Labour Studies (LBST) 200
Introduction to Labour Studies (Revision 4)
Introduction to Labour Studies is offered in two designations: LBST 200 and LBST 202. LBST 200 is open to all Athabasca University students (and other students who wish to take the course for transfer credit elsewhere) who are interested in the subject matter. LBST 202 is offered with the same content as LBST 200 and is the designation used for students who register through the Labour College of Canada. Athabasca University’s Labour Studies Program and the Labour College, which is hosted by the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC), have established a collaboration that allows members of any of the unions affiliated with the CLC to register in LBST 202 at a discounted tuition rate. However, since the content is the same in both courses, there is just one set of course materials and one website for both of them.
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Delivery Mode: Individualized study online
Credits: 3
Area of Study: Social Science
Prerequisite: None
Precluded course: LBST 202. (LBST 200 cannot be taken for credit if credit has already been obtained for LBST 202.)
Faculty: Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences
LBST 200 has a Challenge for Credit option.
Overview
This course examines the field of labour studies and the place of working people and the labour movement in society. It provides an overview of Canadian labour history, the ways unions are organized, why they matter, and which challenges they are facing today. The course then takes a closer look at unions in the public sector, where the majority of unionized workers in Canada are employed, and concludes with a look at labour experiences in India, China, and South Africa to see whether these experiences contain lessons that might be useful to the labour movement in Canada or other countries of the Global North.
Outline
- Unit 1: What Is Labour? Why Study It and How?
- Unit 2: The Canadian Labour Movement: Past, Present, and Perspectives
- Unit 3: Unions in the Public Sector
- Unit 4: Work in Progress: A Global Labour Movement
Evaluation
To receive credit for LBST 200, you must complete three written assignments, contribute to four discussion forums, and achieve an overall grade of D (50 percent) or better for the entire course. Your final grade is determined by a weighted average of the grades you receive on these assignments for credit. The weightings of each assignment are as indicated below.
| Activity | Weight |
|---|---|
| Assignment 1: Book Review | 20% of final grade |
| Assignment 2: Essay | 25% of final grade |
| Assignment 3: Essay | 35% of final grade |
| Assignment 4: Discussion Forum 1 | 5% of final grade |
| Assignment 5: Discussion Forum 2 | 5% of final grade |
| Assignment 6: Discussion Forum 3 | 5% of final grade |
| Assignment 7: Discussion Forum 4 | 5% of final grade |
| Total | 100% |
To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University's online Calendar.
Course Materials
Textbooks
Ross, S., Savage, L., Black, E., & Silver, J. (2015). Building a better world: An introduction to the labour movement in Canada (3rd ed.). Black Point, NS: Fernwood Publishing.
Ross, S., & Savage, L. (Eds.). (2013). Public sector unions in the age of austerity. Black Point, NS: Fernwood Publishing.
Ness, I. (2016). Southern insurgency: The coming of the global working class. London, UK: Pluto Press.
Other Materials
Other course materials include an AU Student Manual, Course Information, and a Study Guide, which are all available online through the course home page.
Challenge for Credit Course Overview
The Challenge for Credit process allows students to demonstrate that they have acquired a command of the general subject matter, knowledge, and intellectual and/or other skills that would normally be found in a university level course.
Full information for the Challenge for Credit can be found in the Undergraduate Calendar.
- Undergraduate Challenge for Credit Policy
- Undergraduate Challenge for Credit Procedures
Challenge Evaluation
To receive credit for the LBST 200 challenge registration, you must achieve a grade of at least D (50 percent) on the examination.
Undergraduate Challenge for Credit Course Registration Form
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 4, March 15, 2017
View previous syllabus
Updated January 10 2019 by Student & Academic Services