Overview
MAIS 514: The Theory and Practice of Trade Unions. By looking at some of the things that unions really do, and that are actually quite different from media images of union bosses, strikers, and agitators, this course seeks to give some answers as to why unions are less popular and less successful than in the past. The course also shows that the weaknesses of labour movements today resembles periods of weakness in the past and that such periods were overcome through new ways of organizing and fighting for workers’ demands. Finally, the course will look at a recent fight back against the corporate onslaught on workers.
Objectives
After completing this course, you should be able to
- explain the practices that unions use to organize, mobilize, and represent workers in Canada
- evaluate the successes and shortcomings of current union practices
- discuss the impact of globalization on unions today
- draw lessons from labour history and use them in order to devise effective strategies for current labour movements
- analyze the difficulties of mobilizing workers in times of economic crisis
Evaluation
To receive credit for this course, students must participate in the online activities, successfully complete the assignments, and achieve a final mark of at least 60 per cent. Students should be familiar with the Master of Arts—Interdisciplinary Studies grading system . Please note that it is students' responsibility to maintain their program status. Any student who receives a grade of "F" in one course, or a grade of "C" in more than one course, may be required to withdraw from the program.
The following table summarizes the evaluation activities and the credit weights associated with them.
| Activity | Weight |
| Assignment 1 | 25% |
| Assignment 2 | 15% |
| Assignment 3 | 10% |
| Assignment 4 | 50% |
| Total | 100% |
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:
Camfield, David. 2011. Canadian Labour in Crisis – Reinventing the Workers’ Movement. Halifax & Winnipeg: Fernwood Publishing.
Leadbeater, David. (Ed.). 2008. Mining Town Crisis – Globalization, Labour and Resistance in Sudbury. Halifax & Winnipeg: Fernwood Publishing.
Mason, Paul. 2010. Live Working or Die Fighting – How the Working Class Went Global. Chicago: Haymarket Books.
Yates, Michael (ed.) 2012. Wisconsin Uprising – Labor Fights Back. New York: Monthly Review Press.
Athabasca University Online Materials
Course Home Page: You will find Course Information (including the Assignment File and other pertinent information) at the top of the course home page. You will also find your Study Guide presented unit by unit online. You will find your assignments and links to submit your work to your professor on the course home page.