Summer 2019 - LBST 230 D100

Special Topics in Labour Studies (3)

Working Children

Class Number: 2525

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    May 6 – Aug 2, 2019: Wed, 2:30–5:20 p.m.
    Vancouver

  • Instructor:

    Jenny Shaw
    jeshaw@sfu.ca
    Office Hours: WE 13:00-14:00
  • Prerequisites:

    Strongly Recommended: LBST 101.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

A seminar devoted to the in-depth examination of a topic in Labour Studies not regularly offered by the Program. The course may be repeated for credit when different topics are offered.

COURSE DETAILS:

Child labour is widely discussed and debated as a social problem, yet it is also a necessary and important part of life in many cultural contexts. Public concerns over children’s exploitation come up against the everyday ways in which children labour alongside their parents as “helpers” or as heads of households who must work to survive. Some advocates even argue that children, like all people, have the right to work. This course will examine the shifting boundaries between childhood and adulthood, exploitation and agency, and playing and working. We will explore contexts where children work at home, on farms, in factories, on the basketball court, through art, and on the streets. We will consider times when parents are present and when children are agentively responsible for their own work. Finally, we will discuss the ways young people respond to changing economies and working conditions. Lectures, readings, class activities, films, and writing will deepen students’ understanding of children’s place in the world and, more specifically, children’s dynamic roles as helpers, workers, labourers, and artisans.

Grading

  • Attendance and participation 15%
  • Short essays (3 x 15%) 45%
  • Midterm exams (2 x 20%) 40%

NOTES:

Grading: The letter grade N (incomplete) is given when a student has enrolled for a course, but did not write the final examination or otherwise failed to complete the coursework, and did not withdraw from the course before the deadline date. An N is considered and F for purposes of scholastic standing. 

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).

A+ 95-100 B+ 80-84 C+ 65-69 D 50-54
A 90-94 B 75-79 C 60-64 F 0-49
A- 85-89 B- 70-74 C- 55-59  

Centre for Accessible Learning: Students with hidden or visible disabilities who believe they may need classroom or exam accommodations are encouraged to register with the SFU Centre for Accessible Learning (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:

Kenny, Mary Lorena. (2007). Hidden Heads of Households: Child Labor in Urban Northeast Brazil, 3rd ed. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.

(available for purchase through the SFU Bookstore)
ISBN: 978-1-551117928

Lancy, David F. (2018). Anthropological Perspectives on Children as Helpers, Workers, Artisans, and Laborers. Palgrave Studies on the Anthropology of Childhood and Youth. New York: Palgrave Macmillan US.

(available online through the SFU Library)
ISBN: 978-1-137533517

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