Special Topics in ILR Studies

Catalog description

This course is an advanced seminar for ILR graduate, undergraduate, business and law students interested in the role of labor unions in fostering democratic change in the workplace, in the community, in public education, and in government. Students will be asked to imagine themselves and activists and unionists, rather than passive observers or third-party neutrals. In that role, students will learn how the primary union levers of education, collective bargaining and political action can be used to address actual problems facing working people and communities and our democracy. Through course readings, classroom discussions, case studies, and role play scenarios, this course will build students’ practical knowledge of how to bring together collective action, community engagement, communication, and problem solving to produce real solutions for public school students, their families, and their communities.