UEP 223 Workers Rights in the Global Economy

This course examines how globalization affects the lives of workers across the globe. The course analyzes the impact of changes in the global political economy over the last fifty years on workers' rights, working conditions, and living standards. It evaluates strategies adopted by worker organizations and advocates in response to these changes. Students will gain a working knowledge of major changes in the global economy by examining the geographic relocation of jobs and workers, the changing roles of firms and states, public debates over sweatshops and other human rights abuses, and the emergence of new legal regimes governing worker rights. Case studies are drawn from across the globe, including the United States, focusing on commodity chains (e.g., apparel), regions (e.g., China), or specific populations (e.g., migrant workers). Students will explore different strategies for change -- linking worker rights to trade agreements, corporate social responsibility, transnational legal strategies, corporate campaigns, and consumer boycotts -- in order to better understand the possibilities and limitations for redressing the inequalities of globalization and shoring up of workers' rights. Same as DWA 223.