GLST 490

Special Topics in Global Studies:
Labour: Local to Global Connections

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

Websites related to the course materials:

Global Studies Program at Vancouver Island University. Includes information about the program and internships.

Canadian Labour Congress “is the umbrella organization for dozens of affiliated Canadian and international unions, as well as provincial federations of labour and regional labour councils.”  CLC advocates on behalf of all working people, including the following issues: social and economic, environmental, workplace, and international.

Institute for Global Labour and Human Rights “is a non-profit 501(c)(3) human rights organization dedicated to the promotion and defense of internationally recognized worker rights in the global economy. ”  Based in Pittsburgh, PA, it has “regional offices in Dhaka and San Salvador and research/advocacy partnerships in China, Jordan, Central America and South Asia.”

International Labour Organization “promotes rights at work, encourage decent employment opportunities, enhance social protection and strengthen dialogue on work-related issues.”  Of interest are its Publications, Research, Labour Standards and Statistics and Databases.  A range of Topics are identified.


All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.
–Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-68)

Created 2013-06-11; last updated 2014-09-01