PADM 704 Human Resources and the Legal and Regulatory Context of Public Administration

Students will examine the interplay of human resources, legal precedent and regulatory guidelines within the public administration context. Key court cases, regulations, and HR challenges will all be examined from the perspective of HR best practices and a Biblical perspective on ethics and statesmanship.

For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.

Course Guide

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*The information contained in our Course Guides is provided as a sample. Specific course curriculum and requirements for each course are provided by individual instructors each semester. Students should not use Course Guides to find and complete assignments, class prerequisites, or order books.


The purpose of this course is for the student to be able to discuss contemporary issues and their origin within human resource management within public administration. In doing so, the student will be able to explain the impact of key court cases and regulations on human resources. The student will apply research skills, discuss the strategic, administrative, and operational issues that affect human resource management outcomes, and learn how he/she can apply a biblical model of statesmanship to human resource management. 


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After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions (4)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student will complete the assigned readings and post a thread of at least 750 words answering the discussion question assigned from the readings. The student will reply to 2 classmates’ threads. Each reply must be at least 250 words. The initial response and responses to classmates threads will contain citations. Postings will be completed by the individual student with no group postings. Classroom reading and outside research should be used to answer the questions and should be properly cited using current APA formatting.

Case Study Critique Assignments (3)

The student will identity and write 3 separate critiques of 3 case studies related to legal issues facing human resource management in public administration: Performance Management Assignment, Discrimination Assignment, and Employee Retention and Separation Assignment. Each case study critique must be 6-8 pages and discuss the major facts of the case, and the student should tell whether or not he/she believes the right decision(s) was/were made and why. Lastly, the student must integrate relevant legal cases to support his/her work and ensure a biblical integration to support position on whether the right or incorrect decision was made in the case. The student should incorporate a minimum of 1 classroom reading into this assignment.

Research Paper: Thesis, Abstract, and Outline Assignment

The student will identify a problem within the field of human resource management in today’s public administration to write on for the final assignment. In this assignment, the student will submit a thesis, abstract, and an outline for the final paper detailing the problem and the background on the issue. The student will ensure the assignment includes a biblical worldview presentation. The assignment should be a minimum of 4-5 pages in length, not including the title page and references page. The assignment should be submitted using proper APA formatting. Students should incorporate a minimum of 1 classroom reading into this assignment. 

Research Paper: Annotated Bibliography Assignment

The student will identify a problem within the field of human resource management in today’s public administration to write on for the final paper in the course. In support of the final project, the student will submit an Annotated Bibliography of at least 15 references, written in the last 5 years, (in current APA format to include a title page and citations) that he or she plans on using for the research. Each annotation must be at least 200 words and succinctly surmise, analyze, and assess each annotation. The student should allow approximately 65 words for the surmise, 65 words for the analysis, and 65 words for each assessment. Each reference must include a summary, analysis, and assessment. This paper must be a minimum of 12 pages.

The student will identify a problem within the field of human resource management in today’s public administration. The paper must include an introduction, background on the issue, detailed presentation of the importance of the issue, discussion of possible solutions, and a recommendation for the solution. The paper must integrate key legal court cases or regulations related to this issue, ethical considerations and lastly, integrate a biblical worldview into not only the issue, but also the recommendations for the solution. The paper must be 14-16 pages and include a minimum of 15 scholarly resources and 2 classroom readings to support the student’s work. The paper must include a cover page, abstract, and annotated bibliography that do not count towards the final word count. 


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