Working Class and Labor Movement Rhetoric

Catalog description

The U.S. labor movement is experiencing a surge of new growth. Workers at major companies like Amazon and Starbucks are unionizing. In 2023 alone, we saw strikes from Hollywood writers and actors, hotel workers in LA, the “Big 3” automakers, and a very near strike by UPS workers. Higher education itself is one of the labor movement hot spots, with graduate student workers, undergraduate workers, and even student athletes forming new unions. This surge presents a series of critical rhetorical situations with high and immediate stakes: how can workers convince their coworkers to unionize, or to go on strike? How can workers convince others to support their strikes, especially workers in service professions like teachers and nurses? During an organizing drive or a contract campaign, workers and employers wage rhetorical battle with one another during class struggle. An enormous amount of writing is produced. In this class, we’ll examine the different rhetorical strategies and genres that organized workers use to achieve their goals, with a focus on contemporary movements and current events, alongside key historical works of working class rhetoric and rhetorical scholarship.