Fall 2022 - LBST 308 D100
The Labour Process: Technological Change and the Future of Work (3)
Class Number: 3546
Delivery Method: In Person
Overview
-
Course Times + Location:
Sep 7 – Dec 6, 2022: Mon, 9:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
Burnaby
-
Instructor:
John-Henry Harter
jhharter@sfu.ca
Office: AQ 6083
Office Hours: Monday 1:30pm-2:30pm and Wednesdays 5:30 – 6:30 pm and Zoom meetings anytime by appointment
-
Prerequisites:
Strongly Recommended: LBST 101 and/or 301.
Description
CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:
Technological change and globalization are constantly transforming the nature of work under capitalism. These transformations are examined in the historical development of work, the changing nature of the labour process and how automation and artificial intelligence might transform work in the future. Breadth-Social Sciences.
COURSE DETAILS:
This course will challenge mainstream assumptions of the labour process by considering how the division of labour, the innovation of new managerial and technological processes, and the globalization of productive networks shape our collective working lives. This course will also examine the imperatives of the capitalist mode of production and the ways in which these led to the increasing need for a complex division of labour, first through industrial practices, later through the intensification and fragmentation of managerial procedure, and finally through a globally dispersed and gendered workforce.
COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:
This course will allow students to learn about the historic and contemporary relationship between workers and the capitalist mode of production. It will also allow students to investigate our understanding of the labour process more broadly. LBST 308 will also expand students’ knowledge of current concepts in the field of labour studies. In addition, lectures, class discussions, and assignments will provide the tools needed to understand the increasingly complex world of work in a capitalist economy. Students will be challenged to think critically about the complex and ever changing world of work especially as this relates to the intersections between technology and ideology.
Grading
- Participation 15%
- Midterm exam 35%
- Outline/Annotated Bibliography 10%
- Final paper 40%
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 Honesty and Student Conduct Policies: The Labour Studies Program follows SFU policy in relation to grading practices, grade appeals (Policy T 20.01) and academic honesty and student conduct 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 are available online through Canvas
REQUIRED READING NOTES:
Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.
Registrar Notes:
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS
SFU’s Academic Integrity website 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