SOCIOLOGYOFWORKSYO 4372

Spring 2019

LOCATION:

Classroom:SocialScienceBuilding170

Time:TR 5:30– 6:50pm

CONTACT:

Instructor:PhilipLewin,Ph.D

Office:CultureandSocietyBuilding,Rm.260

Email:(thisisthepreferredmethodofcontact)

Phone:678-770-8425

Website:

OfficeHours:TR2:00–4:00pmandbyappointment

Pre-requisites: 3 sociology classes at the 1000, 2000, or 3000 levels or permission of instructor.

Requirements fulfilled: This class counts towards the sociology major and minor.

COURSEOVERVIEWandOBJECTIVES:

Inhisearlywritings,Marxarguedthatworkwasthemostfundamentalofallhumanactivity,foregroundingallthat wedoandprovidingus withthe qualitiesthat constituteusasdistinctlyhuman.Whilehemaynothaveconceivedofitscharacterperfectly,hecertainlywasnotfaroffeither. Work, formanyof us, restsatthecenter ofourbeing, moldingour self‐concepts,structuringourlife chances,and consumingthebetter lot ofourtime.

This courseexploreswork’s various dimensions,investigatingtheformsthatittakesandthestrugglestowhich it gives rise. Itplacesemphasisonhowtheorganizationofworkshapesthesocietiesthatwe liveinandcolorsthetypes ofpeoplethatwebecome. Bythecourse’send,youwillbe acquaintedwith arange ofkeytheories,issuesandargumentsin the sociologyofwork.Itismyhopethatthecoursewillhaveboth intellectualand practical valueforyou.

Intermsoforganization,thecoursewillserveassomethinginbetweenasurveyandseminar.Itwillresembleasurveyinitsattempttofamiliarize you witharangeofissuesinthearea,whileitwillresembleaseminarinthat you willnotbe expectedtomasteranyofthose areas.The goal willbetoprovideyou withabasesothat youcanpursuetopicsofinterestonyourownatalatertime.Ratherthanexhaustingthegamutoftheliterature,wewillcoverareasofparamountimportanceandgivesustainedattentiontoaselectfewinorderto provideoursurveywithsomedepth.Areasoffocuswillinclude:Labor alienation;theproblemofworkercontrol;andtheNorthAmericanlabormovement.

ThoughIwillperiodicallylecture in ordertointroduceandcontextualizecoursematerial,Iwillnotdosooften.Wewilldevotethebulkof ourtime todiscussionandreflection.Youshouldcometoclasspreparedtoengage withthereadingsviacriticaldiscussion,nottoabsorbinformationthat Iwillpour intoyou.Inother words, donot expectfor metotell youwhattothinkor whatthereadingsmean.Expect insteadfor meto supplyyou with questionsandto

helpyouinformthemthroughyourownthoughtprocess.Wewillstrugglethroughthematerialcollectively—allofusteachingandlearningfromoneanother.

REQUIREDTEXTBOOKS:

Allreadingswillbe availabletodownload onour course Blackboardpage.

Course Objectives

After completing this course, students will be able to:

CLASSROOMPOLICIESandETIQUETTE:

1.You shouldarriveto classon timeandremainfocuseduntil it ends(i.e.you should notdisruptinstructionbypackingupyourbelongingsearly).

2.You maynotuse alaptop computerinthisclass.

3.Youmaynotuseyourcellphone,sleep,workoncrossword puzzles,or engageinanythingunrelatedto thecourseduringclasstime.

4.You mustbe respectfultobothmeandyourpeers duringclassdiscussions.

5.Ifyouviolate anyoftheabovepolicies, Iwillaskyou to leavetheclassroom.Repeatedviolationswillresultinadministrativewithdrawal.

6.Pleaseallow24hoursforaresponsetoemails.Ifyouhaveaseriousconcern regardingyourprogress inthecourse, pleaseplantomeetwith meinperson.

ASSESSMENTandGRADING:

1.READINGQUIZZES:Iwilldistributetenunannounced readingquizzesduringthesemester.Thequizzeswilltestwhetherornotyouhavecarriedouttheassignedreadingforthesession.Theywillbe administeredduringthebeginningofclass andwill onlyrequire afewminutestocomplete.Each quiz willbe worth 10pointsand willbegradedpass/fail.Iwilldropyourtwo lowestquizgrades attheendofthesemester.Ifyouareabsentorarrivelatetoclass,youwillnotbegiventheopportunitytomakeupthequiz.Ifyouanticipate missingclassdue to illness,familyemergency,or athleticobligations,you should contactmeASAP(i.e.before,notafter,youhavemissedaquiz).

2.FILMANALYSIS:Duringthesemester,wewillwatchseveralfilms.Beforethesemesterends,youmustwriteananalysis oneofthem.Yourpapershouldbe 5– 6pages inlength, and itshoulddraw from coursematerialsin order to analyzethefilm’sthemes astheypertaintoworkandlabor.Iwillprovidefurtherdetailsaboutthe nature ofandrequirementsforthepaperin class.ThefilmanalysisisDUE INCLASSONApril7th. Theassignmentwillcount100pointstowardyourfinalgrade.

3.EXAMS:Iwilladministerthreeexamsduringthesemester.Theexamswillcoverassignedreadings,lectures,and thefilmsthatweview. Theexamswillconsistof anobjective(i.e.multiple choice) componentthatwillbetakenin classanda set of takehomeessays.Youmustbringabluescantronsheeton examdays.Whilethe finalexamwillemphasizematerialfromthelastunitof the course,itwillalsoprobe yourknowledgeofmaterialthatrecursthroughoutthesemester.Thefirsttwoexamswillcount100points eachtoward yourfinal grade. Thefinalexam willcount 120points.Thedate of each examislisted onthetimetable.

SUMMARYofGRADINGandASSESSMENT:

AssessmentComponent / PointValue
Eightreadingquizzes / 80 points
Filmanalysis / 100points
Exam one / 100points
Examtwo / 100points
Finalexam / 120points
Total / 500points
LetterGrade / Points
AA- B+BB-C+C / 93-100
90-92
87-89
83-86
80-82
77-79
73-76
C-D F / 70-72
60-69
0–59

ABSENCES,LATEWORK,MISSEDASSIGNMENTS,andMAKE-UPEXAMS:

1.Idonot postpowerpointnotesto Blackboardnordistributethemviaemail.If youhavemissed class,youshouldplantoseemeduring office hoursinordertogetcaughtup.

2.Iwillnotadministermake-up readingquizzesunderanycircumstance.Ifyou arrivetoclassafterIhavedistributedaquiz,youwill forfeityouropportunitytotake it.

3.Yourfilmanalysisis duein classonthedates listed.Iwillnot acceptthemby emailorafterthe classperiodends.Latepaperswillbepenalized 10%perdaylate,beginningwhentherelevantclassperiodends.

4.Make-upexamswillbeadministered atmydiscretionand onlyinthecaseofemergencies.Inordertobe eligiblefor amake-up exam,youmustnotifymeofyourabsencebeforetheexam begins.Youmustalsopossess averifiableexcuse (e.g.hospitablerecords,apolice report,etc.)withformal documentation.Ifgranted,Ireservetherighttoadministermake-upexamsinanalternativeformatrelativetotheoriginaltest.

Attendance Policy

Students are expected to attend all of their scheduled University classes and to satisfy all academic objectives as outlined by the instructor. The effect of absences upon grades is determined by the instructor, and the University reserves the right to deal at any time with individual cases of non-attendance. Students are responsible for arranging to make up work missed because of legitimate class absence, such as illness, family emergencies, military obligation, court-imposed legal obligations or participation in University approved activities. Examples of University-approved reasons for absences include participating on an athletic or scholastic team, musical and theatrical performances and debate activities. It is the student’s responsibility to give the instructor notice prior to any anticipated absences and within a reasonable amount of time after an unanticipated absence, ordinarily by the next scheduled class meeting. Instructors must allow each student who is absent for a University-approved reason the opportunity to make up work missed without any reduction in the student’s final course grade as a direct result of such absence.

ACADEMICINTEGRITY:

Iwillnottolerate cheatingordishonestyin anyform.Dishonesty includes,but isnot limited to,looking at other students’papersduring quizzesandexams, submittingplagiarizedassignments,usingunauthorizednotesduringexams,andfabricatingtheattendanceofabsentclassmates.Allstudentsshould understand Universitypoliciesregardingdishonesty and itsconsequences,andallacademicworkmust meetthestandardscontainedwithin FAU’sCodeofAcademicIntegrity:

Pleasenotethatignoranceisnotan acceptableexcusefordishonesty.

Students with Disabilities

“In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act(ADAAA), students who require reasonable accommodations due to a disability to properly execute coursework must register withStudent Accessibility Services (SAS) and follow allSASprocedures.” See

TIMETABLE

Dependingonhowthe coursedevelops,modificationstothesyllabusmaybeneeded.Iwillannounceanydeviationsinclassand/orthrough email.Youshould completethereadinglistedineachboxbeforetheclasssessionfor which itislisted.

WorkandLaborArrangementsunderCapitalism–HowCapitalismShapestheMeaningofWorkandtheNatureofWorking

1/6:Orientation:WhatisWork?Noreading.

1/8:Laborarrangements in thecapitalisteconomy. ReadMarx, “BourgeoisandProletarian.”1/13:Labor Alienation.ReadMarx,“EstrangedLabor,”andErikson,“OnWorkand Alienation”1/15: Socialand historicalmeaningsofwork. ReadMills,“WhiteCollar.”

CaseStudy:ModernizationandUnionizationinAppalachia–TheMakingoftheWorkerandtheCapitalist

1/20:WhatareUnions?Noreading.

1/22:Primitiveaccumulation.Read,Marx,pp.431-36Gaventa,“ImpactofIndustrialPower.”1/27: Film:“Harlan County, U.S.A.”No reading.

1/29:MininginAppalachia. ReadGaventa,“TheImpactof Unionism.”

2/3:Businessvs.newunionism.ReadGaventa,“PowerwithintheOrganization”2/5:EXAM#1

TheIndustrialLaborProcess

2/10: WorkerControl.ReadJacoby,“TheWay ItWas.”

2/12: ScientificManagement.ReadBraverman,“ScientificManagement.”

2/17: Film: “ModernTimes.” Technicalcontrol andassembly lines.Read Chinoy,“OntheLine.”2/19: Modernformsofworkplacecontrol.ReadRihehardtet. al,“TheKaizenAgenda.”

2/24: Industrialfoodproduction.Film: “FoodInc.” ReadPollan,“PowerSteer.”2/26: Farming andlabor. ReadSchlosser,“IntheStrawberryFields.”

3/3:NOCLASS:SPRINGBREAK

3/5:NOCLASS:SPRINGBREAK

Work,MoralityandtheWorkEthic

3/10:Thework ethic. ReadEisenberger,“AmericansUsed toTry Harder.”3/12:Copingwithdemeaning work. ReadNewman,“NoShameinThisGame.”3/17: Work and dignity. ReadLamont,“TheWorldin MoralOrder.”

3/19:EXAM#2

UnemploymentandInformalLabor

3/24:Unemployment and self-identity.Read Rubin, “FamiliesontheFaultLine.”3/26:Economic survivalstrategies.ReadBourgois, “MakingMoney.”

3/31: Film,“JunkieJunior.” ReadBourgeois,“GoingLegit,”pp.114-146.

WorkplaceDiscrimination

4/2:Barrierstothe legallabormarket.ReadBourgeois,“GoingLegit,”pp.146–173. 4/7:FILMANALYSIS DUE. Read Finlay Coverdill, “FindingtheRight PersonfortheJob.”4/9:Minimizingbias in theworkplace.ReadGreenhouse,“Goingforthe LookbutRisking

Discrimination”and Dobbin,“DiversityManagement in CorporateAmerica.”

WorkintheNewMillennium

4/14:Neoliberalismandprecariousness.ReadStanding,“ThePrecariat.”

4/16:New work arrangements.ReadStanding,“Labor,Work andtheTimeSqueeze.”4/21:READINGDAY:NOCLASS

FINALEXAM:THURSDAY,April23rd–4:00–6:30pm