Spring 2007
Employment Discrimination
Professor Laura Davis
Department of Finance and Business Law
ldavis@bloomu.edu
Office: Sutliff Hall #207 Phone: 389-4762
Office hours: M-W-F: 11:00-12:00, M-W: 4:00 -5:00, and by appointment
Website: http://facstaff.bloomu.edu/ldavis/
98.460 Employment Discrimination and Affirmative Action (3) - A survey of major federal laws that address equal opportunity in employment with a focus on types of job discrimination prohibited by Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Legal and ethical issues relating to affirmative action programs are discussed, as are state and local laws addressing employment discrimination.
Text Employment Discrimination Law: A Manager’s Guide, 6th ed., by David P. Twomey
Instructional Format Lectures, class discussions, films, guest speakers, assignments and field experience may be used to teach the course. Students should read the assigned material before class. A pretest will be given before lecture begins on a new chapter, or portion thereof. Lectures supplement and highlight the text. Time does not allow for all assigned reading to be discussed in class. However, an understanding of the assigned reading is necessary for mastery of course content. Material in the readings that is not discussed in class will be included on exams. Be sure to ask any questions you have about assigned material not discussed in class.
Notify me the first week of class if you have any learning needs that require special instructional assistance, or as soon as such need arises.
Recording devices are not permitted without my permission.
Academic Integrity The student will be penalized for demonstrating a lack of academic integrity. The penalty is at my discretion and may include a failing grade for the course or request that the student voluntarily withdraw from the course. Examples of conduct lacking academic integrity include plagiarism, fabrication and cheating. Additional examples are listed in "The Pilot" and under "Academic Policies" at http://www.bloomu.edu/about/govern/pol_3512.htm, and available on the index page of this website. Please note that Bloomsburg University's Academic Integrity Policy defines plagiarism as "Submitting material that in part or whole is not one's own work without attributing those same portions to their correct source" (emphasis added). Students who are unsure whether an act may violate the academic integrity policy should consult me before engaging in the act.
Attendance Regular attendance is expected, and necessary to understand the course material. Make up assignments and exams are allowed only for the reasons stated in Policies, Rules, and Procedures of the University #3506 that is stated below. A student must provide official documentation for any absence for which the student is requesting to make up a class assignment or exam. There is no need to provide documentation for other absences.
PRP 3506 - Class Attendance. Regular classroom attendance is expected of all students. However, a student will be afforded reasonable assistance by a faculty member when class work is missed as a result of extenuating circumstances beyond the student's control, such as but not limited to:
1. Personal illness
2. Death or critical illness in the immediate family
3. Participation in a college-sponsored co-curricular activity (Mutually satisfactory arrangements for assistance must be made by the student when the activity is announced.)
Instructors are encouraged to use their professional judgment in deciding the legitimacy of each case and may request the student to provide official documentation to verify the reasons for the absence.
The instructor is not required to give makeup examinations or review other class work missed as a result of unauthorized absences other than those authorized by this policy.
A faculty member, with departmental approval, may adopt a reasonable alternative policy if class members are provided that policy in writing during the first week of classes.
Grade calculation
Assignment* week 4 100
Exam week 6 200
Assignment* week 8 100
Exam week 13 200
Pretests 200
Course Compilation 100
Final exam (cumulative) 100
Total 1000
A =895 and above
B+=870-894
B =830-869
B- =795-829
C+=770-794
C = 730-769
C- = 695-729
D+=670-694
D =630-679
D- = 595-629
E=594 and below
*Assignments turned in late receive half credit. No assignment will be accepted if it is two or more days late.
Fatal Error Policy for Written Work
Clear and concise communication skills are important to professional success. I will consider the clarity and quality of your writing when grading exams and assignments, and responding to email. Specifically, be sure to:
· Spell correctly.
· Use correct grammar.
· Write simple, declarative sentences.
· Keep average sentence length short.
· Eliminate unnecessary words and meaningless phrases.
· Avoid embedded clauses.
· Use active not passive verbs. For example, “The jury acquitted the defendant”. NOT “The defendant was acquitted by the jury”.
. Proof read and edit.
. Proof read and edit again
I will stop reading an assignment when more than five of these errors appear on any one page of an assignment, or more than ten in the entire document. If your paper is returned, you have two days to resubmit the paper. Resubmitted papers are eligible for a maximum of 89% of the points originally attributed to the assignment (i.e. 178 points. The maximum grade you could get would be a B).
The most effective method you can use to insure meeting these standards is to proof read your work, and edit it accordingly – at least twice. Dictionaries and writing guides are indispensable tools. Another method to make sure your written work is comprehensible is to ask someone else to review your final draft. Often fresh, objective eyes can identify problems you have missed. Spelling and grammar checks on your computer are also useful tools, but should never be relied on as your only means of proofreading. Finally, the University Writing Center is available to help you. Information about the Writing Center is available at http://departments.bloomu.edu/english/index.htm
Email –Please adhere to the principles of basic English grammar when contacting me via email. I suggest that you use a conventional name in your email address to avoid me deleting your message, unread, because I suspect it is spam.
Course goals and objectives By the end of the semester, it is expected that the student will be able to:
Course Schedule Dates are approximate and will be revised as the semester proceeds. Check the course web page for changes in the schedule.
Week 1
January 15th (no class Monday, Martin Luther King Day)
Week 2
January 22nd Chapter 1, Discrimination Laws: Protected Classes Under Title VII and the Constitution
Week 3
January 29th Chapter 1 continued
Week 4
February 5th Chapter 1 continued, Assignment due, begin Chapter 2, Procedure and Remedies
Week 5
February 12th Chapter 2 continued
Week 6
February 19th Chapter 2 continued, First Exam
Week 7
February 26th Review Exam, Begin Chapter 3, Pay Equity; Age Discrimination
Week 8
March 5th Chapter 3 continued.
Week 9
March 12th Spring break, no classes
Week 10
March 19th Chapter 4, Disability Discrimination Laws
Week 11
March 26th Chapter 4 continued, Assignment due (revised)
Week 12
April 2nd Chapter 5, Employment Relationships: Contractual and Tort Theories
Week 13
April 9th Chapter 5 continued, Second Exam
Week 14
April 16th Review Exam, Begin Chapter 6, Employee Privacy Topics
Week 15
April 23rd Chapter 6 continued
Week 16
April 30th Chapter 7, Miscellaneous Topics Course Compilation due
Week 17
May 7th Final exam
Best wishes for a productive and meaningful semester. Do not hesitate to see me regarding any questions or problems you are having regarding the course.