Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Spring 2021 - LBST 330 D200

Selected Topics in Labour Studies (3)

Workers and the City: A Social History

Class Number: 3148

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Jan 11 – Apr 16, 2021: Tue, 2:30–5:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Instructor:

    Anushay Malik
    anushaym@sfu.ca
    Office Hours: Tu 17:30-18:30 via Zoom

  • Prerequisites:

    Strongly Recommended: LBST 101 and/or 301.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

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

COURSE DETAILS:

He who writes about Hollywood, bougainvilleas and the Mediterranean climate tells but half the story.

Sunshine was never enough: Los Angeles workers 1880-2010.

This course is a long conversation about the place of class within the city. It starts off with the assumption that the city in geography is a place that exists, but one that is also formed by the everyday practices of people. This process of formation unfolds partially through official planning, but there is a gap between such plans and how people actually interact with, use and thereby make the city. This process of making the city is intrinsically a story of competing claims to space in which the actions of actors are circumscribed by extant power relations and what is believed to be possible.

Informed by the concerns of social history, this course seeks to understand power relations in the city through a local level focus on one specific theme – how is class practiced, built into and made invisible within the city?

The course draws on theories and examples from all across the world, but the assignments focus on Vancouver and the context around the Harbour Centre building. Before the pandemic we took walks around the city. Now I will guide you in virtual explorations of the downtown core. We will mainly be using Google maps and street views to do this.

Grading

  • Class participation 15%
  • Field diary 15%
  • Discussion leader 15%
  • Reading reviews (2 x 12.5%) 25%
  • Final research essay 30%

NOTES:

Grading: Where a final exam is scheduled and the student does not write the exam or withdraw from the course before the deadline date, an N grade will be assigned. Unless otherwise specified on the course syllabus, all graded assignments for this course must be completed for a final grade other than N to be assigned. An N is considered as an F for the purposes of scholastic standing.

Grading System: The Undergraduate Course Grading System is as follows:

A+ (95-100) | A (90-94) | A- (85-89) | B+ (80-84) | B (75-79) | B- (70-74) | C+ (65-69) | C (60-64) | C- (55-59) | D (50-54) | F (0-49) | N*
*N standing to indicate the student did not complete course requirements

Academic Dishonesty and Misconduct Policy: The Labour Studies Program follows SFU policy in relation to grading practices, grade appeals (Policy T 20.01) and academic dishonesty and misconduct procedures (S10.01‐S10.04). Unless otherwise informed by your instructor in writing, in graded written assignments you must cite the sources you rely on and include a bibliography/list of references, following an instructor-approved citation style.  It is the responsibility of students to inform themselves of the content of SFU policies available on the SFU website.

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:

All readings will be available through Canvas, the SFU Library, or otherwise online as noted.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

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

TEACHING AT SFU IN SPRING 2021

Teaching at SFU in spring 2021 will be conducted primarily through remote methods. There will be in-person course components in a few exceptional cases where this is fundamental to the educational goals of the course. Such course components will be clearly identified at registration, as will course components that will be “live” (synchronous) vs. at your own pace (asynchronous). Enrollment acknowledges that remote study may entail different modes of learning, interaction with your instructor, and ways of getting feedback on your work than may be the case for in-person classes. To ensure you can access all course materials, we recommend you have access to a computer with a microphone and camera, and the internet. In some cases your instructor may use Zoom or other means requiring a camera and microphone to invigilate exams. If proctoring software will be used, this will be confirmed in the first week of class.

Students with hidden or visible disabilities who believe they may need class or exam accommodations, including in the current context of remote learning, are encouraged to register with the SFU Centre for Accessible Learning (caladmin@sfu.ca or 778-782-3112).