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Course Overview: A variety of federal and state laws apply to the workplace, making it essential that managers understand how these laws impact all aspects of the employment process from initial selection to separation and retirement. This course is designed to introduce students to some of these laws, to help students recognize potential legal issues relating to employment, and to train students to critically apply various legal rules and principles to a variety of circumstances arising in the workplace.

Topics covered will include employment discrimination - how it is defined and which transactions in the workplace can give rise to a legal claim. We will also review a wide range of laws and rules applying to the selection and hiring process, the separation and reduction in force process, the as well as the performance management, development, and training processes. We will examine other issues including affirmative action, harassment, diversity and inclusion, safety and health of the workforce, and laws mandating or regulating employee benefits.

Conduct of Course: The course will include an examination of relevant statutes and case analyses of important judicial decisions pertaining to employment law. It will focus on the underlying policies supporting employment legislation, and will attempt to develop the student's ability to critically analyze both legislation and court cases arising there under. Additionally, students will synthesize the cases into workable rules and policies that managers can understand and apply in the workplace. The Instructor will use hypothetical fact situations to improve the student's ability to analyze and apply legal rules to workplace situations and practices.

Attendance and Participation
Because class participation will be used as a pedagogical tool, students will be expected to attend all classes, as well as to read and be prepared to discuss all assignments. The Instructor will call upon students in class to "brief" assigned cases using a required format.

Writing Requirement: Two-person teams will be assigned to write segments of a comprehensive personnel policies and procedures manual for a hypothetical employer. These writings will apply legal principles and rules to a variety of employment situations and will serve as a practical compliance guide to the employer and employees. Additionally, throughout the semester students will be required to submit short case briefs on an assigned law case or a discussion memo on an aspect of a particular employment law issue.