Overview

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

The politics of the working class and union movement in the context of neoliberal economic and public policy, recurring economic crises, the changing nature of work, and declining membership. Central to the course will be the question of electoral politics and organized labour's relationship to political parties.

COURSE DETAILS:

The course will examine the internal and external politics of unions in Canada as well as their relationship to political parties, new social movements, and society as a whole. Through a combination of lectures, films, small assignments, and class discussions we will consider the state of class struggle in Canada through the lens of politics, both parliamentary and extra parliamentary. We will also examine how class, race, and gender divisions have been faced within the movement and how they have been dealt with. We will consider the role of workers in the struggle for social and economic justice and how the politics of the labour movement intersect (and sometimes clash) with other movements for social justice.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

This course will allow students to learn about the contemporary relationship between the labour movement and both parliamentary and extra parliamentary politics in Canada. Students will come away with an understanding of how the organized labour movement, and the working class more broadly, operate politically both in the workplace and society at large. This course will expand students’ knowledge of current concepts in the field of labour studies and politics.

The course will draw on students' experiences and research, and we will develop research, writing, and presentation skills through the class assignments. In addition, lectures, tutorial discussions, films, and guest speakers will provide the tools we need to understand the increasingly complex world of labour and politics.

Grading

Materials

REQUIRED READING: