What Do You Need to Know in HR? A Suggested Curriculum

I was thinking (oops... wait I have already done that once this week)  about all the "stuff" you need to know if you are a human resources professional. I came up with a list of things and I decided to put it in terms of what I would teach in a Human Resources degree program. Here are the classes I would require:

• Employment and labor law The Essential Guide to Federal Employment Laws
• Benefit law Pension & Benefits Laws
• Written communication Written Communications That Inform and Influence (Results-Driven Manager, The)
• Effective speaking and platform skills The Confident Speaker: Beat Your Nerves and Communicate at Your Best in Any Situation
• Psychology of relationships The Psychology of Interpersonal Relationships
• Body language The Definitive Book of Body Language
• Business structure Organizational Strategy, Structure, and Process (Stanford Business Classics)
• Business Finance Reading Financial Reports For Dummies
• Selling Little Red Book of Selling: 12.5 Principles of Sales Greatness
• Strategic planning Strategic Planning For Dummies
• Futurism and the tools of scenario planning Futuring: The Exploration of the Future
• Time management The 25 Best Time Management Tools & Techniques: How to Get More Done Without Driving Yourself Crazy
• Project management The One-Page Project Manager: Communicate and Manage Any Project With a Single Sheet of Paper
• Risk management The Essentials of Risk Management
• Human capital metrics and measurement HR Metrics The World Class Way
• Conflict management Conflict Management: A Practical Guide to Developing Negotiation Strategies

These would be required courses. Advanced degrees would require further study in particular areas of specialty.

I think anyone coming out of a college today with a degree in HR should have this preparation under his/her belt.

So what do you think of my list? Any suggestions?

And the big question, how much of this do you know? Is your education lacking? Is it time to go "back to school" and work on your "degree" in HR? The links above will provide  you with a resource if you want one.