SOCY 70 American Labor Relations
This course examines the political, cultural, and economic sources of solidarity and mobilization among workers in the US from the late 19th century to the present. Readings and discussion will focus on important historical developments among labor unions, from militant beginnings through an accommodationist phase after World War II and a deep decline, to recent attempts at revitalization. Students will consider the impacts of labor movements on social inequality, politics and on a range of cross-cutting issues around gender, immigration and race. We will conclude by examining the prospects for labor in light of the rapid and profound changes in the world of work and economic activity in the contemporary period.
Instructor
Dixon