Spring 2020 - CMNS 440 D100

Labour, Communication and the Media (4)

Class Number: 6616

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2020: Fri, 1:30–5:20 p.m.
    Vancouver

  • Prerequisites:

    60 units including CMNS 230 or CMNS 240 (or written permission of the instructor).

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Explores the relationship between labour, communication, and the media, including: working conditions in the media and communication industries; media representations of workers and workplaces; and uses of media and communication technologies by workers and their organizations. Students with credit for CMNS 488 with the topic "Labour and CMNS" may not take this course for further credit.

COURSE DETAILS:

This course explores the relationship between labour, communication, and the media, including working conditions and labour organizing in the media and communication industries, media representations of workers and workplaces, and uses of media and communication technologies by workers and their organizations. Combining political economy, labour studies, and cultural studies perspectives, this course critically investigates the rise of “creative,” “sharing,” and “platform” economy discourse, as well as the associated promises of work as play, labour flexibility, entrepreneurial autonomy, and workplaces without hierarchy. 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 algorithmic management. Addressing these problems is a major challenge facing workers, their organizations, and policymakers.

Topics examined during the course of the semester include: precarious employment and the gig economy; platform discourse, platform companies, and platform labour; labour movements and the media; online work, entrepreneurialism and new worker identities; labour resistance and collective organization; the global division of digital labour; the labour process; cultural worker self-organization.

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 raised in the weekly readings. 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 inquiry into the key trends affecting work in specific platform economy sectors through a collective research project guided by the instructor. This research project will result in a report published with the British Columbia Federation of Labour.

Grading

  • Seminar Participation 40%
  • Critical Summary Assignment 20%
  • Group Research Project (Due Week 13) 40%

NOTES:

Please note, this is a small course with a waiting list. Attendance at the first seminar is mandatory. Failure to attend without justification the first week will mean de-enrollment in favour of a student on the waiting list.

The School expects that the grades awarded in this course will bear reasonable relation to established university-wide practices with respect to both levels and distribution of grades. In addition, the School will follow Policy S10.01 with respect to Academic Integrity, and Policies S10.02, S10.03 and S10.04 as regards Student Discipline. [Note: as of May 1, 2009, the previous T10 series of policies covering Intellectual Honesty (T10.02) and Academic Discipline (T10.03) have been replaced with the new S10 series of policies.]

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