Labor Studies Course

Lesson 1 • Core Theories of Labor Relations

Introduces pluralist, unitarist, and radical frameworks for interpreting workplace conflict and cooperation. Equips students to apply theoretical lenses to real cases.

Lesson 2 • Key Actors in Labor Systems

Identifies roles of workers, employers, unions, and government in shaping labor outcomes. Maps the institutional landscape students will analyze throughout the course.

Lesson 3 • History of the Labor Movement

Traces the emergence of organized labor from early industrialization to modern unionism. Contextualizes current labor institutions within historical struggles.

Lesson 1 • Worker Rights and Employer Duties

Covers fundamental worker entitlements including wages, hours, and safe conditions. Establishes the baseline protections that underpin labor standards analysis.

Lesson 2 • Nature of the Employment Contract

Analyzes express and implied terms that govern the employer-employee relationship. Connects contract structure to worker rights and employer obligations.

Lesson 3 • Types of Work Arrangements

Surveys standard employment, part-time, temporary, and gig arrangements and their implications. Prepares students to assess precarity and worker classification issues.

Lesson 1 • Emerging Regulatory Issues

Addresses regulatory gaps created by platform work, remote employment, and algorithmic management. Positions students to anticipate evolving compliance challenges.

Lesson 2 • Sources and Hierarchy of Labor Law

Maps constitutional, statutory, and common-law sources that shape labor regulation. Establishes the legal hierarchy students use to interpret conflicting rules.

Lesson 3 • Regulatory Agencies and Enforcement

Describes the structure and powers of labor enforcement bodies and inspection systems. Connects regulatory design to compliance outcomes in workplaces.

Lesson 4 • Anti-Discrimination and Equal Opportunity

Covers protected characteristics, prohibited conduct, and employer obligations under equality law. Grounds students in equity principles central to fair labor practice.

Lesson 1 • Unfair Labor Practices

Identifies prohibited employer and union conduct that undermines free collective bargaining. Prepares students to recognize and respond to violations.

Lesson 2 • Collective Agreement Content

Analyzes standard and innovative clauses covering wages, benefits, and working conditions. Builds skill in reading and interpreting contract language.

Lesson 3 • Union Organizing Campaigns

Covers the stages of a union drive from worker outreach to recognition. Connects organizing strategy to the power dynamics of the employment relationship.

Lesson 4 • Union Structure and Governance

Explains union types, internal governance, and member representation structures. Provides the organizational foundation for understanding collective action.

Lesson 1 • Wage Determination Theories

Reviews market, institutional, and efficiency-wage theories that explain pay levels. Grounds compensation analysis in competing economic and sociological explanations.

Lesson 2 • Variable Pay and Incentive Systems

Examines bonuses, profit sharing, and performance-based pay and their behavioral effects. Evaluates incentive design against worker motivation and fairness concerns.

Lesson 3 • Pay Structures and Job Evaluation

Covers job evaluation methods, pay grades, and salary band design. Connects internal pay equity to organizational compensation architecture.

Lesson 4 • Pay Equity and Wage Gap Analysis

Applies analytical tools to identify gender, race, and occupational wage gaps. Prepares students to conduct and interpret pay equity audits.

Lesson 1 • Strikes, Lockouts, and Industrial Action

Analyzes the legal framework, strategic use, and consequences of collective industrial action. Connects strike activity to bargaining power and labor relations outcomes.

Lesson 2 • Grievance Procedures and Administration

Details the steps, timelines, and roles in formal grievance handling under collective agreements. Builds procedural competence for union representatives and managers.

Lesson 3 • Mediation and Conciliation

Explains facilitated negotiation processes used to resolve disputes without adjudication. Develops practical skills in preparing for and participating in mediation.

Lesson 4 • Arbitration and Adjudication

Covers binding arbitration procedures, evidence standards, and award enforcement. Prepares students to represent parties or analyze arbitral decisions.

Lesson 1 • DEI Program Design and Implementation

Guides the development of measurable DEI strategies aligned with organizational goals. Prepares students to plan, resource, and evaluate inclusion programs.

Lesson 2 • Measuring and Sustaining DEI Progress

Introduces data collection, reporting, and continuous improvement tools for DEI outcomes. Equips students to hold organizations accountable for equity commitments.

Lesson 3 • Inclusive Recruitment and Hiring

Applies equity principles to job design, sourcing, and selection processes. Builds practical skills for reducing bias at the point of entry.

Lesson 4 • Systemic Barriers to Equity

Identifies structural, procedural, and attitudinal barriers that produce unequal outcomes. Connects barrier analysis to targeted intervention design.

Lesson 1 • Building Resilient Labor Relations Systems

Synthesizes course learning into frameworks for adaptive, equitable, and sustainable labor relations. Prepares students to lead change in complex labor environments.

Lesson 2 • Globalization and International Labor Standards

Examines how global supply chains and trade agreements affect labor conditions and union power. Connects domestic labor strategy to international regulatory frameworks.

Lesson 3 • Strategic Human Resource and Labor Alignment

Links labor relations strategy to organizational mission, workforce planning, and competitive positioning. Develops integrative thinking across HR and labor functions.

Lesson 4 • The Gig Economy and Non-Standard Work

Evaluates the growth of platform and contingent work and its implications for labor protections. Builds capacity to advocate for policy and organizational responses.