WORK SOC *700 / Work, Workers and Their Workplaces

3 unit(s)

The focus of this course is the worker and the workplace. It will provide students with a comprehensive historical and contemporary understanding of the organization of production in all sectors of the economy, with particular emphasis on artisan production, Fordism, Lean Production and empowerment. In addition, we will examine questions and issues pertaining to the gendering of work, how work is valued, and the organization of work in the informal sector. The course will also be centrally concerned with alternative forms of organization such as industrial districts, cooperatives. In each set of discussions, we will be addressing the role of unions in changing the workplace experience.