Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Spring 2025 - LBST 328 D100

Labour Geographies (4)

Class Number: 7122

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Wed, 9:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Instructor:

    Katie Gravestock
    kgravest@sfu.ca
    Office: TBA
    Office Hours: Wednesdays from 1:00 PM – 2:00PM

  • Prerequisites:

    60 units; LBST 101 or GEOG 221.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Examines contemporary debates in Labour Geography and geographical approaches to work and employment. Lectures explore the relationships between space, place and labour market change in the context of globalization and uneven development. Students with credit for GEOG 328 may not take this course for further credit.

COURSE DETAILS:

How do workers shape the landscapes of capitalism? Capitalist production, uneven development, and economic restructuring are processes that are inherently spatial. Globalization and the increasing mobility of capital has resulted in the restructuring of cities and the relationship between capital and labour. From the perspective of workers, this course examines critical labour geographies and how labour confronts capital at different scales, with a lens on labour and the city. Drawing on Marxist and Feminist traditions within labour geography, we will analyze key concepts within labour geography such as class, worker agency, precarity, and intersectionality. Through an examination of work, workers, and labour markets, we will explore how workers and unions can adopt new strategies to effectively challenge capital. 

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

By the end of the course, you should be able to:

  1. Understand and analyze how workers shape (and are shaped by) the production of urban space.
  2. Identify and discuss key themes, theories, and concepts in labour geography. 
  3. Critically assess debates within labour geography, gaps, and areas for future research.  
  4. Understand how workers are increasingly experiencing geographically fragmented workplaces, and how this impacts unions and unionization.

Grading

  • Class Participation 10%
  • Reading Reflections 10%
  • Research Paper Outline 10%
  • Presentation 10%
  • Research Paper 20%
  • Midterm exam 20%
  • Final exam 20%

NOTES:

Participation:   

Class participation accounts for 10% of grade. 

Assignments: 

There will be weekly reading reflections, and three assignments, all focused on the final research paper, to help students develop their thesis argument and research questions throughout the semester: 

  • Weekly Reading Reflections
  • Research Paper Outline 
  • Presentation of Research Paper Topic, Thesis Statement, and Research Questions 
  • Research Paper 

Mid-term exam:   

The mid-term exam will be written in-class and will consist of short answers and an essay.  

Final Exam: 

The final exam will be written in-person and will be essay-based. 


Grading: Where a final exam is scheduled and the student does not write the exam or withdraws 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 A+, A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D, F, N (N standing indicates student did not complete course requirements). Intervals for the assignment of final letter grades based on course percentage grades are 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

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Journal articles (available online via 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

RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION

Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.