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Labour Studies Program | Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Simon Fraser University Calendar | Summer 2024

Labour Studies Certificate in Workplace Rights

Certificate

The Labour Studies Certificate in Workplace Rights offers students a grounding in labour rights and the regulation of work. It introduces students to labour law, collective bargaining, and the study of working people and labour movements in Canada and internationally.

Admission Requirements

Students may declare this plan upon successful completion of one Labour Studies course and upon application to the Undergraduate Advisor in the Labour Studies Program.

Program Requirements

Students complete a minimum of 18 units including

one of

LBST 100 - Equality and Inequality at Work (3)

Introduces concepts of equality, inequality, diversity, and inclusion as we experience them at work. Includes discussion of what counts as work, who does paid and unpaid work, and how workers challenge inequality and discrimination. Examines how contemporary experiences in Canada of inequality at work are shaped by ongoing colonialism, racialization, gendering, class and other forms of social difference. Breadth-Social Sciences.

Section Instructor Day/Time Location
D100 Xinying Hu
May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Tue, 2:30–5:20 p.m.
Burnaby
LBST 101 - Work and Worker's Rights: Introducing Labour Studies (3)

Introduces key concepts and approaches for understanding the character and organization of work, employment relations, worker’s rights, and labour movements in contemporary society. Explores who does paid and unpaid work and under what conditions through the study of trends and issues, including migration and immigration, unionization, precarious employment, and automation. Breadth-Social Sciences.

Section Instructor Day/Time Location
D100 John-Henry Harter
May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Thu, 2:30–5:20 p.m.
Burnaby

and

LBST 201 - Workers in the Global Economy: Globalization, Labour and Uneven Development (3) **

Explores how people experience paid and unpaid work in the global economy. Focuses on processes such as migration and economic structuring, and applies critical development studies and critical geopolitics to study labour and employment. Explores links between capitalism, urbanization and labour struggles. Examines labour internationalism and global labour rights. Prerequisite: Strongly Recommended: LBST 101. Students with credit for LBST 230 under the title "Workers and Global Capitalism" or "Work and Employment in a Globalized World" and IS 221 may not take this course for further credit. Breadth-Social Sciences.

LBST 309 - Labour and Collective Bargaining (3)

An introduction to collective bargaining: it will cover the legal requirements of the Labour Code, the bargaining process and the organizational structure and components of collective agreements, including the grievance-arbitration process. Prerequisite: Strongly Recommended: LBST 101 and at least one other Labour Studies course.

LBST 313 - Introduction to Canadian Labour Law (3)

An introduction to labour and employment law in Canada, covering both union and non-union sectors. The course will focus variously on: the principles and practice of the BC Labour Relations Code, the Canada Labour Code, BC Employment Standards Act. BC Human Rights Code, the Workers Compensation Act (WorkSafeBC), and the contested history of labour legislation and related common law. Prerequisite: Strongly Recommended: LBST 101.

and the remaining electives may be chosen from the list below:

BPK 381 - Psychology of Work (3)

The application of psychological principles and methods to the study of human performance at work. A systems approach will be taken to study the interactions among the individual worker, his/her task, groups of workers, and the management structure of the organization. Prerequisite: PSYC 210 or both of BPK 207 and STAT 201. Corequisite: STAT 201 may be taken concurrently. Recommended: BPK 180.

BUS 484 - Employment Systems (3)

Examination of the day-to-day administration of various employment systems in both unionized and non-unionized settings. Employment systems have implications for how conflicts between employee and employer interests are resolved, for the attainment of due process in the workplace, and for the flexibility and efficiency of work organization. Characteristics and outcomes of various employment systems will be examined. Prerequisite: BUS 381 and 360W, with a minimum grade of C-; 60 units.

BUS 485 - Negotiations and Conflict Management (3)

Negotiation is the art and science of securing agreements between two or more parties that are interdependent and who are seeking to maximize their outcomes. The purpose of this course is to understand the theory and processes of negotiation as it is practiced in a variety of settings. The course will allow participants the opportunity to develop these skills experientially and to understand negotiation in useful analytical frameworks. Prerequisite: BUS 272, 360W, and either 374 or 381, all with a minimum grade of C-; 60 units. Students with credit for BUEC 485 may not take BUS 485 for further credit.

Section Instructor Day/Time Location
D100 Ulrich Paschen
May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Wed, 2:30–5:20 p.m.
Burnaby
BUS 488 - Group Dynamics and Teamwork (3)

Interpersonal and group behaviour in organizational contexts, including group development, team building, interpersonal communications, interpersonal conflict, group problem-solving and decision-making. Prerequisite: BUS 360W and (BUS 374 or BUS 381), all with a minimum grade of C-; 60 units.

CMNS 454 - Computer Supported Cooperative Work: Critical Perspectives (4)

Topics will include the content, quality and character of jobs that involve computer supported cooperative work systems, the influence of managerial goals and workplace relations on the design and choice of computer supported cooperative work systems, issues arising in developing and implementing computer supported cooperative work systems, and using data which results from their use. Prerequisite: 26 CMNS units with a minimum grade of C- or 60 units with a minimum CGPA of 2.00.

ECON 103 - Principles of Microeconomics (4)

The principal elements of theory concerning utility and value, price and costs, factor analysis, productivity, labor organization, competition and monopoly, and the theory of the firm. Students with credit for ECON 200 cannot take ECON 103 for further credit. Quantitative/Breadth-Soc.

Section Instructor Day/Time Location
D100 Gulriz Barkin
May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Tue, 2:30–5:20 p.m.
Burnaby
D101 May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Fri, 9:30–10:20 a.m.
Burnaby
D102 May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Fri, 10:30–11:20 a.m.
Burnaby
D103 May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Fri, 11:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
Burnaby
D104 May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Fri, 12:30–1:20 p.m.
Burnaby
D105 May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Fri, 1:30–2:20 p.m.
Burnaby
D106 May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Thu, 12:30–1:20 p.m.
Burnaby
D107 May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Thu, 1:30–2:20 p.m.
Burnaby
D108 May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Thu, 2:30–3:20 p.m.
Burnaby
D110 May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Thu, 9:30–10:20 a.m.
Burnaby
ECON 280 - Introduction to Labor Economics (3)

Basic analysis of the labor market and the industrial relations system with emphasis on the major issues of public policy in Canada. Prerequisite: ECON 103 with a minimum grade of C- or ECON 113 with a minimum grade of A-. Students who have taken COMM 280, ECON 301, 305 or 381 may not take ECON 280 for further credit. Quantitative.

Section Instructor Day/Time Location
D100 Jane Friesen
May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Thu, 2:30–4:20 p.m.
Burnaby
D101 May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Wed, 8:30–9:20 a.m.
Burnaby
D104 May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Wed, 11:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
Burnaby
ECON 381 - Labor Economics (3)

Analysis of the economics of the labor market with particular emphasis on the roles of skills, technology, discrimination, market power, family life, and public policy in determining wages and working conditions. Prerequisite: ECON 201 with a minimum grade of C-; 60 units. Quantitative.

Section Instructor Day/Time Location
D100 Brian Krauth
May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Mon, 2:30–4:20 p.m.
Burnaby
D103 May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Wed, 10:30–11:20 a.m.
Burnaby
D104 May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Wed, 11:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
Burnaby
GSWS 305 - Gendering Economy: Paid and Unpaid Labour (4)

Takes a broad approach to gender, placing it dialogue with race and ethnicity, class, nation, and space, to think through the complex dynamic between gender and labour from a variety of perspectives. Explores workers’ lived experiences of gender regimes while critically examining how gender ‘matters’ within the workplace. Prerequisite: 30 units including three units in GSWS or WS or GDST or LBST. Students who have taken GSWS 308, LBST 305, LBST 331 under the title Gender - Paid & Unpaid, or WS 310 under the title Women and Work may not take this course for further credit.

or LBST 305 - Gendering Economy: Paid and Unpaid Labour (4)

Takes a broad approach to gender, placing it dialogue with race and ethnicity, class, nation, and space, to think through the complex dynamic between gender and labour from a variety of perspectives. Explores workers’ lived experiences of gender regimes while critically examining how gender ‘matters’ within the workplace. Prerequisite: 30 units including LBST 100 or three units in GSWS or WS or GDST. Students with credit for GSWS 305 (or GSWS 308) may not take this course for further credit. Students with credit for LBST 331 under the title Gender - Paid and Unpaid may not take this course for further credit.

GSWS 314 - Race, Class and Gender (4)

An examination of feminist, Marxist and anti-racist theories pertaining to the historical development, social construction, and interactive nature of race, class and gender relations. Prerequisite: 15 units. Students with credit for either GSWS 301 (or WS 301) or GSWS 310 (or WS 310) as Special Topics: Race, Class and Gender may not take this course for further credit.

GSWS 321 - Special Topics in Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies (4)

A specific theme within the field of gender, sexuality, and women's studies, not otherwise covered in depth in regularly scheduled courses, will be dealt with as occasion and demand warrant. Prerequisite: 15 units.

HIST 327 - Canadian Labor and Working Class History (4)

An examination of the history of labor, primarily in English Canada, during the 19th and 20th centuries. The evolution of trade unions and labor-political movements will be examined together with the impact of industrialization, the rise of mass production, changing patterns of immigration and other contexts of working-class culture and material life. Special attention will be paid to British Columbia as a case study. Historically the course examines 'working class history' as a particular way of studying the past. What is the concept of 'the working class'? Prerequisite: 45 units, including six units of lower division history. Recommended: HIST 101, 102W and 204.

HIST 424 - Problems in the Cultural History of Canada (4) *

Selected problems in Canadian ideas and attitudes on such topics as the arts, religion, education, minority and native cultures, nationalism, and Canadian historiography. Content may vary from offering to offering; see course outline for further information. HIST 424 may be repeated for credit only when a different topic is taught. Prerequisite: 45 units including nine units of lower division history. Recommended: HIST 101, 102W.

HIST 428 - Problems in the Social and Economic History of Canada (4) *

Selected problems in the history of Canadian agriculture and industrial development, migration and settlement, labor, native policy and class structure. Content may vary from offering to offering; see course outline for further information. HIST 428 may be repeated for credit only when a different topic is taught. Prerequisite: 45 units including nine units of lower division history. Recommended: HIST 101, 102W.

Section Instructor Day/Time Location
D100 Christina Adcock
May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Fri, 9:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
Burnaby
LBST 100 - Equality and Inequality at Work (3)

Introduces concepts of equality, inequality, diversity, and inclusion as we experience them at work. Includes discussion of what counts as work, who does paid and unpaid work, and how workers challenge inequality and discrimination. Examines how contemporary experiences in Canada of inequality at work are shaped by ongoing colonialism, racialization, gendering, class and other forms of social difference. Breadth-Social Sciences.

Section Instructor Day/Time Location
D100 Xinying Hu
May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Tue, 2:30–5:20 p.m.
Burnaby
LBST 101 - Work and Worker's Rights: Introducing Labour Studies (3)

Introduces key concepts and approaches for understanding the character and organization of work, employment relations, worker’s rights, and labour movements in contemporary society. Explores who does paid and unpaid work and under what conditions through the study of trends and issues, including migration and immigration, unionization, precarious employment, and automation. Breadth-Social Sciences.

Section Instructor Day/Time Location
D100 John-Henry Harter
May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Thu, 2:30–5:20 p.m.
Burnaby
LBST 202 - Labour Research for Social Change: Methods and Approaches (3)

Introduces students to labour research through methodology and research methods for social change. By exploring what methodology is, the methods common in labour research, and understandings of social justice, students gain experience of quantitative and qualitative approaches, including survey research. Focuses on using and interpreting quantitative data and statistics for social justice and social change. Prerequisite: LBST 100 or LBST 101 or with permission of instructor. Quantitative.

LBST 203 - Work and Health (3)

Income distribution and conditions of employment are a primary factory in social determinants of health. Even when jobs are available, deteriorating working conditions, wages and benefits, and increasing employment insecurity threaten health for many. Explores work and health in Canada in relation to income, gender, race, migration, and technological change and the legal and policy protections for health and safety in the workplace. Prerequisite: LBST 101 or LBST 100, or permission of the instructor. Students with credit for LBST 230 under the title "Work and Health" may not take this course for further credit.

LBST 230 - Special Topics in Labour Studies (3)

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. Prerequisite: Strongly Recommended: LBST 101.

LBST 301W - Labour, Social Media, and the News (3)

Provides a comprehensive understanding of the contemporary structure, issues, and perceptions of labour unions and other forms of working-class organization and social movements. The treatment of labour in the media and popular culture will provide an understanding of how labour is viewed in society, how labour views itself, and how working-class culture informs and is informed by the larger culture. Prerequisite: LBST 100 or LBST 101 or on permission of instructor. Students with credit for LBST 301 may not take this course for further credit. Writing.

Section Instructor Day/Time Location
D100 John-Henry Harter
May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Wed, 2:30–5:20 p.m.
Burnaby
LBST 306 - The Political Economy of Labour Markets: Critical and Radical Approaches (3)

An exploration of critical and radical political economy traditions in Labour Studies with a focus on how these approaches have diverged from, and provided alternatives to, classical and orthodox economic understandings of labour and labour markets. Prerequisite: Strongly Recommended: LBST 101.

LBST 307 - Unfree Labour and Modern Slavery: Understanding Coercion and Exploitation in Contemporary Labour Markets (3)

An exploration of the expanding forms of unfree labour in capitalist economies as products of changing labour processes, global labour markets, and the policies of neoliberalism and 'austerity'. Prerequisite: Strongly Recommended: LBST 101.

LBST 308 - The Labour Process: Technological Change and the Future of Work (3)

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. Prerequisite: Strongly Recommended: LBST 101 and/or 301. Breadth-Social Sciences.

LBST 310 - The Politics of Labour (3)

Explores working class politics and the labour movement in the context of neoliberal economic and public policy, recurring economic crises, the changing nature of work, and declining union membership. Explores electoral politics and organized labour's relationship to political parties. Examines community unionism and workers' roles in social movements focused on civil rights, gender, and the environment, among others. Prerequisite: 30 units. Strongly Recommended: LBST 101. Breadth-Social Sciences.

LBST 311 - Labour and the Environment (3)

The changing relationships between unions and environmental groups; how work in various industries contribute to climate change; and how climate-change policies affect workers in different ways. The consequences of climate policies for different categories of workers, identified by economic sector, geographic location, gender, ethnicity, and Aboriginal status. Prerequisite: 30 units. Strongly Recommended: LBST 101.

LBST 312 - Migration, Migrants, and Work: A Global Perspective (3)

Global labour migration has increased substantially in the last several decades. What factors contribute to the current wave of labour migration? Which countries send and receive migrants, and what is the role of internal migration? What challenges do migrant workers face in their host countries? This course will examine these questions to uncover the nature, trends and impacts of this growing phenomenon. Prerequisite: Strongly Recommended: LBST 101. Students who have taken LBST 330 Global Labour Migration may not take this course for further credit.

LBST 330 - Selected Topics in Labour Studies (3) ***

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. Prerequisite: Strongly Recommended: LBST 101 and/or 301.

Section Instructor Day/Time Location
D100 Xinying Hu
May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Wed, 9:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
Burnaby
LBST 331 - Selected Topics in Labour Studies (4) *

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. Prerequisite: Will vary according to topic. LBST 101 is strongly recommended for all upper division LBST courses.

LBST 401 - How to Make Change: Community-Labour Organizing and Action (4)

Explores community-labour organizing strategies and theories that workers and communities have used to effect social change. Beyond the formal labour movement, we focus on marginalized workers and communities who have turned to one another to amplify their power and fight against diverse forms of injustice. Students develop their organizing and critical analysis skills through popular education and a decolonial praxis. Prerequisite: LBST 100 or 101 or permission of instructor. Students with credit for LBST 330 under the title "Action and Change: Community-Labour Organizing 101" may not take this course for further credit.

LBST 431 - Selected Topics in Labour Studies (4) *

Selected topics in areas not currently offered within the undergraduate course offerings. Students may take more than one offering of LBST Special/Selected Topics courses for credit as long as the topic for each offering is different. Prerequisite: Will vary according to topic. LBST 101 is strongly recommended for all upper division LBST courses.

LBST 490 - Directed Readings in Labour Studies (3)

Allows students to pursue in greater depth a particular issue or topic in labour studies. It will be offered either as an individual reading course or as small seminars, depending upon student and faculty interest. Independent research in a selected labour studies area, under the direction of a single faculty member. Papers will be required. May take twice for credit. Variable units: 1, 2, 3, 4. Prerequisite: 45 units including nine units of lower division labour studies. Recommended: At least three upper division courses in labour studies.

POL 222 - Introduction to Canadian Politics (3)

An introduction to the social and participatory basis of Canadian politics, covering topics such as political culture, regionalism and other political divisions, political parties, elections, interest groups and new social movements. Prerequisite: POL 100 or 151 or permission of department.

Section Instructor Day/Time Location
B100 Andrew Heard
TBD
B101 May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Fri, 12:30–1:20 p.m.
Burnaby
B102 May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Fri, 1:30–2:20 p.m.
Burnaby
B103 May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Fri, 2:30–3:20 p.m.
Burnaby
SA 321 - Social Movements (S) (4)

A study of the sources, development and effects of social movements in transitional and modernized societies. Specific types of movements will be analysed. Prerequisite: SA 101 or 150 or 201W.

Section Instructor Day/Time Location
D100 Baran (Abu) Fakhri
May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Wed, 9:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
Burnaby
SA 340 - Social Issues and Social Policy Analysis (SA) (4)

How do environmental challenges, the contradictions of capitalism, and histories of violence shape contemporary life? How do social issues affect our identities, communities, and sense of belonging? Students learn how to wield sociological and anthropological concepts and theories through clear and analytical communication and writing. Prerequisite: SA 101 or 150 or 201W.

SA 362 - Society and the Changing Global Division of Labour (S) (4)

An examination of the social and political implications of the global economy. Topics to be considered include the influence of neo-liberal economics, the decline of the national welfare state, transnational political agencies and public policy, the internationalization of culture, the global labour market, the 'world city' hypothesis, ethnic resurgence and alternatives to these developments. Prerequisite: SA 101 or 150 or 201W.

* when topic is appropriate

** Students with credit for LBST 230 under the title "Workers and Global Capitalism" or "Work and Employment in a Globalized World" may not take this course for further credit.

*** Students may take more than one offering of LBST Special/Selected Topics courses for credit and towards the certificate as long as the topics for each offering are different.