GLST 490 Syllabus

Special Topics in Global Studies:
Labour: Local to Global Connections
Section 01 – T 4:00-6:50pm

Labour is part of our lives no matter where we live. We purchase the products of other people’s labour, as well as produce things from our own labour. It affects us in different ways on a daily basis. Where do you shop? Where do you live? What kinds of foods do you purchase and consume? In essence, does your labour translate into economic stability?

The texts in this course reflect labour issues locally and globally. Examples of each can be found in our community, whether home is Nanaimo or somewhere else.

Prerequisite: GLST 390 or GLST 391, or permission of instructor.

The objectives of this course are:

• To learn about labour issues at the local and global level
• To learn about the relationship of government in fulfilling labour needs, and
• To learn about the cultural, political, and economic effects of labour and globalization on certain peoples or groups.

Given the focus, the class will be run primarily as a seminar. Be prepared to be engaged, including assigned “research” for class discussion. Films are used to complement the lectures and readings. The course continues to evolve and changes may occur, e.g., availability of guest speakers.

Evaluation will be based on attendance and participation (20%), opinion piece (5%), short response papers to the texts (two, 10% each), exam (20%), and final paper (35%). There is no final exam.

Not attending an exam or submitting an assignment will result in an “F”; your final grade is based on completing ALL course work.

Required texts:
Ehrenreich, Barbara
2011 Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By In America. New York, NY: Picador.
(ON RESERVE: HD 4918 E375 2002)

Gomberg-Muñoz, Ruth
2011 Labor and Legality: An Ethnography of a Mexican Immigrant Network. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Rodriguez, Robyn Magalit
2010 Migrants for Export: How the Philippine State Brokers Labor to the World. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press.  (WEBLIBRARY)

Please review assigned readings prior to the week’s topic to facilitate discussion. Additional readings are found on D2L. The weekly topics are a guideline and may vary to some extent according to class discussion and interests.

NOTE:

• Use of technology: Cell phones, iPods and other electronic devices must be turned off in class and laptops are permitted during class ONLY for note taking. Recording is only permitted by request as authorized by Disability Services. Please contact Disability Services if you are in need of academic support and accommodation.
• If there are exceptional and/or extenuating circumstances, such as illness or a death in the family, that prevents you from meeting an assignment deadline or being present for an exam, please notify me immediately so that other arrangements can be made. (See VIU Calendar, General Regulations.)
• Should you need counselling at any time during the semester, contact Student Affairs. Drop-in counselling is available. If immediate support is needed after hours, call the Crisis & Information Line: 1-888-494-3888. As well, there is a Walk-in Counselling Clinic, Brooks Landing (203-2000 Island Highway North), Nanaimo: 250-739-5710
• Withdrawing from any VIU course MUST be done formally, that is, by applying at the Registration Centre.
• All in-coming mail is spam-filtered. Identify the course name in the “Subject” box when emailing your instructor. Also, add your instructor to your “accepted” email address file and ensure that VIU has your correct email address.
• Plagiarism will not be tolerated. Students caught plagiarizing will automatically receive an F as their final grade.

Final grade assignment:
Grades will be assigned according to the following scale:

It’s good to have money and the things that money can buy, but it’s good, too, to check up once in a while and make sure that you haven’t lost the things that money can’t buy.
–George H. Lorimer, editor (1868-1937)

Created 2013-09-02; last updated 2014-09-01