Labor and Employment Studies

Lam Family College of Business

Dean: Dr. Eugene Sivadas

Labor and Employment Studies Program

Business Building, Room 310
Phone: (415) 338-7391
Director: Dr. John Logan

Program Scope

The Labor and Employment Studies program provides students with an introduction to and understanding of the study of labor and employment relations, broadly defined. Over the past few decades, the study of labor and employment relations has expanded significantly to include new topics that did not previously exist as areas of academic inquiry: globalization and employment relations, international labor standards, human rights and labor standards, corporate social responsibility and corporate codes of conduct, monitoring and accountability frameworks, global supply and value chains, corporate governance and employment relations, “decent work,” equality and diversity at work, labor and “global cities,” employment relations in emerging economies, high-performance work systems, global corporations, and global unions. These topics form the basis of the courses that make up the requirements for the major and minor.

Career Outlook

The major and minor in labor and employment studies provides training for students interested in careers in labor relations or personnel management with unionized private-sector firms or local and state government organizations. Graduates may also be prepared to work for unions, labor or social justice-related NGOs, or other non-profit organizations. Students may gain employment in these areas with local, state, national, or international organizations. In the non-union private sector, graduates may work in areas related to corporate social responsibility, codes of conduct, and corporate governance. Finally, students may pursue professional degrees (for example, in public policy, labor and employment law, or MBAs) or graduate degrees in the social sciences.

Professor

John Logan (2009), Professor in Labor and Employment Studies. Ph.D. University of California.

Major

Minor

Explanation of Course Descriptions, Symbols, and Terms

LABR 250 Introduction to the Study of Labor (Units: 3)

Introduction to the study of labor in the United States including the nature of work, the development and characteristics of the workforce, the history and present nature of labor organizations, and patterns of labor-management relationships.

Course Attributes:

  • D1: Social Sciences
  • Global Perspectives

LABR 251 Know Your Work Rights (Units: 3)

A hands-on approach to understanding basic statutory protections covering California workers including wage and hour, workplace safety, health, and sanitation, workers' compensation, discrimination, union activity, pregnancy and parental leave, discipline and discharge, unemployment and disability insurance, and social security, health, and pension benefits.

Course Attributes:

  • D1: Social Sciences
  • Social Justice

LABR 300 Researching Labor Issues (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: LABR 250.

Introduction to methods of research and analysis used in understanding labor issues including case studies and contemporary issues selected from such areas as collective bargaining, arbitration and mediation, legislation, regulative and administrative law, employment discrimination, and union governance.

LABR 343 Women and Work (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or permission of the instructor.

Position and roles of women in the productive activities of society, both paid and unpaid. Patterns of household and workplace employment, discrimination in pay and working conditions, relevant laws, and explanations for the evolution of these patterns.
(This course is offered as LABR 343 and ANTH 343. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)

LABR 394 Political Theories of Work, Labor, and Free Time (Units: 4)

Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.

Examination of the tension between the desire to work and the desire to be free from work by looking at texts from liberalism, Marxism, feminism and critical theory. Questions to explore include: Has this tension always existed and how might it be overcome? Where and when did people begin to prioritize paid work over all else? What constitutes "work" and who decides? Is work different than labor?
(This course is offered as PLSI 394 and LABR 394. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)

LABR 473 Slavery and Antislavery in the United States (Units: 3)

Prerequisites: Upper-division standing; GE Area E; or permission of the instructor.

History of slavery and antislavery in the US from the colonial period through the Civil War, with a focus on the ideologies, economics, and social relations that supported slavery and those that motivated antislavery and free-labor movements. Examination of experiences of enslavement and liberation.
(This course is offered as HIST 473, RRS 473, and LABR 473. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)

LABR 474 History of Labor in the United States (Units: 3)

Prerequisites: Upper-division standing; GE Area E; or permission of the instructor.

Development of the workforce and organized labor in the U.S. with an emphasis on the social and economic characteristics of work and the workforce and characteristics of labor organizations at different times.
(This course is offered as HIST 474, ECON 474, and LABR 474. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)

LABR 500 Labor and Government (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or permission of the instructor.

Exploration of labor-government relations at local, state, and national levels. Consideration of labor's political action in relation to the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government and in the electoral process. Examination of government's responses as they protect or restrict labor's interest.
(This course is offered as LABR 500 and PLSI 500. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)

LABR 510 Labor Economics (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: ECON 101* or permission of the instructor.

Analysis of the operation of the labor market. Theories of wages, unemployment, unions, and income distribution.
(This course is offered as ECON 510 and LABR 510. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)

LABR 511 Collective Bargaining (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or permission of the instructor.

Collective bargaining, legislation, and case studies in labor law.
(This course is offered as ECON 511 and LABR 511. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)

LABR 525 Diversity in the Workplace (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.

An overview of workplace diversity and strategies to utilize it positively. Theoretical debates and issues related to race, ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation, class, age, and disability. Ways in which individuals and organizations can maximize benefits by respecting and working with diversity.
(This course is offered as LABR 525 and ANTH 525. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)

LABR 550 International Labor (Units: 3)

Prerequisites: Upper-division standing; LABR 250; or permission of the instructor.

Analysis of labor's role in the developed economies, East and West, and in developing areas. Theoretical perspectives on international labor. Migration and population as they relate to labor. Impact of trade treaties on labor markets.
(This course is offered as LABR 550 and I R 450. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)

LABR 552 Comparative Employment Relations (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.

Introduction to the concept of the employment relationship including the main models and their key actors, diversity at work, and international labor rights and how they are approached and practiced in different countries.
(This course is offered as LABR 552 and SOC 552. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)

LABR 553 Labor Standards and Corporate Social Responsibility (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: Restricted to upper-division standing.

Introduction to an overview of recent academic debates on Corporate Social Responsibility, International Labor Standards, and "decent work." Examine the codes of conduct, monitoring, and certification, labeling, and transparency.
(This course is offered as LABR 553 and SOC 553. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)

LABR 554 Themes in Comparative Employment Relations (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: Restricted to upper-division standing.

Introduction to the main models that have been used in the comparative analysis of national systems of employment relations including the Anglo-Saxon, Japanese, and European social models. Discussion of the appropriateness of these models in understanding transforming economies.
(This course is offered as LABR 554 and SOC 554. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)

LABR 555 Labor Rights in the Global Economy (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: Restricted to upper-division standing or permission of the instructor.

Key themes concerning labor rights in the global economy with a focus on core labor rights identified by the UN including freedom of association, freedom from child labor, freedom from coerced labor, and freedom from discrimination.
(This course is offered as LABR 555 and SOC 555. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)

LABR 570 Urban Health Policy (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.

The political economy of the urban health system. A critical review of urban health policy and analysis of alternatives. Politics of health care reform. Particular needs of women and communities of color.
(This course is offered as USP 570, LABR 570, and PLSI 570. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)

LABR 695 Union Internship (Units: 1-3)

Prerequisite: LABR 250 or permission of the instructor.

Internship with a Bay Area labor organization. May involve organizing, research, or participation in special projects. May be repeated for a total of 6 units. (CR/NC grading only)

LABR 699 Independent Study (Units: 1-3)

Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor, major adviser, and department chair.

Supervised study of a particular problem selected by the student.