This course will explore the topics of work, labor activism, and social inequality in the US past and present. We'll focus on the widening gap between the haves and have nots, and the experience of the many millions of low-wage workers who struggle to get by. This will mean exploring topics including the impact of new technologies of management and control, race and globalization, gender and the workplace, and the history of labor movement past and present. The class will explore case studies including Amazon.com, Apple, and the fast food industry as well as introduce students to scholarly debates about culture, economics, and social inequality across a range of fields. We'll have a number of guest speakers, among them union activists, company executives, and scholarly experts. Graduate
students will be required to write a longer term paper, and to do some supplemental readings.
Starn
