Module GEOG3787: GEOGRAPHIES OF CONTEMPORARY UNFREE LABOUR

Department: Geography

GEOG3787: GEOGRAPHIES OF CONTEMPORARY UNFREE LABOUR

Prerequisites

• Any Level 2 Geography Module

Corequisites

• None

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None

Aims

• This specialised module offers final year geographers the chance to explore contemporary labour relations characterized by varying degrees of unfreedom. It will draw on literature from diverse disciplines such as sociology, political economy, development studies, and law while highlighting geographers’ contributions to understanding unfreedom in labour relations. Students with a background in either geographies of work and labour or geographies of development will be able to deepen their understanding of these fields through a focus on unfreedom in labour relations.
• The module will:
• Consider competing conceptualisations of work, labour and freedom
• Compare cases of unfreedom in labour relations
• Compare and reflect on different country experiences and the policy contexts that have structured the regulation of labour in and from the Global South within the context of broader development agenda
• Examine the theories and realities of working life in the Global North versus the Global South and to what extent these need to be separated
• Survey policy approaches and interventions targeting unfree labour

Content

• The course will examine the dramatic increase in awareness and interest of phenomena variously labelled as unfree labour, ‘new slavery’, debt bondage, trafficking and forced labour. It will consider how competing representations and policy frames are applied and assess the ways in which descriptions, explanations and policy prescriptions can be understood by uncovering their disciplinary, theoretical and ideological underpinnings. It will explore the possibilities for geographical approaches to analyzing unfreedom in labour relations.
• Indicative Themes:
• Representations and discourse
• Gender
• Race, ethnicity and caste
• Migration
• Supply chains
• Unfreedom in labour relations vis-à-vis contemporary capitalism
• Advocacy, policy, regulation and corporate social responsibility

Learning Outcomes

• On successful completion of this specialized module, in addition to the module learning outcomes, students are expected to be able to:
• Reconcile competing interpretations of unfreedom in labour relations
• Appreciate the diversity of unfreedom and its varying contexts by drawing on case studies
• Evaluate the roles of discourse and representation in providing distinct policy frames
• Embed local and national patterns of change within the context of global economic change

• On successful completion of this specialized module, in addition to the module learning outcomes, students are expected to be able to:
• Evaluate and apply key concepts in geography by focusing on their application within a specialised area of research
• Critically appraise the roles of policy, advocacy, regulation and corporate social responsibility in terms of addressing ‘trafficking,’ forced labour and related categories.
• Identify ways in which a geographical approach to the topic may yield fresh insights

• On successful completion of this specialized module, in addition to the module learning outcomes, students are expected to be able to:
• Demonstrate the ability to synthesise and integrate knowledge and apply it to contemporary issues
• Demonstrate critical reflection and understanding of competing arguments and positions

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• The core of the course will be based on nine 1.5 hour lectures.
• The formative review will help students develop their understanding of the links between policy issues and academic theory
• The summative assessment will test students ability to analyse different interpretations of unfreedom in labour relations

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Analysis of a news item or policy document with reference to the academic literature (max. 3 pages in accordance with Departmental Policy on Coursework Length and Format).

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University