strongly encouraged to participate in
class. In any classroom situation that includes discussion and critical thinking,
there are bound to be many differing viewpoints. These differences enhance the
learning experience and create an atmosphere where students and instructors alike
will be encouraged to think and learn. On sensitive and volatile topics, students
may sometimes disagree not only with each other but also with the instructor. It is
expected that faculty and students will respect the views of others when expressed
in classroom discussions.
Scholastic Dishonesty Statement: Acts prohibited by the College for which discipline
may be administered include scholastic dishonesty, including but not limited to
cheating on an exam or quiz, plagiarizing, and unauthorized collaboration with
another in preparing outside work. Academic work submitted by students shall be
the result of their thought, research or self-expression. Academic work is defined
as, but not limited to tests, quizzes, whether taken electronically or on paper;
projects, either individual or group; classroom presentations, and homework”
(Student Handbook, 2002-2003, p. 32). Penalties for scholastic dishonesty will
depend upon the nature of the violation and may range from lowering a grade on
one assignment to an F in the course and/or expulsion from this institution.
Student Discipline Statement : Classroom behavior should support and enhance
learning. Behavior that disrupts the learning process will be dealt with
appropriately, which may include having the student leave class for the rest of that
day. In serious cases, disruptive behavior may lead to a student being withdrawn
from the class. ACC's policy on student discipline can be found in the Student
Handbook, 2002-2003, p. 32.
Students with Disabilities Statement: Each ACC campus offers support services for
students with documented physical or psychological disabilities. Students with
disabilities must request reasonable accommodations through the Office for
Students with Disabilities on the campus where they expect to take the majority of
their classes. Students are encouraged to do this three weeks before the start of the
semester” (Student Handbook, 2002-2003, p. 14).