Labour Studies (LBST) 413
What Do Unions Do? The Theory and Practice of Trade Unions (Revision 3)
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Delivery Mode: Individualized study online
Credits: 3
Area of Study: Social Science
Prerequisite: LBST 200 or LBST 202 is recommended. The course is designed for students who have already completed some labour studies or related courses.
Faculty: Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences
LBST 413 is not available for Challenge.
Overview
Labour Studies 413 investigates the challenges that organized labour movements are facing today. The course starts with a review of the current state of trade unions in Canada before it proceeds to a case study looking at the effects of globalization on workers, communities and the environment in one particular area. The last part of the course addresses the challenge of globalization in a different way by looking at workers efforts to organize and improve their working and living conditions at different places and different times.
The purpose of the course is twofold. First, it will expand students' theoretical understanding of trade unionism and the labour movement by having them think about the purpose of trade unions. Second, it will encourage students to think critically about actual trade union practice by analysing a series of case studies.
Evaluation
The assessment for this course is based on four written assignments (a speech, a book review, and research proposal and a research paper) plus an optional forum participation assignment that students may complete for extra credit. The course is graded out of a possible 110%.
| Assignment 1: May Day Speech |
Assignment 2: Book Review |
Assignment 3: Research Proposal |
Assignment 4: Research paper |
Assignment 5: Forum Participation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25% | 15% | 10% | 50% | 10% |
| 2500 words | 1000 words | not specified | 4000 words | optional |
| due Week 7 | due Week 14 | due Week 18 | due Week 22 |
To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University's online Calendar.
Course Materials
Textbooks
Camfield, David. Canadian Labour in Crisis: Reinventing the Workers' Movement. Halifax and Winnipeg: Fernwood, 2011.
Leadbeater, David, ed. Mining Town Crisis: Globalization, Labour and Resistance in Sudbury. Halifax and Winnipeg: Fernwood, 2008.
Mason, Paul. Live Working or Die Fighting: How the Working Class Went Global. Chicago: Haymarket, 2010.
Other Materials
The course Study Guide and other components are available online.
Athabasca University reserves the right to amend course outlines occasionally and without notice. Courses offered by other delivery methods may vary from their individualized-study counterparts.
Opened in Revision 3, March 11, 2013.
View previous syllabus
Last updated by SAS 03/12/2013 11:02:54
