Spring 2019 - LBST 431 D100

Selected Topics in Labour Studies (4)

Labour & Communication

Class Number: 7462

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Jan 3 – Apr 8, 2019: Fri, 1:30–5:20 p.m.
    Vancouver

  • Prerequisites:

    Will vary according to topic. LBST 101 is strongly recommended for all upper division LBST courses.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Selected topics in areas not currently offered within the undergraduate course offerings. Students may take more than one offering of LBST Special/Selected Topics courses for credit as long as the topic for each offering is different.

COURSE DETAILS:

This seminar examines some of the key trends shaping work in the media and communication industries. Critically investigating the rise of “creative industries” discourse and its promises of work as play, labour flexibility, and workplaces without hierarchy, this course explores the relationship between labour and communication from a political economy perspective. Work in “creative” sectors such as fashion, high tech, video games, and the cultural industries is highly sought after and widely celebrated, but the realities of such employment are often quite different than how they are portrayed—getting a foot in the door often comes at the cost of working for free, “cool jobs” can be accompanied by chronic overwork, and labour flexibility increasingly means insecure working conditions and an inadequate social safety during periods of unemployment. Topics examined during the course of the semester include: creative industries policy and discourse; the rise of precarious employment in the creative industries and beyond; labour unions and the media; online work, entrepreneurialism and new worker identities in the creative industries; labour resistance and collective organization; the global division of informational labour; the growth of internships; policy proposals and collective organizing by workers in creative industries.  

The seminar format is participatory and collaborative. Each week the instructor will offer an introduction to the topic, after which the group will discuss selected themes from the weekly readings. The seminar offers students a chance to reflect collectively on issues directly relevant to them as they negotiate their current and future employment. Regular, respectful, and informed participation is an essential component of the seminar and forms a significant portion of the final grade. The seminar also includes guest talks from experts in the field and an extended collective inquiry into the key trends affecting work in specific creative economy sectors through a group research project to be presented during one of the last two seminars.

Grading

  • Participation 30%
  • Critical summary assignment 20%
  • Group project proposal 5%
  • Final group presentation 10%
  • Group research project 35%

NOTES:

Grading System: Undergraduate Course Grading System is A+, A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D, F, N (N standing to indicate the student did not complete). Intervals for the assignment of final letter grades based on course percentage grades are as follows:

A+ 95-100 B+ 80-84 C+ 65-69 D 50-54
A   90-94 B   75-79 C   60-54 F   0-49
A- 85-89 B-  70-74 C-  55-59  
Centre for Students with Disabilities: Students with hidden or visible disabilities who believe they may need classroom or exam accommodations are encouraged to register with the SFU Centre for Students with Disabilities (1250 Maggie Benston Centre) as soon as possible to ensure that they are eligible and that approved accommodations and services are implemented in a timely fashion.

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Course readings will be available either online through the SFU electronic journals system or via Canvas.


Registrar Notes:

SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating.  Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community.  Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS