Course Description:
Explore the origins, purposes, methods and future of the labor movement. Students will learn about the historical beginnings of the United States labor movement. Topics include the Knights of Labor and the American Federation of Labor, alternatives to business unionism, including industrial and craft unionism, Marxism, anarcho-syndicalism and the New Left. Students will also examine labor as a social reform movement within capitalism. Through discussion and written assignments, students will apply the theories to actual case studies of workplace and union development.
This course is relevant to students interested in studying labor studies, labor relations and human resource management. Students pursuing degrees in business, history, policy studies, political science and philosophy will also find this course pertinent.
Prerequisites: Students should have an understanding of American history and introductory sociology. A course in U.S. labor history or equivalent knowledge is strongly recommended.
Important Note: This course was renamed effective the Spring 1 2017 term and was formerly offered as The Labor Movement: Ideas, Ideologies and Strategies. Students who have successfully completed 263154 should not enroll in this course.
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