Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Fall 2025 - LBST 101 D100

Work and Worker's Rights: Introducing Labour Studies (3)

Class Number: 5132

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Sep 3 – Dec 2, 2025: Mon, 10:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Exam Times + Location:

    Dec 6, 2025
    Sat, 12:20–12:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

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.

COURSE DETAILS:

Labour Studies 101 is an introduction to the critical study of work, workers, and trade unions.  Work dominates most of our lives, perhaps now even more than in the past.  Most people will work for forty hours or more a week for forty or more years of their lives.  Many students attend university with the intention of improving their job prospects, and the second question anyone asks a new acquaintance is “what do you do?”  Yet work is rarely studied at university, and few courses examine the challenges working people face.  If you are interested in the topic of work, then Labour Studies 101 is a good place to start.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

In this class, we will examine the nature of work and its history, the role of trade unions in Canada, what work looks like now and will in the future, and the concept of class.  To do this, we will read academic sociology and history, but also first person narratives and blog posts.  By the end of the course, students should understand the basic structure of work in Canada today, have some sense of the context of work globally, and will have learned important ideas about race, gender, trade unions, skill and deskilling, globalization, and many other topics.

Grading

  • Participation 20%
  • Reflexive Essay (Due in Week 3)
  • Group Presentation (Weeks will vary) 10%
  • Midterm Exams (Held in Week 6, 10) 40%
  • Writing Assignment (Held in Week 13) 30%

NOTES:

Submission of Assignments:

Each assignment should be submitted via Canvas and Turnitin.com.

1) An electronic copy, by the same deadline, to turnitin.com

Use the following procedures for electronic submission:

  1. Go to http://turnitin.com
  2. Login if you already have an account, or register yourself as a new user if you do not. Your

e-mail address and a password of your choice are used for subsequent logins.

  1. Login as a student and then click on "enroll in a class."
  2. The Class ID for our course is xxxxxx and the enrollment password is “yyyyy”
  3. Select the appropriate assignment from the pull-down menu.
  4. Choose and upload your file.

If you wish, you can remove your name from the assignment to further protect your identity. For technical assistance, e-mail: helpdesk@turnitin.com

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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:

  • Ross, S., Savage, L., Black, E., & Silver, J. (2015). Building a Better World: An Introduction to the Labour Movement in Canada (3rd ed.). Black Point, NS: Fernwood Publishing. ISBN: 978-1-552667873
  • All other readings for this course will be 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

At SFU, you are expected to act honestly and responsibly in all your academic work. Cheating, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty harms your own learning, undermines the efforts of your classmates who pursue their studies honestly, and goes against the core values of the university.

To learn more about the academic disciplinary process and relevant academic supports, visit: 


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.