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Division of Labor Studies
Indiana University Bloomington – Spring 2007
The following are three-credit online courses offered on Oncourse. The courses meet March
19 to April 28.
LSTU-L100 Introduction to Unions and Collective Bargaining
This introductory course examines the many facets of Labor Studies. We will learn how unions
function and the contributions they have made to the American landscape. The course will provide
an overview of the U.S. labor movement’s triumphs and tragedies throughout history, as well as the
struggles working people face today. Finally, we will examine a contemporary labor struggle as a
vehicle to explore changing labor-management relations, the U.S. government’s role, and internal
struggles within the labor movement itself.
LSTU-L110 Introduction to Labor Studies: American Labor and Society
The course provides an overview of the field of Labor Studies, examining work, workers, and the
collective responses of workers. We will ask what we mean by workers and why labor is worth
studying by investigating the concept of class. The course will look at the labor movement over
time and compare it with other social movements to see how workers have organized in the face of
changing opportunities and constraints. The course examines two contemporary “social problems”
that workers face: globalization and declining union density. In assessing labor’s response, we will
ask what contributions organized labor can make toward strengthening American democracy.
LSTU-L205 Contemporary Labor Problems
This course addresses the issues facing working people, the labor movement, and trade
unions in the United States today. Working people in the United States are experiencing
changes in the workplace caused by global transnational capitalism, deindustrialization,
changing relations between work and family, and the shift from manufacturing to service
sector work. The course will look at a variety of social issues as well as some of the
particular problems confronting workers and the labor movement.
AS WELL, LABOR STUDIES OFFERS A TWO-CREDIT ONLINE COURSE
THAT ALSO RUNS MARCH 19 – APRIL 28:
LSTU-L 290 Labor and Global Warming (2 credit hours)
How do global warming and climate change affect labor and how does labor affect global
warming? In this course we will review what global warming and climate change are, and
what causes them. We will learn about the Kyoto Treaty and why the U.S. is not a party to
it, and explore the politics of global warming in the U.S. and internationally. How does
environmental justice fit in? Will controlling global warming cost jobs? Students will have
the opportunity to look at their own contributions to global warming, and to discuss where
the solutions lie, and with whom.