School of Labour: Labour History I - School of Work & College Preparation

How the Weekend Was Won: Labour History I

GHUM 1020

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

Labour History I (Introduction to Unions) surveys the history of the labour movement in Canada from colonization to the present day. The course gives an overview of the three main waves of union growth in Canada – the early craft unions from the 1840s to the early 1900s; the wave of industrial union growth in the 1930s and 40s, bringing skilled and unskilled workers together; and the rise of the public sector unions in the late 1960s and 70s. The course pays special attention to labour's role in social change (such as Medicare, unemployment insurance, maternity leave, health and safety, etc). The current state of unionization in Canada, the structure of the union movement and challenges facing contemporary labour are also key course discussions.

COURSE OUTCOMES:

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

1. Critically evaluate interpretations of Canadian history;
2. Identify and discuss different forms of unionization (craft, industrial, public service, social, business, etc.);
3. Apply key concepts and terms in Canadian labour history (Fordism, open/closed shop; apprenticeship; Rand Formula; working class, etc.)
4. Summarize key stages, movements and events in Canadian labour history;
5. Use formal and informal research sources to analyze the history of a union or grassroots body;
6. Describe the relationship between historical and current patterns of work;
7. Recognize and give examples of discrimination in Canadian society and the Canadian labour movement.
8. Describe and analyze the current structure and challenges of the Canadian labour movement;
    

DELIVERY METHODS:

Classes are a mixture of lectures, videos, discussion, participatory exercises and group presentations. Personal narratives, legal documents, guest speakers, and Internet resources will also be used. Additional cultural materials will include relevant music, fiction, poetry, visual art and archive photographs.

Participants are expected to read approximately 20-25 pages per week of the text or some assigned readings.

EVALUATION SYSTEM:

Late assignments will be penalized at 5% per day. There will be no make-up or supplemental presentations, assignments or exams It is the student's responsibility to ensure s/he understands the evaluation system and all due dates. Assignments must be submitted to the professor in “hard copy”; no assignments will be accepted by email. Assignments must be typed, double-spaced and meet the word limit; students are expected to make and keep a copy of all work submitted.

Introductory Writing Assignment 10%

A two-page, typed and double-spaced composition reflecting on the “Introduction” to the course text (see below) and introducing yourself. Due in class on Week 2.

Tests 40%

• Midterm test (20%)
• Final test (20%)

Heron Reading Presentations 25%

In groups, students will present their assigned reading questions to the class in a creative and engaging format. Presentations run throughout the term, as scheduled by the professor. Failure to present on the scheduled day will result in a mark of zero. On the day of their presentation, presenters will submit a completed copy of the reading questions plus a list of research sources (Works Cited) to the professor. Marks will be awarded individually for accurate and detailed answers, effective presentation and teamwork.

Analysis Paper 25%

A 1000-1250 word essay analyzing how the labour movement helped achieve an important social policy, program or legislative goal. Students will submit an outline of their essay, and a final paper including a Works Cited page.

LIST OF TEXTBOOKS AND OTHER TEACHING AIDS:

Heron, Craig. 1996. The Canadian Labour Movement: A Brief History. Toronto: James Lorimer & Company.

Additional Course Resources:

• Brand, Dionne. 1994. "'We Weren't Allowed to Go Into Factory Work Until Hitler Started the War': The 1920's and 1940's.” In We're Rooted Here and They Can't Pull Us Up: Essays in African Canadian Women's History, ed Peggy Bristow. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. pp 171-191.
• Linda Briskin and Lynda Yanz. 1985. Union Sisters: Women in the Labour Movement. Toronto: Women's Press.
• Linda Briskin and Patricia McDermott. 1993. Women Challenging Unions: Feminism, Democracy and Militancy. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
• Dionne Brand and Lois de Shield. 1991. No Burden to Carry: Narratives of Black Working Women in Ontario, 1920s-1950s. Toronto: Women's Press.
• Palmer, Bryan D. 1992. Working-Class Experience: Rethinking the History of Canadian Labour, 1800-1991. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart.
• White, Julie. 1993. Sisters in Solidarity. Toronto: Thompson Educational Press.

Video and film resources

• Workers' Millennium Project: The Story of Canadian Labour – set of 4 half-hour VHS cassettes and Working/Travailler, the related CD-ROM.
• For Twenty Cents a Day. (1979 24 mins). L.H.A./B.C.T.F. – b&w footage/analysis of Canadian depression
• Willmar 8 (1980 55 mins) All-women strike in bank organizing, Minnesota USA; Toronto housing coop named after these women
• Wives' Tale (1980 73 mins) Wives supporting Inco strike in Sudbury
• With Babies and Banners (1978 45 mins) –the General Motors Sit-Down Strike in Flint, Michigan, in 1937; this strike was the key to the success of the CIO's drive for industrial unionism
• Union Maids (1977 45 mins) –3 women organizing during the severities of the US Depression
• Salt of the Earth (1954 94 mins) –the 1950 zinc miners strike in New Mexico (gender, race issues)
• The Life and Times of Rosie the Riveter (1980 65 mins) – classic US film re propaganda encouraging women to enter (and, later, to leave) the workforce for the war effort
• Canada: A People's History CBC 2001

GEORGE BROWN COLLEGE GRADING SYSTEM

This course was developed by the George Brown School of Labour. Any revisions to this course outline must be authorized by the School of Labour.

Topical Outline

GENERIC SKILLS DEVELOPED IN THE COURSE

Communication

Course content and activities will assist students to further develop the following skills:

1. Identify main concepts and ideas in verbal and written course content
2. Present knowledge and informed opinions clearly in verbal and written forms
3. Demonstrate sensitivity to issues of diversity in oral and written forms
4. Clarify and be responsible for one's beliefs, values and feelings as developed through class discussions, group work and written assignments

Analytical reasoning

Course content and activities will assist students to further develop the following skills:

1. Identify and assess underlying assumptions (e.g., about gender, race, ethnicity, nationality and class)
2. Identify and assess underlying assumptions in theory and research
3. Distinguish fact from opinion
4. Contextualize personal experience in relationship to universal experience
5. Use information from course materials, as well as personal experience, to support a position appropriately
6. Identify and explain links among the social, political, historical and economic forces which shape events, relationships, debates and issues

Interpersonal skills

Course content and activities will assist students to further develop the following skills:

1. Demonstrate respect for diversity and act with common courtesy
2. Active listening during class interactions, group discussions and presentations
3. Dialogue and debate about controversial issues in respectful and constructive ways
4. Act as a resource to peers
5. Participate fully in a collaborative learning environment

Professor: Kathryn Payne, Labour Educator, can be reached by:
phone at 416-415-5000 extension 3414
e-mail: kpayne@georgebrown.ca