McMaster University School of Labour Studies PhD Program
Labour Studies 793: Advanced Labour Theory
Fall 2017 Instructor: Robert Storey
Day and Time of Classes: Mon 11:30-2:20Email:
Class Location: KTH 732Office Hours: Mon 3-4
Office Location: KTH 719
Course Description
The course will survey a number of the major theories (and theorists) of work under capitalism from the mid-19th century to the present. In so doing, the course will be guided by theories centred, first, on understanding the origins of capitalist forms of work/production, and, second, the theories that have been developed to understand how work/production have evolved over 20th and early 21st centuries, e.g., from competitive capitalism to Fordism to post-industrial society, and, as some are arguing, to post capitalist society. In following this path, students will be exposed to the key debates and controversies that have animated the evolution of labour theories over this period. Along with Karl Marx, our purpose will not only be to understand the world, but to think about how to change it.
Readings
All of the required readings will be available on Avenue To Learn.
Evaluation
Students will be evaluated on the following basis:
[1] Participation (20%) While not every topic will draw equal amounts of participation from individual students, it is expected that students will do the assigned readings for each class and that each student will contribute to class discussion on a regular basis. Please keep in mind that while the number of times a person talks is not necessarily related to quality, neither can silence be taken as an indication of a person's knowledge of the topic.
[2] Student Presentations (30%) Students will be assigned an article(s) from the required readings with the expectation that they will take the lead in discussing and analyzing the article(s) for the class. Students will make three such presentations over the length of the course. Each presentation will be worth 10% of the final grade. Such assignments will start with Topic 3.
[3] Essay (50%) Students will be expected to write a 15-20 page paper (3700 to 5000 words) on a topic directly related to course materials. The purpose of the essay is to reflect on the course materials and to use this reflection to critically engage a topic of the students’ interest. A short outline of the paper will be due for class discussion on Monday, November 20. The paper is due Monday, December 18. Late papers will not be accepted unless there is a documented, medical reason.
Learning Objectives
This course addresses four University Graduate Degree Level Expectations. First, it involves students in an in-depth understanding of the foremost theories in labour studies. Second, the theories and concepts to which students are exposed in this course will enable them to critically assess theoretical/analytical frameworks in the field of labour studies. Third, the knowledge learned in this course is to be applied to the specific problems or issues they have chosen for their major essay assignment. Finally, the emphasis on student participation in this course serves to develop and strengthen their abilities and skills with respect to communicating their ideas in a clear and sophisticated manner.
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Readings Schedule
Topic 1: Introduction: Labour theory: some of the issues
1. Craig Heron, “Harold, Marg, and the Boys: The Relevance of Class in Canadian History.” Journal of the Canadian Historical Association, 20, 1 (2009): 1-26.
2. Jefferson Cowie, “The important sound of things falling apart,” in his book, Stayin’ Alive: The 1970s and the Last Days of the Working Class: 313-356.
Topic 2: Work & Capitalism: In the beginning …
1. Karl Marx, Capital: Volume 1. (London 1976). Chapter 7, “The Labour Process: 127-131; Chapter 15, “The Development of Machinery:” 261-292.
2. David Roediger, “’One Symptom of Originality:’ Race and the Management of Labor in US History.” In his book, Class, Race, and Marxism: 115-155.
3. Robin Truth Goodman, “The Gender of Working Time: Revisiting Feminist/Marxist Debates.” In her book, Gender Work: Feminism After Neoliberalism. (New York 2013): 19-36.
Topic 3: Working under industrial capitalism
1. Meg Luxton, More Than A Labour of Love: Three Generations of Women’s Work in the Home: 11-21
2. Sara-Jane Mathieu, “Jim Crow Rides This Train: Segregation in the Canadian Workforce.” In her book, North of the Color Line: Migration and Black Resistance in Canada, 1870-1955. ( 2010): 61-99.
3.Donica Belisle, “Working at the Heart of Consumption.” In her book, Retail Nation: Department Stores and the Making of Modern Canada: 158-193; 261-67.
4. Joan Sangster, Earning Respect: The Lives of Working Women in Small-Town Ontario, 1920-1960: 1-82.
Topic 4: The making and remaking of jobs & labour markets – 1
1. Harry Braverman, “Labor and Monopoly Capital: The Degradation of Work in the Twentieth Century: 70-137.
2. Heidi Hartmann, “Capitalism, Patriarchy and Job Segregation By Sex.” Signs, 1, 3 (1976): 137-169.
3. Joan Acker, “Hierarchies, Jobs, Bodies: A Theory of Gendered Organizations,” Gender & Society, 4, 2 (June 1990): 139-158.
4. Jamie Peck, “Structuring the Labor Market: A Segmentation Approach.” In his book, Workplace: The Social Regulation of Labor Markets: 46-82
Topic 5: Labour Theory: Coercion, Consent? – 1
1. Harry Braverman, Labor and Monopoly Capital: The Degradation of Work in the Twentieth Century: 139-152
2. Antonio Gramsci, “Americanism and Fordism: In Quintin Hoare & Geoffrey Smith, eds., Selections from the Prison Notebooks of Antonio Gramsci: 279-318.
3. Joan Sangster, Earning Respect: 83-165.
Topic 6: Labour Theory: Coercion, Consent? – 2
1. Michael Burawoy, “Thirty Years of Making Out;” “The Labor Process As A Game.” In his book, Manufacturing Consent: Changes in The Labor Process Under Monopoly Capitalism: 46-73; 77-94; 226-229.
2. Michael Burawoy, “The Changing Face of Factory Regimes Under Advanced Capitalism.” In his book, The Politics of Production: Factory Regimes Under Capitalism and Socialism: 122-155.
Topic 7: Labour Theory: The ‘Injuries’ of Class & Work
1. Richard Sennett & Jonathan Cobb, “The Sources of Injury.” In their book, The Hidden Injuries of Class. (New York 1972): 53-118.
2. Jeremy Milloy, “Out of the Back Streets and Into the Workplace: The Discovery of Workplace Violence in the 1980s and 1990s.” In his book, Blood, Sweat and Fear: Violence at Work in the North American Auto Industry, 1960-80. (Vancouver 2017): 157-171.
3. Arlie Hochschild, “Exploring the Managed Heart.” In her book, The Managed Heart: The Commercialization of Human Feeling. (Berkeley 1983): 3-23.
Topic 8: Labour Theory: Resistance
1. Robin Kelley, “Shiftless of the World Unite.” In his book, Race Rebels: Culture, Politics and the Black Working Class. (New York 1994): 17-34.
2. Marek Korczynski, “You Can Tell By The Way I Use My Walk: Music as Aid to Work and Critique of Taylorism.” In his book, Songs of the Factory: Pop Music, Culture & Resistance. (Ithaca 2014): 93-111.
3. Richard Hyman, Marxism and the Sociology of Trade Unionism: 1-26.
4. Joan Sangster, Earning Respect: 166-220.
Topic 9: The making and remaking of jobs and labour markets – 2
1.David Harvey, “The political-economic transformation of late twentieth-century capitalism.” In his book, The Condition of Postmodernity: 119-197.
2. Jefferson Cowie, Capital Moves: RCA’s Seventy-Year Quest for Cheap Labor: 1-99.
Topic 10: The making and remaking of jobs and labour markets - 3
(Or - The unbearable lightness of capital)
1. Jefferson Cowie, Capital Moves: RCA’s Seventy-Year Quest for Cheap Labor: 100-209.
Topic 11: Capital keeps moving, workers/labour processes keep changing
1. Jean Cushen & Paul Thompson, “Financialization and value: why labour and the labour process still matter.” Work, Employment and Society, 30, 2 (2016): 353-365.
2. Donald A. Clelland, “The Core of the Apple: Dark Value and Degrees of Monopoly in Global Commodity Chains.” Journal of World Systems Research, 20, 1 (Winter/Spring 2014): 82-111.
3. Miliann Kang, “’There’s No Business Like the Nail Business’.” In her book, The Managed Hand: Race, Gender, and the Body in Beauty Service Work. (Berkeley 2010): 32-56.
4. Erin Hatton, “Mechanisms of Invisibility: rethinking the concept of invisible work,” Work, Employment and Society. 31, 2 (2017): 336-351.
Topic 12: Work and capitalism redux?
1. Wolfgang Streeck, “How Will Capitalism End.” In his book, How Will Capitalism End? (London 2016): 47-72.
3. David Harvey, “The Revolt of Human Nature: Universal Alienation.” In his book, Seventeen Contradictions and the End of Capitalism. (Oxford 2014): 264-281.
4. Paul Mason, “The Prophets of Postcapitalism “In his book, Postcapitalism: A Guide to Our Future. (New York 2015): 109-145.
4. Naomi Klein, “Lessons from Standing Rock: Daring to Dream.” In her book No Is Not Enough: Resisting The New Shock Politics and Winning the World We Need. (Toronto 2017): 222-230.
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ACADEMIC DISHONESTY:
Academic dishonesty consists of misrepresentation by deception or by other fraudulent means and can result in serious consequences, e.g. the grade of zero on an assignment, loss of credit with a notation on the transcript (notation reads: "Grade of F assigned for academic dishonesty"), and/or suspension or expulsion from the university.
It is your responsibility to understand what constitutes academic dishonesty. For information on the various kinds of academic dishonesty please refer to the Academic Integrity Policy, specifically Appendix 3, located at:
The following illustrates only three forms of academic dishonesty:
1. Plagiarism, e.g. the submission of work that is not one's own or for which other credit has been obtained.
2. Improper collaboration in group work.
3. Copying or using unauthorized aids in tests and examinations.
DEPARTMENTAL/UNIVERSITY POLICIES:
Labour Studies staff does not date-stamp assignments, nor do they monitor the submission or return of student papers. All papers should be submitted/returned in-class, or during Professor office hours. Instructors who utilize Avenue to Learn will provide instructions on that preference.
Code of conduct:
“McMaster University is a community dedicated to furthering learning, intellectual inquiry, the dissemination of knowledge and personal and professional development. Membership in this community implies acceptance of the principle of mutual respect for the rights, responsibilities, dignity and well-being of others and a readiness to support an environment conducive to the intellectual and personal growth of all who study work and live within it.”
Computer use in the classroom is intended to facilitate learning in that particular lecture or tutorial. At the discretion of the instructor, students using a computer for any other purpose may be required to turn the computer off for the remainder of the lecture or tutorial.
Course Modifications: The instructor and university reserve the right to modify elements of the course during the term. The university may change the dates and deadlines for any or all courses in extreme circumstances. If either type of modification becomes necessary, reasonable notice and communication with the students will be given with explanation and the opportunity to comment on changes. It is the responsibility of the student to check their McMaster email AND Avenue to Learn (if used by instructor) regularly during the term to note any changes.
E-Mail Communication Policy of the Faculty of Social Sciences: all e-mail communication sent from students to instructors and from students to staff, must originate from the student’s own McMaster University e-mail account. This policy protects confidentiality and confirms the identity of the student. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that communication is sent to the university from a McMaster account. If an instructor receives a communication from an alternate address, the instructor may not reply at his or her discretion. Please always include student name, ID, and course # in messages.
Evaluations (Online link will be provided later in the term):
These help faculty and the School of Labour Studies to meet our goal of continually improving teaching effectiveness. All students in the course are invited and encouraged to complete the evaluation.
Student Accessibility Services:
MUSC-B107 905-525-9140 x28652
NOTE: Disclosure of disability-related information is personal and confidential.
Student Accessibility Services offers various supports for students with disabilities. We work with full time and part time students. SAS provides or assists students with their academic and disability-related needs, including: Learning Strategies, Assistive Technologies, Test & Exam Administration, Note-Taking Programs, and Classroom Accommodations. *Please inform the instructor if there are disability needs that are not being met.
McMaster University Policy on Academic Accommodation of Students with Disabilities & McMaster University Anti-Discrimination Policy
Student Success Centre:
GH-110 905-525-9140 x24254
Some services include: student orientation, academic skills, volunteerism, educational planning, employment and career transition. Writing Support:
Student Wellness Centre:
MUSC-B101 905-525-9140 x27700
Provides services in: Personal and Psychological Counselling, Mental Health Support, Medical and Health Services
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