Overview
This course examines the field of labour studies and the place of working people and the labour movement in society. It provides an overview of Canadian labour history, the ways unions are organized, why they matter, and which challenges they are facing today. The course then takes a closer look at unions in the public sector, where the majority of unionized workers in Canada are employed, and concludes with a look at labour experiences in India, China, and South Africa to see whether these experiences contain lessons that might be useful to the labour movement in Canada or other countries of the Global North.
Evaluation
To receive credit for LBST 200, you must complete three written assignments, contribute to four discussion forums, and achieve an overall grade of D (50 percent)or better for the entire course. Your final grade is determined by a weighted average of the grades you receive on these assignments for credit. The weightings of each assignment are as indicated below.
| Activity | Weight |
| Assignment 1: Book Review | 20% |
| Assignment 2: Essay | 25% |
| Assignment 3: Essay | 35% |
| Assignment 4: Discussion Forum 1 | 5% |
| Assignment 5: Discussion Forum 2 | 5% |
| Assignment 6: Discussion Forum 3 | 5% |
| Assignment 7: Discussion Forum 4 | 5% |
| Total | 100% |
To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University’s online Calendar.
Materials
Physical course materials
The following course materials are included in a course package that will be shipped to your home prior to your course’s start date:
Ross, S., Savage, L., Black, E., & Silver, J. (2015). Building a better world: An introduction to the labour movement in Canada (4th ed.). Black Point, NS: Fernwood Publishing.
Ross, S., & Savage, L. (Eds.). (2013). Public sector unions in the age of austerity. Black Point, NS: Fernwood Publishing.
Ness, I. (2016). Southern insurgency: The coming of the global working class. London, UK: Pluto Press.
Other Materials
Other course materials include an AU Student Manual, Course Information, and a Study Guide, which are all available online through the course home page.
Challenge for credit
Overview
The challenge for credit process allows you to demonstrate that you have acquired a command of the general subject matter, knowledge, intellectual and/or other skills that would normally be found in a university-level course.
Full information about challenge for credit can be found in the Undergraduate Calendar.
Evaluation
To receive credit for the LBST 200 challenge registration, you must achieve a grade of at least D (50 percent)on the challenge assignment.
Challenge for credit course registration form