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  • 1.  Taking Sides series for undergrads

    Posted 07-15-2010 15:57
    I am teaching an advanced HR class this fall and I am thinking of using the textbook, "Taking Sides: Clashing Views in HR Management".  I haven't used this approach before and I am not entirely sure how much class time to devote to group debates of each topic, etc.  Has anyone used either this textbook or one of the other "Taking Sides" textbooks and would be willing tole to share some advice, lessons learned or a syllabus, etc. that I could use to provide me with some guidance as I prep this course?
     
    Any information is greatly appreciated.  Thanks, Kristin

    --
    Kristin Scott
    Assistant Professor
    Clemson University
    (864) 656-3576


  • 2.  Taking Sides series for undergrads

    Posted 07-15-2010 21:36
    Hi Kristin,

    I used excerpts from the Taking Sides series in an undergrad (required senior year) class on business ethics and social responsibility at Cal Poly (CSU) Pomona.  

    The class met twice weekly and I structured the classes with roughly 60-90 min. of one of the sessions devoted to the debates.  I put the students in teams of 5-6, and had each group debate twice.  I told them that the Taking Sides readings were for background reference only, and that they were expected to refer to resources outside of those readings to make their argument.  (The idea of credible sources -- not Wikipedia or web pages -- was a bit hard for them to grasp, however.)

    I had the other students fill out a brief peer-feedback form, which I had them pass directly to each team without my even seeing them.  I graded the debates on a specific rubric, which I'd be glad to share with you.  For that matter, I'd be happy to share my syllabus and any of my other materials with you.

    Overall, I found the TS readings to be a bit obscure at times and sometimes framed around a false dichotomy of positions, but a good basis for the debates.  For the topics I used the teams that drew the more free-market position on a given issue generally seemed to have an easier time of it, since their position usually just boiled down to "let the market sort things out."

    Best,
    Max


    Max Freund, M.I.I.M. • max@lunafreund.com • (909) 632-1624
    Partner, LF Leadership (www.lfleadership.com)
    Doctoral Student in Organizational Behavior, Claremont Graduate University (www.cgu.edu/sbos)

    On Jul 15, 2010, at 12:57 PM, Kristin Scott wrote:

    I am teaching an advanced HR class this fall and I am thinking of using the textbook, "Taking Sides: Clashing Views in HR Management".  I haven't used this approach before and I am not entirely sure how much class time to devote to group debates of each topic, etc.  Has anyone used either this textbook or one of the other "Taking Sides" textbooks and would be willing tole to share some advice, lessons learned or a syllabus, etc. that I could use to provide me with some guidance as I prep this course?
     
    Any information is greatly appreciated.  Thanks, Kristin

    --
    Kristin Scott
    Assistant Professor
    Clemson University
    (864) 656-3576



  • 3.  Taking Sides series for undergrads

    Posted 07-16-2010 09:20
    Hi Kristin,

    I recommend contacting Dr. Marc Street at Salisbury University
    (mdstreet@salisbury.edu). He is one of the authors of "Taking Sides:
    Clashing Views in Management." He used his book when I took his undergrad
    HR and Social Issues in Management courses a few years ago. He assigned a
    topic to two groups, one pro and one con, and those groups had to debate
    the topic during class (outside research was conducted before the debate
    session). He chose a variety of topics from the book that were relevant to
    the material covered in class. I thought they were very informative and
    actually made the students critically think about the material. He could
    give you much more detailed and up-to-date information about how he
    currently uses the text in his classes.

    Kevin S. Cruz
    Ph.D. Candidate in Organizational Behavior and Human Resources Management
    University of Pittsburgh
    Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business
    247 Mervis Hall
    Pittsburgh, PA 15260
    Phone: (727) 515-1151
    Fax: (412) 624-3633
    E-mail: kscruz@katz.pitt.edu