Syllabus
Negotiations and Administration (HRM 340)

This course was last offered prior to 2007.  The syllabus may be revised for future offerings, including possible changes in the textbooks.

This is a three-credit graduate level course and is one in a series of elective courses in the Human Resource Management program. The Human Resource Management program is part of the online Master of Professional Studies degree offered through the University of Connecticut's Center for Continuing Studies.

The developer of this course was Dr. Mark E. Sullivan.

Course Title: Contract Negotiation and Administration (HRM 340)
Credits: 3
Instructor: Mark E. Sullivan, Ph.D. Associate Extension Professor

Email: Mark.Sullivan@Uconn.edu
Tel: (860) 486-3419

This course provides the student with the fundamental skills needed to participate fully in any situation requiring bargaining skills.

By the end of the course, the student will be able to:

• Identify different styles of bargaining.
• Create an abstract of articles on the two major types of collective bargaining outlined in class.
• Identify specific strategies that could offer collective bargaining success.
• Demonstrate research skills necessary to prepare for bargaining.
• Conduct bargaining sessions using strategies he/she has developed.
• Identify and demonstrate skills used at the bargaining table, including costing and selecting appropriate language.
• Critique bargaining sessions.

Grades will be determined by your performance in the course as evidenced by what you offer in the discussions (30%), a mid-term exam (25%), a final exam (25%), and a term paper (20%). I fully expect that you will be submitting original material and commenting on your fellow classmates' ideas each week. Simply agreeing with what has been submitted is not enough; you MUST contribute to the discussion and at a level commensurate with your graduate student status.

Grading Categories	Percentage of Final Grade
Discussions	30 %
Mid-term Exam	25 %
Final Exam	25 %
Term Paper	20 %

A term paper, on an approved collective bargaining topic, is due no later than the next to last module. By module 3, you will need to share with me a written proposal for your term paper. Your proposal should include the topic you wish to write about, a short description of why this is important to collective bargaining, and your initial thoughts on a research strategy. I encourage you to choose a topic that both interests you and can be utilized in the "real world."

You will have a mid-term exam consisting of several essay questions. After we complete the final content module, you will have a final exam covering the materials since the mid-term exam. The combination of these two exams accounts for 50 % of your final grade.

Please stay up with the course readings, discussions, and assignments. If you fall behind and make comments late, it will not help your grade.

If you come into the course and then vanish only to reappear at a later date, please do not ask for an incomplete. The University is quite clear; for an incomplete to be given, a student must be participating regularly and passing the course at that juncture. For an incomplete to be considered, you must have an excellent weekly participation record, make contributions that have raised the level of course discussion, and have an excellent reason for requesting an "I."

You are responsible for acting in accordance with the Student Code, available at http://www.dosa.uconn.edu/student_code.cfm.

These course texts may be purchased locally or through an online bookstore. 

Required Texts:
Herman, E. E. (1997). Collective bargaining and labor relations. (4th ed.). Prentice Hall. ISBN: 0132969637.

Loughran, C. S. (2003). Negotiating a labor contract: a management handbook. (3rd ed.). BNA Books. ISBN: 1570183724.

Other Required Materials:
You can rent or purchase this movie.

Lumet, S. (Director). (1957). 12 Angry Men. [Motion picture]. United States
*You MUST obtain the 1957 version.

Other Source Materials:
These materials are available within the course through the Electronic Course Reserve (ECR).

Ehrenreich, B. (2002). Chapter 3: Selling in Minnesota. In Nickel and dimed: On (not) getting by in America. Owl Books.

Barkat, J. S. (2002). “Building on the Strengths of Different Approaches.” In Negotiation Journal, 18(4): 359-362.

Paquet, R. (2000). “Does Interest-Based Bargaining (IBB) Really Make a Difference in Collective Bargaining Outcomes?” In Negotiation Journal, 16(3): 281-296.

Websites will be listed in this course.

 

• Word processing software
• Adobe Acrobat Reader
• Your Internet browser and browser settings need to be Vista compatible.
  See Settings.

Module 0: Course Overview

Module 1: The Evolution of the Bargaining Relationship

Module 2: Legal Structure of Collective Bargaining

Module 3: The Employee's Right to Organize

Module 4: Modern Era Labor and Management Relations

Module 5: Main Goals of Labor and Management

Module 6: Unit Determination

Module 7: Collective Bargaining

Module 8: Collective Bargaining Procedure

Module 9: 12 Angry Men

Module 10: Costing Challenges

Module 11: Ethics

Module 12: Contract Administration

 

Students will be provided an opportunity to evaluate instruction in this course using the University's standard procedures, which are administered by the Office of Institutional Research.