Overview
Industrial Relations 309: Human Rights, the Charter, and Labour Relations examines the discourse and operation of human rights in Canada. We begin from the premise that the “human” rights codified in constitutional documents, statutory and case law, and international agreements reflect the particular political and economic system from which they have emerged. In this way, the balance of power between labour and capital (as well as between men and women) has shaped what rights we recognize as “human rights.”
Our focus on employment relationships reflects that almost everyone has experienced employment, and thus it is a useful window into the specific political and economic context within which human rights exist. Similarly, the most accessible interaction between human rights and employment is in litigation about the application of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. For this reason, we will spend a significant amount of time examining this repository of human rights and how it impacts both employment legislation as well as the legislative and administrative actions of government.
Learning outcomes
After completing IDRL 309, you should be able to achieve the following learning outcomes.
- Identify, define, and differentiate three categories of human rights (civic, political, and social), explicate their relationship to “natural rights,” and identify the provincial, national, and international repositories of these rights.
- Explain the relationships and tensions that exist between different types of human rights, and between these rights and liberal democracy and global capitalism.
- Identify and explain the impact of Canadian human rights in the workplace (including provincial human rights statutes and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms), as well as how these laws differentially protect each category of human rights.
- Identify the key trends in Canadian jurisprudence that affect the regulation and practice of unionization and collective bargaining.
- Construct an argument about the degree to which human rights are compatible with or can be accommodated within a capitalist economy, with specific reference to Canadian jurisprudence.
Evaluation
To receive credit for IDRL 309, you must achieve a course composite grade of at least D (50 percent) and achieve a grade of at least 50 percent on the final exam. The weighting of the composite grade is as follows:
| Activity | Weight |
| Telephone Quiz 1 | 10% |
| Written Assignment 1 | 30% |
| Telephone Quiz 2 | 10% |
| Written Assignment 2 | 30% |
| Final Online Exam | 20% |
| Total | 100% |
The final examination for this course must be requested in advance and written under the supervision of an AU-approved exam invigilator. Invigilators include either ProctorU or an approved in-person invigilation centre that can accommodate online exams. Students are responsible for payment of any invigilation fees. Information on exam request deadlines, invigilators, and other exam-related questions, can be found at the Exams and grades section of the Calendar.
To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University’s online Calendar.
Materials
Physical course materials
The following course materials are included in a course package that will be shipped to your home prior to your course’s start date:
Teeple. G. (2004). The riddle of human rights. Garamond; University of Toronto Press.
Other Materials
The course materials also include an online study guide and readings.
Challenge for credit
Overview
The challenge for credit process allows you to demonstrate that you have acquired a command of the general subject matter, knowledge, intellectual and/or other skills that would normally be found in a university-level course.
Full information about challenge for credit can be found in the Undergraduate Calendar.
Evaluation
To receive credit for the IDRL 309 challenge registration, you must achieve an overall grade of at least C+ (67 percent)on a 3,000-word essay.
Challenge for credit course registration form