Tag Archives: course

International Program for Labor, Climate and Environment, Labor Studies, Opportunities

Graduate Class: Climate Crisis and the Labor Movement

The Labor Studies Program invites all union members, activists, and CUNY & non‐CUNY graduate-level students to enroll in our special topics graduate class:

CLIMATE CRISIS AND THE LABOR MOVEMENT:
Trade Unions and Social Movement Approaches to Climate Change and Ecological Degradation

Taught by Sean Sweeney
Thursdays, January 28th to May 12th, 2016 @ 6:15-8:45pm

The emergence of alarming scientific data on climate change, pollution and ecological degradation has triggered a rising wave of activism and organizing around environmental issues. The scientific reality has forced labor and other social movements to debate and propose solutions to what amounts to a civilizational crisis.

How can the labor movement and others best respond to this crisis?  What does the Paris Agreement mean for both workers and the environment?  This class is designed to give students a foundation in the scientific, social, and political aspects of the looming crisis so that they can more effectively engage their unions, movement activism, and scholarship in efforts to protect the environment and our future. Continue reading Graduate Class: Climate Crisis and the Labor Movement →

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Graduate Class: Trade Unions and Social Movement Approaches to Climate Change and Ecological Degradation

The Labor Studies Program invites all CUNY and non‐CUNY graduate-level students to enroll in our special topics graduate class:

LABOR & ENVIRONMENT: Trade Unions and Social Movement Approaches to Climate Change and Ecological Degradation

Facilitated by Sean Sweeney

Thursdays, Aug. 27th to Dec. 17th, 2015 @ 6:15-8:45pm

The emergence of alarming scientific data on climate change, pollution and ecological degradation has triggered a rising wave of activism and organizing around environmental issues. A growing number of unions in the US and internationally are participating in the struggle to protect the environment – but many unions still view environmental protection as a threat to existing jobs in key sectors. The scientific reality has also forced labor and other social movements to debate and propose solutions to what amounts to a civilizational crisis.

This course will look at how the ecological crisis is expressing itself in the form of climate change and warming temperatures; growing water scarcity, toxic forms of agriculture, and other major challenges. It will look at how unions and movements are responding to the challenges at the level of organizing and policy. A key component of the course will involve looking at ‘big picture’ theoretical questions, including notions of ‘planetary limits’ and the capacity of the capitalist political economy to deliver a truly sustainable society in the coming decades. The course will also examine how social movements are asserting a new narrative based on democracy, transparency and sufficiency.

NOTE: This graduate course is open to all non-degree/non-matriculated students who already hold a Bachelor’s Degree. Current CUNY graduate students should register for the course via E-Permit @ CUNY Portal and pay tuition to their home college. Once a permit is approved and processed the course will appear on the tuition bill and your course schedule will be generated by the home college. For more information about registration and tuition and fees, please contact Irene.Garcia-Mathes@cuny.edu / 212-642-2050

Photo: “People’s Climate March 2014 NYC” via South Bend Voice

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Special Topics Graduate Class: Worker Cooperatives

The Labor Studies Program invites all CUNY and non‐CUNY
graduate-level students to enroll in our special topics
graduate class:

WORKER COOPERATIVES

Facilitated by Immanuel Ness & Christopher Michael

Tuesdays, Sep. 1st to Dec. 22nd, 2015 from 6:15 to 8:45pm

Worker cooperatives have become a compelling alternative to traditional labor‐management forms of labor relations in the 21st century and with the rise of the Global Financial Crisis. The class examines worker control and cooperatives in comparative historical and geographic perspective. We will examine the historical experiences of worker cooperatives throughout the world, their successes, and challenges, and we will also focus on the growing world of worker owned cooperatives in New York City, examining the practical, economic and political aspects of their work. The class will make use of readings, film, and guest speakers with practical expertise in worker control and cooperatives.

NOTE: This graduate course is open to all non‐degree/non‐matriculated students who already hold a Bachelor’s Degree. Current CUNY graduate students should register for the course via E‐Permit @ CUNY Portal and pay tuition to their home college. Once a permit is approved and processed the course will appear on the tuition bill and your course schedule will be generated by the home college. For more information about registration and tuition and fees, please contact Irene.Garcia‐Mathes@cuny.edu / 212‐642‐2050

Photo: Sergey Galyonkin CC-BY-SA

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Summer Graduate Class: Queering Labor

The Labor Studies Program invites you to enroll in our summer graduate class: Queering Labor

June 8 to July 24, T&Th, 6:15-8:45pm

Facilitated by Colin Patrick Ashley

Queering Labor will address the role of economic structures and the question of labor in relationship to sexual identities and sexual desire.  This course will cover the impact of societal divisions of labor and modes of production on the emergence of sexual identity categories. In doing so, we will look at capitalism as an economic system that changed both family structure and urban ways of being and enacting desire. This course will also address the spaces of intersection between the LGBTQ liberation movement and various struggles for economic justice and labor rights.  Special concentration will be placed on how LGBTQ individuals experience the workplace including the multiple forms of inequality they face.  Specifically we will cover the forms of precarity faced by the most marginal members of the LGBTQ community.  Students will analyze how unions have historically addressed the issue of sexual identity and sexual desire as well as theorize the future possibilities of increasing LGBTQ rights alongside economic rights and labor justice.  For information about registration, please contact Irene.Garcia-Mathes@cuny.edu
Colin Patrick Ashley is a PhD candidate in the Sociology Program at the Graduate Center of CUNY and is a member of the Africana Studies, Women’s Studies, and LGBT/Queer Studies Certificate/Concentration programs. As well as being a student leader he is also a community activist and organizer. His research interests include race, sexuality, queer theory, affect, aesthetics, and space. His dissertation examines the relationship between spatial production (its affects, aesthetics, and neoliberal conflicts) and conceptualizations of communal identity for queer youth of color.

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Fall Labor Studies Classes at Murphy

The Fall 2014 classes for the MA in Labor Studies are up! Check them out below.

Collective Bargaining Theory and Practice (LABR604) 3c
Instructor: Josh Bienstock
Monday Evening

This course will provide students with a theoretical understanding of the collective bargaining process in the U.S. In addition to studying union and management theories of bargaining, students will analyze contemporary and historically significant bargaining scenarios in the private and public sectors and will develop advanced knowledge of labor relations in a variety of workplace environments. Students will examine the legal framework of collective bargaining and will study the evolution of public policy governing labor relations. In addition to studying the bargaining process and methods of contract enforcement, students will discuss alternative models of worker representation in a global economy. They will gain practical understanding by designing and participating in mock bargaining sessions.

Journalism, Media, and Labor (LABR669) 3c
Instructor: Ari Paul
Tuesday Evening

In this course will explore all aspects of labor and how it intersects with the press: How it is covered by the mainstream, how unions present their own message and how activists use new media formats in organizing campaigns. Students will be expected study, examine, and evaluate how news outlets ranging from the tabloids to business journals to public radio cover contemporary labor issues. From there we can examine how unions succeed and fail at messaging with the mainstream media. And over the course of the semester, students will be expected to follow one local labor story and cover it as if they were working journalist, rather than a union organizer.

Crises in the Public Sector (LABR669) 3c
Instructor: Ed Ott
Wednesday Evening

This course examines the contemporary issues and challenges facing the public sector workers and their organizations. In particular, the course will look at the recent state level attacks on public sector collective bargaining, privatization efforts in particular industries and the role back of the social safety net. Additionally, the course will examine the history and traditions of public employee unionism since the 1960s, review the present state of the public sector unions in the New York area, and consider possible organizational and political responses to today’s challenges.

Photo by ewe neon via flickr (CC-BY).