Labour Studies

Director

June Corman, Department of Sociology

TBA (as of January 1, 2005)

Participating Faculty

Jonah Butovsky (Sociology), June Corman, (Sociology), Ann D. Duffy (Sociology), Dan Glenday (Sociology), Felice Martinello (Economics), Carmela Patrias (History), Daniel Samson (History), Garth Stevenson (Political Science)

General Information

Administrative Assistant

Barb Alexander

905-688-5550, extension 4753

Mackenzie Chown D332

http://www.brocku.ca/labourstudies/

Our work determines how we spend many of our waking hours and it largely defines our position in society, our economic well-being and our self-image. It also defines the nature of our society and economy, since these are determined by the work efforts of individuals. Restructuring of the labour force, technological change, de-skilling, re-skilling, changing labour legislation, labour market segmentation, women's work and equality in the workplace are some of the issues that stimulate teaching and research in the Centre for Labour Studies.

Given the complex and multifaceted nature of work, Labour Studies adopts a multidisciplinary approach to its study. Labour Studies is a combined major program leading to a Pass BA degree. The program provides a social science perspective on the study of work with the participation of the departments of Economics, History, Political Science and Sociology. Students may earn a Concentration in Labour Studies by including Labour Studies and other approved courses, as part of their academic work leading to an Honours BA in Economics, Political Science or Sociology.

Program Notes

Honours Programs

Students wishing to major in Labour Studies must declare a combined major with either Economics, Political Science or Sociology.

Labour Studies and Economics

Consult the Economics entry for a listing of program requirements.

Labour Studies and Political Science

Year 1

	LABR 1F90
	one POLI credit numbered 1(alpha)90 to 1(alpha)99
	ECON 1P91 and 1P92 or SOCI 1F90
	one Humanities context credit
	one Science context credit

Year 2

	LABR 2F00
	POLI 2F12 and 2P80
	one of POLI 2P91, 2P92, 2P93
	one LABR credit
	one elective credit

Year 3

	LABR 3F00 and 3P13
	two POLI credits numbered 2(alpha)90 to 3(alpha)99
	one-half LABR credit
	one elective credit

Year 4

	LABR 4F90 or 4F91
	LABR 4F92
	two POLI credits
	one elective credit (see program note 1)

Labour Studies and Sociology

Year 1

	LABR 1F90
	SOCI 1F90
	ECON 1P91 and 1P92, or one POLI credit numbered 1(alpha)90 to 1(alpha)99
	one Humanities context credit
	one Science context credit

Year 2

	LABR 2F00
	LABR 2P32 or 2P34
	one-half LABR credit
	SOCI 2P11 and 2P13
	one SOCI credit
	one elective credit

Year 3

	LABR 3F00
	one LABR credit
	SOCI 3P00 and 3P01
	one SOCI credit numbered 2(alpha)90 or above
	one elective credit

Year 4

	LABR 4F90 or 4F91
	LABR 4F92
	two SOCI credits
	one elective credit (see program note 1)

Pass Program

Satisfactory completion of the first three years of the Honours program entitles a student to apply for a Pass degree.

Certificate in Labour Studies

The Centre for Labour Studies offers a Certificate in Labour Studies designed for persons who already have a degree or do not wish to pursue a degree. The program consists of required courses with core concepts in Labour Studies and electives, where students cover Labour Studies topics in more detail. The admission requirements are the same as for the degree program.

The certificate is awarded upon completion of the following courses with an overall minimum average of 60 percent:

	LABR 1F90 and 2F00
	one credit from ECON 1P91 and 1P92, one POLI credit numbered 1(alpha)90 to 1(alpha)99, SOCI 1F90
	two credits from LABR 2F98, 2P15, 2P32, 2P34, 3P13, 3P24, 3P25, 3P30, 3P33, 3P34, 3P66, 3Q95

See "Certificate Requirements" under Academic Regulations.

Concentration in Labour Studies

Students may earn a Concentration in Labour Studies by successfully completing the following courses as part of their academic work leading to an BA (Honours) in Economics, Political Science or Sociology:

	LABR 1F90, 2F00 and 3F00
	one credit from ECON 1P91 and 1P92, one POLI credit numbered 1(alpha)90 to 1(alpha)99, SOCI 1F90
	two credits from LABR 2F98, 2P15, 2P32, 2P34, 3P13, 3P24, 3P25, 3P30, 3P33, 3P34, 3P65, 3P66, 3Q95, 3V95-3V99, 4P15, 4P32, 4P54.

The words "Concentration in Labour Studies" will be added to a student's official transcript when the student graduates with a BA (Honours) and completes the above listed requirements.

Description of Courses

Note that not all courses are offered in every session. Refer to the applicable term timetable for details.

# Indicates a cross listed course

* Indicates primary offering of a cross listed course

Prerequisites and Restrictions

Students must check to ensure that prerequisites are met. Students may be deregistered, at the request of the instructor, from any course for which prerequisites and/or restrictions have not been met.

LABR 1F90

Changing Nature of Work and of Labour Relations

Critical issues facing Canadian workers. Basis for conflict; key issues such as the impact of economic restructuring and technological change for working people; occupational health and safety; pay and employment equity; occupational segregation by gender; changing work patterns; and union action. May include international comparisons.

Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.

Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade in LABR 1P91 or 1P92.

LABR 2F00

Labour Law and Labour Unions

Labour law and public policy relating to work and organized labour in provincial and federal jurisdictions; institutions in the labour market such as the Labour Relations Board; the structure and functioning of organized labour in Canada; labour law and union organization in other countries.

Lectures, 3 hours per week.

Prerequisites: LABR 1F90 (1P91 and 1P92) or permission of the instructor.

#LABR 2F98

Public Administration

(also offered as COMM 2F98 and POLI 2F98)

Political, legal and managerial dimensions of public administration. Topics include the structure and management of public organizations; government reform; political-bureaucratic relations; pressure groups; human resources and budgetary processes; the policy process; ethics and accountability.

Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.

Prerequisite: one of LABR 1F90 (1P91 and 1P92), COMM 1F90, one POLI credit numbered 1(alpha)90 to 1(alpha)99 or permission of the instructor.

Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade in LABR (POLI) 3P50.

#LABR 2P15

The Economics of Unions

(also offered as ECON 2P15)

Labour unions in the marketplace. How unions affect, and are affected by, the labour and product markets. Topics include the effects of unions on wages, fringe benefits, turnover, inequality, productivity and the profitability of firms; union behaviour; who belongs to unions and why; collective bargaining; strikes; interest arbitration; public-sector unionism.

Lectures, 3 hours per week.

Prerequisites: ECON 1P91 and 1P92.

#LABR 2P32

In and Out of Work in the Global Economy

(also offered as SOCI 2P32)

Examination of paid and unpaid work in industrialized and industrializing countries. Topics may include patterns of un/under employment, peripheral employment, home-working, worker resistance.

Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.

Restriction: open to LABR and SOCI (single or combined) majors until date specified in the BIRT guide.

Prerequisite: LABR 1F90 (1P91 and 1P92), SOCI 1F90 or permission of the instructor.

Note: students minoring in Sociology may register prior to date specified in BIRT guide. Contact the Sociology Department.

*LABR 2P34

Trade Unions

(also offered as SOCI 2P34)

Interdisciplinary approach to the study of trade unions. Economic, political and sociological understanding of the role of trade unions in society. May include an international comparative perspective.

Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.

Prerequisite: LABR 1F90 (1P91 and 1P92) or permission of the instructor.

#LABR 2P86

Women in the Economy

(also offered as CANA 2P86, ECON 2P86, SOCI 2P86 and WISE 2P86)

Women in the Canadian labour market. Topics include allocation of time between the household and labour market, gender segregation in the work place, how earnings are determined, causes of occupational and earnings difference by gender, role of investment in education and discrimination, recent developments in the labour market and their impact on women and men, and selected policy issues.

Lectures, 3 hours per week.

Restriction: students must have a minimum of 4.0 overall credits.

#LABR 2P94

Canadian Economic Issues

(also offered as ECON 2P94)

Canadian economic and business problems and policies. Topics may include stabilization, competition, taxation, foreign trade and exchange rate policies.

Lectures, 3 hours per week.

Prerequisites: ECON 1P91 and 1P92.

LABR 2P98

Work in an Information Age

The growth of information and communications technologies in paid and unpaid work in advanced industrial societies. Topics may include changing employment patterns; high-tech enclaves such as Silicon Valley, Kanata and Mondragon; skill training and changes to the gendered nature of work in high technology industries and organizations.

Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.

Prerequisite: one of LABR 1F90 (1P91 and 1P92), ECON 1P91 and 1P92, one POLI credit numbered 1(alpha)90 to 1(alpha)99, SOCI 1F90.

LABR 3F00

Labour Studies Seminar

Advanced study of contemporary issues in Labour Studies with emphasis on students' research and analysis.

Seminar, 3 hours per week.

Restriction: students must have a minimum of 8.0 overall credits.

Prerequisites: LABR 1F90 (1P91 and 1P92) and one LABR credit or permission of the instructor.

LABR 3F98

Tutorial in Labour Studies

Guided readings on a topic not covered in the program's regular course offerings.

Seminar, 3 hours per week.

Restriction: permission of the Director.

Note: topics must be chosen in consultation with a faculty member willing to supervise the tutorial.

#LABR 3P13

The Politics of Labour

(also offered as POLI 3P13)

Relations between the labour movement and the state, with particular reference to Canada, including tripartism, corporatism, incomes policy, organized labour and political parties, industrial democracy and worker participation.

Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.

Prerequisite: one POLI credit numbered 1(alpha)90 to 1(alpha)99 or permission of the instructor.

#LABR 3P24

Labour Economics

(also offered as ECON 3P24)

Economics of the labour market. Topics include the demand for labour, the supply of labour and investment in human capital. Policy applications.

Lectures, 3 hours per week.

Prerequisite: ECON 2P21 or 2P23.

#LABR 3P25

Topics in Labour Economics

(also offered as ECON 3P25)

Topics vary from year to year and may include unemployment and the impact of unemployment insurance in the labour market, discrimination in the labour market, labour migration and the economic impact of immigration, economics of the family, the distribution of income and wealth in Canada, the economic impact of unions on wages and non-wage outcomes, issues in retirement and pensions.

Lectures, 3 hours per week.

Prerequisite: ECON 2P21 or 2P23.

#LABR 3P30

Sociology of Women, Work and Family

(also offered as WISE 3P30 and SOCI 3P30)

Examination of the transformation of women's paid labour force involvement and evaluation of personal and public strategies to address the paid labour force work/family conflict.

Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.

Restriction: open to LABR, SOCI (single or combined) and WISE majors until date specified in the BIRT guide.

Prerequisite: one of LABR 1F90 (1P91 and 1P92), SOCI 1F90, WISE 1F90, 2P20 or permission of the instructor.

Note: students minoring in Sociology and Women's Studies may register prior to date specified in BIRT guide. Contact the Sociology Department.

#LABR 3P31

Complex Organizations

(also offered as SOCI 3P31)

Research on the nature of complex organizations using theories such as those of the French Regulation School. Formal and informal aspects of the organizational roles, how morale, motivation, work discipline and conflict are regulated; feminist critiques of the traditional literature.

Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.

Restriction: open to LABR and SOCI (single or combined) majors until date specified in the BIRT guide.

Prerequisite: LABR 1F90 (1P91 and 1P92), SOCI 1F90 or permission of the instructor.

Note: students minoring in Sociology may register prior to date specified in BIRT guide. Contact the Sociology Department.

#LABR 3P33

The State and Economic Life

(also offered as POLI 3P33)

Ideological perspectives on the state-economy relationship; policy instruments including taxation, regulation and public ownership; alternative models of economic policy including socialism, Keynesianism and neo-liberalism.

Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.

Prerequisite: one POLI credit numbered 1(alpha)90 to 1(alpha)99 or permission of the instructor.

#LABR 3P34

Information Technology and Work

(also offered as SOCI 3P34)

Application of information technology to the labour process. Topics include the relationship of this technology to the number and types of jobs available, to the total hours worked over a lifetime and to the increased importance given to education and work.

Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.

Restriction: open to LABR and SOCI (single or combined) majors until date specified in the BIRT guide.

Prerequisite: LABR 1F90 (1P91 and 1P92), SOCI 1F90 or permission of the instructor.

Note: students minoring in Sociology may register prior to date specified in BIRT guide. Contact the Sociology Department.

#LABR 3P50

Canadian Public Administration

(also offered as POLI 3P50)

Role of the public sector in the marketplace and the internal operation of government organizations emphasizing the comparison of public and business administration and government-business relations.

Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.

Prerequisite: one of MGMT 1P93 and 1P96, one POLI credit numbered 1(alpha)90 to 1(alpha)99, POLI 2P62 or permission of the instructor.

Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade in LABR (COMM/ POLI) 2F98.

#LABR 3P65

Introduction to Public Policy

(also offered as POLI 3P65)

Major theories, approaches and concepts including the nature of public policy studies, contending theories of the state and public policy making, the growth of the state and the expansion of the scope of public policy activities and alternative modes of state intervention.

Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.

Prerequisite: one POLI credit numbered 1(alpha)90 to 1(alpha)99 or permission of the instructor.

#LABR 3P66

Social Movements

(also offered as SOCI 3P66)

Survey of the impact of ideology on behaviour and the subsequent development of social movements or examinations of particular movements such as separatism, nationalism, fascism, Marxism or feminism.

Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.

Restriction: open to LABR and SOCI (single or combined) majors until date specified in the BIRT guide.

Prerequisite: LABR 1F90 (1P91 and 1P92), SOCI 1F90 or permission of the instructor.

Note: students minoring in Sociology may register prior to date specified in BIRT guide. Contact the Sociology Department.

#LABR 3P67

Issues in Canadian Public Policy

(also offered as POLI 3P67)

Topics may include criminal, environmental and reproductive policy, gay rights, privacy rights, and such public health issues as water quality.

Seminar, 3 hours per week.

Prerequisite: LABR 3P65.

#LABR 3P75

Canadian Labour History

(also offered as HIST 3P75)

Canadian workers and the labour movement from the mid-19th century to the present, combining studies of trade unions with the broader context of the social, community and political life of workers. How gender and race/ethnicity have shaped the working class experience.

Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.

Note: HIST 2P02 recommended.

Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade in LABR (CANA/ HIST) 3Q95.

LABR 3P98

Directed Studies I

Guided readings on a topic not covered in the program's regular course offerings.

Seminar, 3 hours per week.

Restriction: permission of the instructor.

Prerequisites: LABR 1F90 (1P91 and 1P92).

Note: topics must be chosen in consultation with a faculty member willing to supervise.

Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade in LABR 3V95-3V99.

LABR 3P99

Directed Studies II

Guided readings on a topic not covered in the program's regular course offerings.

Seminar, 3 hours per week.

Restriction: permission of the instructor.

Prerequisites: LABR 1F90 (1P91 and 1P92).

Note: topics must be chosen in consultation with a faculty member willing to supervise.

Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade in LABR 3V95-3V99.

LABR 3V90-3V94

Special Topics in Labour Studies

Special topics courses not offered on a regular basis.

Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.

Prerequisites: LABR 1F90 (1P91 and 1P92) or permission of the instructor.

LABR 4F90

Honours Thesis

Independent research project under the supervision of a faculty advisor.

Restriction: open to LABR majors with approval to year 4 (honours).

Prerequisite: LABR 3F00.

Co-requisite: LABR 4F92 (4P91).

LABR 4F91

Honours Practicum

Service as research associates with a local organization or trade union. Projects will vary with the needs of the organization/trade union.

Seminar, 3 hours per week.

Restriction: open to LABR majors with a minimum of 14.0 overall credits and a minimum 70 percent major average.

Co-requisite: LABR 4F92 (4P91).

Note: the faculty facilitator, organization/trade union supervisor and student will negotiate a mutually satisfactory project and work schedule.

LABR 4F92

Honours Seminar

Facilitation of individual thesis proposals including the development of the research question, review of the relevant literature and the integration of theoretical perspectives with the appropriate methodological applications.

Seminar, 3 hours per week.

Prerequisite: LABR 3F00.

Co-requisite: LABR 4F90 or 4F91.

Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade in LABR 4P91.

#LABR 4P15

Canadian Political Economy

(also offered as POLI 4P15)

Political economy tradition in Canada from the writings of Innis, Mackintosh and Creighton to contemporary neo-Marxist and dependency theorists. Topics may include foreign investment, regional development, the labour movement, resources and Canada's place in the new international economy.

Seminar, 3 hours per week.

Restriction: open to LABR, INPE and POLS (single or combined) majors with either a minimum of 14.0 overall credits and a minimum 70 percent major average or approval to year 4 (honours).

#LABR 4P32

Advanced Seminar in the Sociology of Work

(also offered as SOCI 4P32 and WISE 4P32)

Theoretical and research developments in the sociology of work. Topics may include the impact of technological innovation on the labour process, reconceptualizations of work and leisure, changes in the gendered nature of work, the role of the contemporary labour movement and international perspectives on labour and the labour force.

Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.

Restriction: open to LABR, SOCI (single or combined) and WISE majors until date specified in the BIRT guide. Students must have approval to year 4 (honours).

Prerequisites: two SOCI or LABR credits or permission of the instructor.

Note: SOCI 2P32 recommended. Students minoring in Sociology and Women's Studies may register prior to date specified in BIRT guide. Contact the Sociology Department.

#LABR 4P54

Business-Government Relations

(also offered as POLI 4P54)

Politics and management of relations between business organizations and governments in Canada, emphasizing current research issues. Topics include theories of business-government relations, the legislative and regulatory environment of business, public enterprise and privatization, lobbying and interaction among government, business, the media and labour.

Seminar, 3 hours per week.

Restriction: open to LABR, INPE and POLS(single or combined) majors with either a minimum of 14.0 overall credits and a minimum 70 percent major average or approval to year 4 (honours).

Prerequisite: LABR 2F98, 3P50 or permission of the instructor.

Note: also open to non-POLS majors with a relevant background in other disciplines and permission of the Department.

LABR 4P92

Directed Studies I

Guided reading on a topic not covered in the Department's regular course offerings.

Seminar, 3 hours per week.

Restriction: open to LABR majors with approval to year 4 (honours).

Note: topics must be chosen in consultation with a participating Faculty member willing to supervise the course.

LABR 4P93

Directed Studies II

Guided reading on a topic not covered in the Department's regular course offerings.

Seminar, 3 hours per week.

Restriction: open to LABR majors with approval to year 4 (honours).

Note: topics must be chosen in consultation with a participating Faculty member willing to supervise the course.