All courses provide an equality and anti-racism analysis and perspective in accordance with the priority the labour movement places on equality.

Week 1

Leadership in the Union Movement

This course runs over both two week terms. Its goal is to provide a space to explore the development of skills necessary to become an effective labour leader. This class will be conducted in a popular education format to maximize engagement with these issues.

History of Work and Labour in Canada

An examination of the history of work and the economy, the emergence of class and working class communities, and the evolution of organized labour in Canada. The course focuses on transformative moments and the forces that drove these turning points. Skills: how to find and analyze historical documents; do historical analysis to draw lessons from the past; preserve labour and working class history; apply history to present and placing unions in historical context.

Canadian Political Economy

An introduction to Canadian political economy. This course provides an overview of the forces that drove how the Canadian state developed. It focuses specifically on the linkages between the economic and political processes. Skills: political and economic literacy; placing an argument within a political tradition; building familiarity with legislative process; critical analysis; summarizing and synthesizing; articulating a labour point of view, and articulating other side of issues.

Week 2

Theory and Practice of Unionism

A two-part course that examines both the theory and practice of trade unionism. Special emphasis will be placed on new and innovative approaches.  This class will utilize the case method to explore innovation. Skills: understand different traditions of unionism; place union practice within a tradition; comparative (international) analysis; use of case method; familiarity with emerging trends in union practice, and the ability to analyze union practice.

Introduction to Labour Research

An overview of the various methods and techniques used for research in the labour movement. The course is designed to provide the tools for students to conduct an inter-session project and provide the opportunity to develop a proposal for their project. Skills: numeracy; reading and writing; where to find information; library/Internet skills; survey research; interviewing/oral history; corporate/employer research; industry analysis; corporate finance and participatory action research.

Week 3

Canadian Society: Changing Lives and Work

An overview of how the economic and social changes that have occurred since the mid-1970s shaped Canadian society today. Skills: critical analysis of current issues; summarizing and synthesizing; articulating a labour point of view; responding to technology/work process, and responding to the changing nature of the workforce.

Workers In A Global World

This course provides an introduction to globalization. It examines how Canada, its workers and the labour movement are part of and shape their involvement in a global
process. Skills: literacy on globalization issues; engagement in current debates and framing a labour perspective on globalization.

 Week 4

Labour Research II

This course provides students with the opportunity to present, discuss, and sharpen the final report of the inter-session project. Skills: analytic skills; writing skills; presentation skills and evaluation and feedback skills.

Theory and Practice of Unionism A two-part course that examines both the theory and practice of trade unionism. Special emphasis will be placed on new and innovative approaches.  This class will utilize the case method to explore innovation. Skills: understand different traditions of unionism; place union practice within a tradition; comparative (international) analysis; use of case method; familiarity with emerging trends in union practice, and the ability to analyze union practice.

Inter-session Learning Project

During the three month interim between Session 1 and Session 2, each student will carry out a learning project in conjunction with their union. The project could take several forms.  Some examples are listed below.

• keeping a journal of your activist work with your union
• arranging meetings with a social justice
• organization in your community and preparing a report on their mandate, goals, actions and potential for your union to collaborate with this group
• designing a survey of your union on a topic your union wants information on
• conducting a research project related to issues having an impact on your union
• taking some oral histories of members of your union
• participating in the planning of an activity your union is undertaking
• creating a lunch hour workshop for use in your workplace or at a union meeting on something you learned in Session 1
• creating a small piece of theatre on an issue
• researching the labour history of your union
• meeting with and reporting on a labour arts and heritage group in your community
• designing a labour history walk

You may wish to have an initial discussion with your union before coming to the College.  However, it may be the case that you get an idea for a project during the first session. Someone from your union will work with you during the interim. The project should take no less than 15 hours of work for you and no more than 24 hours.