Labour Studies Minor
Program Requirements
Students complete 24 units comprised of the following.
Lower Division Requirements
Students complete nine lower division units including
Introduction to key concepts necessary for understanding the character and organization of work in contemporary society. The discussion of such issues as how our society decides who works, what the work will be, and under what conditions people work, will be situated in the context of current debates, trend and issues.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
Distance Education | |||
Sherri Brown |
May 11 – Aug 10, 2015: Tue, 2:30–5:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
and the remaining six units chosen from the following.
The principal elements of theory concerning utility and value, price and costs, factor analysis, productivity, labor organization, competition and monopoly, and the theory of the firm. Students with credit for ECON 200 cannot take ECON 103 for further credit. Quantitative/Breadth-Soc.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
John Fountain |
May 11 – Jun 22, 2015: Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, 8:30–10:20 a.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
Xianjuan Chen |
May 11 – Aug 10, 2015: Wed, Fri, 12:30–2:20 p.m.
|
Surrey |
|
Seong Choi |
May 11 – Aug 10, 2015: Tue, Thu, 5:30–7:20 p.m.
|
Vancouver |
A seminar devoted to the in-depth examination of a topic in Labour Studies not regularly offered by the Program. Prerequisite: LBST 101 is strongly recommended.
An introductory study of Canada's political economy, stressing the interrelated nature of Canada's economic and political life. The course focuses on current economic problems and policies, taking into account the geographical, historical and political environments. Topics include the resource and industrial structures, research and development, the public sector, fiscal and monetary policy, the role of the state, trade and foreign ownership, energy, regional disparity, corporate concentration and the political economy of federalism. Recommended: POL 100 or 101W. This course is identical to CNS 280 and students cannot take both courses for credit. Breadth-Social Sciences.
** Students may take more than one offering of LBST Special/Selected Topics courses for credit and towards the minor, as long as the topics for each offering are different.
Upper Division Requirements
Students complete 15 upper division units including
This course will give students a comprehensive understanding of the contemporary structure, issues, and perceptions of labour unions and other forms of working-class organization. It will focus on external and internal problems that the labour movement faces, such as labour law and state policy, employer strategies, bureaucracy, racism and sexism. The treatment of labour in the media and popular culture will provide an understanding of how labour is viewed in society, how labour views itself, and how working-class culture informs and is informed by the larger culture. Recommended: LBST 101.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
Simon Chilvers |
May 11 – Aug 10, 2015: Wed, 9:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
Simon Chilvers |
May 11 – Aug 10, 2015: Tue, 5:30–8:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
The remaining 12 units chosen from the following:
The application of psychological principles and methods to the study of human performance at work. A systems approach will be taken to study the interactions among the individual worker, his/her task, groups of workers, and the management structure of the organization. Prerequisite: PSYC 210 or both of BPK (or KIN) 207 and STAT 201. Corequisite: STAT 201 may be taken concurrently. Recommended: KIN 180. Students with credit for KIN 381 may not take this course for further credit.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
Anne-Kristina Arnold |
May 11 – Jun 22, 2015: Tue, Thu, 4:30–7:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
The focus of this course will be the study of the physical environment and its effects on the health, safety and performance of the worker. Physical problems associated with noise, vibration, lighting, radiation, dust and ventilation will be examined together with methods of recognition, treatment, protection and prevention. Prerequisite: BPK (or KIN) 142, 201, 205. Students with credit for KIN 382 may not repeat this course for further credit. Quantitative.
Examination of the day-to-day administration of various employment systems in both unionized and non-unionized settings. Employment systems have implications for how conflicts between employee and employer interests are resolved, for the attainment of due process in the workplace, and for the flexibility and efficiency of work organization. Characteristics and outcomes of various employment systems will be examined. Prerequisite: BUS 381 and 360W; 60 units.
Negotiation is the art and science of securing agreements between two or more parties that are interdependent and who are seeking to maximize their outcomes. The purpose of this course is to understand the theory and processes of negotiation as it is practiced in a variety of settings. The course will allow participants the opportunity to develop these skills experientially and to understand negotiation in useful analytical frameworks. Prerequisite: BUS 272, 360W, and either 374 or 381; 60 units. Students with credit for BUEC 485 may not take BUS 485 for further credit.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
Mitra Kiamanesh |
May 11 – Aug 10, 2015: Thu, 11:30 a.m.–2:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
Interpersonal and group behavior in organizational contexts, including group development, team building, interpersonal communications, interpersonal conflict, group problem-solving and decision-making. Prerequisite: BUS 360W, BUS 374 or 381; 60 units.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
William Scott |
May 11 – Aug 10, 2015: Fri, 2:30–5:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
Topics will include the content, quality and character of jobs that involve computer supported cooperative work systems, the influence of managerial goals and workplace relations on the design and choice of computer supported cooperative work systems, issues arising in developing and implementing computer supported cooperative work systems, and using data which results from their use. Prerequisite: 75 units, including CMNS 362, and CMNS 253 (or 253W).
Relationships between multinational corporations and local development with reference to resource based towns in British Columbia. An analysis of the implications of changes in employment, organization, technology and resource utilization for community economic development. Prerequisite: At least 60 units including GEOG 323 or 383.
Explores the nature and conditions of women's paid and unpaid labour in the economy as well as various theories which explain labour market discrimination, the impact of national public policies on women's labour and the transnational interconnections that affect women's paid and unpaid labour. Prerequisite: 30 units including three units in GSWS or WS or GDST. Students who have completed SA 335 or WS 310 under the title Women and Work may not complete this course for further credit.
An examination of feminist, Marxist and anti-racist theories pertaining to the historical development, social construction, and interactive nature of race, class and gender relations. Prerequisite: 15 units. Students with credit for either GSWS 301 (or WS 301) or GSWS 310 (or WS 310) as Special Topics: Race, Class and Gender may not take this course for further credit.
A specific theme within the field of gender, sexuality, and women's studies, not otherwise covered in depth in regularly scheduled courses, will be dealt with as occasion and demand warrant. Prerequisite: 15 units.
An examination of the history of labor, primarily in English Canada, during the 19th and 20th centuries. The evolution of trade unions and labor-political movements will be examined together with the impact of industrialization, the rise of mass production, changing patterns of immigration and other contexts of working-class culture and material life. Special attention will be paid to British Columbia as a case study. Historically the course examines 'working class history' as a particular way of studying the past. What is the concept of 'the working class'? Prerequisite: 45 units including nine units of lower division history. Recommended: HIST 101, 102 and 204.
Selected problems in Canadian ideas and attitudes on such topics as the arts, religion, education, minority and native cultures, nationalism, and Canadian historiography. Prerequisite: 45 units including nine units of lower division history. Recommended: HIST 101, 102.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
Jack Little |
May 11 – Aug 10, 2015: Thu, 1:30–5:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
Selected problems in the history of Canadian agriculture and industrial development, migration and settlement, labor, native policy and class structure. Prerequisite: 45 units including nine units of lower division history. Recommended: HIST 101, 102.
An exploration of critical and radical political economy traditions in Labour Studies with a focus on how these approaches have diverged from, and provided alternatives to, classical and orthodox economic understandings of labour and labour markets. Prerequisite: LBST 101 is strongly recommended.
An exploration of the expanding forms of unfree labour in capitalist economies as products of changing labour processes, global labour markets, and the policies of neollberalism and 'austerity.'. Prerequisite: LBST 101 is strongly recommended.
Technological change and globalization are constantly transforming the nature of work. These transformations are examined in the historical development of work, with specific emphasis on the chaining nature of the labour process in the present era. Prerequisite: Strongly recommended: LBST 101 and/or 301.
An introduction to collective bargaining: it will cover the legal requirements of the Labour Code, the bargaining process and the organizational structure and components of collective agreements, including the grievance-arbitration process. Prerequisite: Strongly recommended: Labour Studies 101 and at least one other Labour Studies course.
The politics of the working class and union movement in the context of neoliberal economic and public policy, recurring economic crises, the changing nature of work, and declining membership. Central to the course will be the question of electoral politics and organized labour's relationship to political parties. Prerequisite: Strongly recommended: Labour Studies 101 and 30 credit hours.
The changing relationships between unions and environmental groups; how work in various industries contribute to climate change; and how climate-change policies affect workers in different ways. The consequences of climate policies for different categories of workers, identified by economic sector, geographic location, gender, ethnicity, and Aboriginal status. Prerequisite: Strongly recommended: Labour Studies 101 and 30 credit hours.
An introduction to labour and employment law in Canada, covering both union and non-union sectors. The course will focus variously on: the principles and practice of the BC Labour Relations Code, the Canada Labour Code, BC Employment Standards Act. BC Human Rights Code, the Workers Compensation Act (WorkSafeBC), and the contested history of labour legislation and related common law. Prerequisite: LBST 101 is strongly recommended.
The study of issues related to work and/or trade unions not offered in regular courses. Prerequisite: Strongly recommended: LBST 101 and/or 301. Students who have completed special temporary topics course LBST 389 cannot complete this course for further credit when it is offered as "Studying Labour Through Film.".
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
Linda Elmose |
May 11 – Aug 10, 2015: Mon, 9:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
Linda Elmose |
May 11 – Aug 10, 2015: Mon, 2:30–5:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
In an era of globalization, what scope remains for national politics? Does globalization lead to a deficit of democracy? This course examines the challenge that globalization poses for the Canadian political system. Emphasis is placed on globalization's impact on the organization, activities and role of Canadian State. Prerequisite: Six lower division units in political science or permission of the department.
Section | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|
Distance Education |
An introduction to the study of the international political economy, with an emphasis on the interaction between the state and markets, and the basic political-institutional relationships of trade, money and finance, international investment, foreign debt and foreign aid. Prerequisite: Six lower division units in political science or permission of the department.
Section | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|
Distance Education |
Examines the ways in which economic and political forces are constantly changing the nature of work. The focus will be on both paid and unpaid labor; the problems of inequality; and the ways in which workers have organized to protect their interests. The course material will deal mainly, although not exclusively, with the political economy of labor in contemporary Canada. Prerequisite: Six lower division units in political science or permission of the department.
The legislature, political parties, pressure groups, relations with other governments, and other aspects of the policy process. Prerequisite: Eight upper division units in political science or permission of the department.
An examination of how sociological and anthropological theories and methods can be applied to the examination of social problems and issues which become the object of social policy. A central concern of the course is the question of how social issues are defined as problematic. Particular attention will be given to gender, ethnicity, class and generation. Substantive examples of social policy issues will be selected from a number of fields. Prerequisite: SA 101 or 150 or 201W.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
Rachel Treloar |
May 11 – Aug 10, 2015: Mon, 1:30–5:20 p.m.
|
Vancouver |
An examination of the social and political implications of the global economy. Topics to be considered include the influence of neo-liberal economics, the decline of the national welfare state, transnational political agencies and public policy, the internationalization of culture, the global labour market, the 'world city' hypothesis, ethnic resurgence and alternatives to these developments. Prerequisite: SA 101 or 150 or 201W.
Students may substitute relevant special topic courses, with labour studies approval.
* when topic is appropriate
** Students may take more than one offering of LBST Special/Selected Topics courses for credit and towards the minor, as long as the topics for each offering are different.
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Degree Requirements
For all bachelor of arts (BA) programs, students complete 120 units, which includes
- at least 60 units that must be completed at ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV
- at least 45 upper division units, of which at least 30 upper division units must be completed at ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV
- at least 65 units (including 21 upper division units) in Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences courses
- satisfaction of the writing, quantitative, and breadth requirements
- an overall cumulative grade point average (CGPA) and upper division CGPA of at least 2.0, and a program (major, joint major, extended minor, minor) CGPA and upper division CGPA of at least 2.0
For students in other Faculties, please check your Faculty's overall degree requirements:
Writing, Quantitative, and Breadth Requirements
Students admitted to ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV beginning in the fall 2006 term must meet writing, quantitative and breadth requirements as part of any degree program they may undertake. See for university-wide information.
WQB Graduation Requirements
A grade of C- or better is required to earn W, Q or B credit
Requirement |
Units |
Notes | |
W - Writing |
6 |
Must include at least one upper division course, taken at ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV within the student’s major subject | |
Q - Quantitative |
6 |
Q courses may be lower or upper division | |
B - Breadth |
18 |
Designated Breadth | Must be outside the student’s major subject, and may be lower or upper division 6 units Social Sciences: B-Soc 6 units Humanities: B-Hum 6 units Sciences: B-Sci |
6 |
Additional Breadth | 6 units outside the student’s major subject (may or may not be B-designated courses, and will likely help fulfil individual degree program requirements) Students choosing to complete a joint major, joint honours, double major, two extended minors, an extended minor and a minor, or two minors may satisfy the breadth requirements (designated or not designated) with courses completed in either one or both program areas. |