curriculum

UCLA Labor and Workplace Studies Program
Labor Summer Internship Program in Los Angeles

June 23 - August 15, 2008

Labor and Workplace Curriculum

Curriculum

You will be automatically enrolled in the following 2 courses totaling 10 units:

LBR&WS 160 (5 units)

This course provides an in-depth examination of the experience of workers and the role of the labor movement in American society, historically and in the present. Topics to be examined include: the changing organization of work in the U.S. and the reconfiguration of employment relationships; the response of the labor movement, historically and in the present, to managerial initiatives; the way in which organized labor has handled issues of race, ethnicity, gender, and immigration status; the challenges facing workers in the twenty-first century and the ways in which organizations (not only unions but also community-based organizations focused on labor issues) are responding to those challenges.

Course Organization and Requirements: This class will be conducted as a seminar. Students will be expected to carefully read the assigned texts and come to class prepared to discuss them in detail. Each week students will be required to prepare and circulate (to the instructor as well as the other students) a one-page “reflection paper” based on the readings for the week (total of 5 for the term). These papers are due by noon every Sunday, and are used to stimulate and guide discussion every week. They will account for 40% of the seminar grade. There will also be a final take-home examination covering the readings, presentations, and discussions. This final is worth 50% of the course grade. The remaining 10% of your grade is based on class participation.

LBR&WS 195 (5 units)

The internship will give students the opportunity to work as interns in a supervised setting in a community agency, a labor union, or other organization concerned with work and employment issues. Placements will be arranged by the instructor and students will provide regular written reports on their experiences in the organization, on which the instructor will provide feedback. The course must be taken in conjunction with Labor and Workplace Studies 160, which will expose students to readings and analytical tools directly relevant to their internship placement.

Course Organization and Requirements: The internship augments traditional classroom-based learning with experiential learning in a community setting, with direct engagement in labor and workplace issues.

Course requirements include 15 hours of substantive work in the placement setting each week; writing a final paper (10-15 pages) that integrates the internship with the readings and class discussions (50% of grade); and active participation in weekly class meetings with the instructor and other interns, where selected readings and the internship experiences are discussed (10% of grade). Students are also required to make a 30-minute oral presentation at the end of the quarter about their internship experience (30% of grade). The remaining 10% of the grade is based on the site supervisor's evaluation of your work as an intern.

Final Paper

It is difficult to write a substantive 10-15 page paper in 8 weeks. For this reason it is very important that you begin your paper early. You will be required to submit a one paragraph statement about your topic. For example, exploration of race, class, and gender dynamics in a union; where site fits in the service versus organizing framework. You will then submit a general outline of your paper for peer reviews. A completed draft of the paper is later submitted for peer reviewing.

Excursions

In addition to the experiential learning of the internship component, there will be a labor history tour of Los Angeles.

Syllabus

View the 2008 syllabus here.

View a sample schedule for internships here.