Module GEOG3787: UNFREEDOM IN LABOUR RELATIONS

Department: Geography

GEOG3787: UNFREEDOM IN LABOUR RELATIONS

Prerequisites

• Any Level 2 GEOG 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 forms and 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
• Examine terms such as trafficking, forced labour, unfree labour and modern slavery as these are used in the legal and regulatory sphere, in academic discourse and in advocacy work
• Survey policy approaches and interventions targeting 'slavery', 'trafficking' and forced or 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 main contact hours will be nine 1.5 hour lectures. Lectures will focus on the presentation of different perspectives around unfreedom in labour relations which are covered in the readings. This will include the contested definitions of trafficking, forced labour and contemporary ‘slavery’ along with their quantification and policy responses to them. There will be dedicated time for discussion and small group activities to allow students to reflect on the material and deepen their appreciation for the competing arguments and positions. One session may also include viewing a film on the topic which illustrates many of the complexities of the issue area.
• Tutorials will review specific reading(s) and provide a space to identify areas which students wish to explore in greater depth.
• The formative review (analysis of a news item or policy document with reference to the academic literature) will help students develop their understanding of the theories and concepts from the literature thorugh applying it to contemporary examples. It will further grant an opportunity to consider the role of discourse and representation within a specific policy area.
• The summative assessment (essay on selected aspect of the course content) will help develop students’ ability to analyse different interpretations of unfreedom in labour relations, synthesise and integrate knowledge, develop an argument with reference to existing scholarly debates, and consider how a topic studied across disciplines may benefit from the application of geographical approaches.

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