The Labour Process: Work and Technological Change Fall 2016

LBST 308-3 The Labour Process: Work and Technological Change Fall 2016 COURSE DESCRIPTION: Common-sense descriptions assume that the labour process and related technologies are neutral and progressive: in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">innovation in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in the workplace is said to benefit the larger part of humanity in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in the long term. While in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in some ways an attractive narrative, such a readin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">ing fails to account for the complexities and politics of technological change in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in capitalist production. This course seeks to demystify such common-sense understandin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">ings by in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">investigatin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">ing the salient elements of society that in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">influence technical change in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in the labour process. We begin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in the course by identifyin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">ing some of the tendencies that differentiate capitalism from previous and alternative modes of production, explorin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">ing how these tendencies affect the labour process. From agrarian capitalism to emergin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">ing in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">industrial society to twentieth century manufacturin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">ing, our focus in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in the first three-quarters of the course will be on machin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">inery, large-scale in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">industry, in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">industrial labour processes, and the social and economic forces drivin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">ing developments in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in these aspects of production. The political and economic implications of new manufacturin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">ing technologies and the scientific management of workers—or Taylorism—will also be explored, as will examples of labour’s resistance to technological change. The course will conclude with analysis of new and emergin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">ing forms of labour process, related to rapid growth in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in the digital networks that support contemporary capitalism. Despite differences between in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">industrial and digital work, students will consistently treat technology and the labour process as sites of social struggle. COURSE OBJECTIVES: Students are expected to analyze labour process and related technology as outcomes of history and conflictin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">ing social in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">interests. READING SCHEDULE (WEEKLY READINGS WILL BE AVAILABLE TO STUDENTS THROUGH THE LIBRARY WEB PORTAL OR PROVIDED THROUGH CANVAS): Week 1 (12 September 2016): Introduction and Housekeepin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">ing *No readin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">ings* Week 2 (19 September 2016): The Imperative of Improvement and the Origin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">ins of Capitalism Wood, Ellen Meiksin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">ins. “The Agrarian Origin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in of Capitalism.” In The Origin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in of Capitalism: A Longer View, 95 – 121. Rev. and expanded ed. London: Verso, 2002. Braverman, Harry. “Labor and Labour Power.” In Labor and Monopoly Capital: The Degradation of Work in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in the Twentieth Century, 31 - 40. New York: Monthly Review Press, 1998. Week 3 (26 September 2016): Manufacturin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">ing as a Class Relation Marx, Karl. Selections from “Manufacturin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">ing and Large-Scale Industry.” In Capital: A Critique of Political Economy, trans. Ben Fowkes. London: Penguin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in/NLR, 1990. Marx, Karl. ‘Estranged Labour’ in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in “Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts (1844).” In Karl Marx: Early Writin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">ings, trans. Rodney Livin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">ingstone and Gregor Benton, 322 – 334. London: Penguin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in/NLR, 1992. Ollman, Bertell. “Man’s Relation to his Productive Activity,” “Man’s Relation to his Product,” “Man’s Relation to his Fellow Men,” and “Man’s Relation to his Species.” In Alienation: Marx’s Conception of Man in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in Capitalist Society, 137 – 153. Cambridge, 1975. Week 4 (3 October 2016): Machin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">ine Breakin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">ing and Collective Resistance by Riot *Presentations Begin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in* Hobsbawm, Eric. “The Machin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">ine Breakers.” Past & Present no. 1 (1952): 57 – 70. Noble, David. “In Defense of Luddism.” In Progress without People, 3 – 23. Canadian Electronic Library. Between the Lin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">ines, 1995. Week 5 Thanksgivin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">ing *No Classes* Week 6 (17 October 2016): Industrial Capitalism and Resource Extraction in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in Early British Columbia Belshaw, John D. “Work and Wages.” In Colonization and Community: The Vancouver Island Coalfields and the Makin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">ing of the British Columbian Workin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">ing Class, 75 – 114. McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2002. Rajala, Richard A. “The Forest as Factory: Technological Change and Worker Control in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in the West Coast Loggin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">ing Industry, 1880-1930.” Labour / Le Travail 32 (1993): 73–104. Week 7 (24 October 2016): Taylorism or Scientific Management Braverman, Harry. “Scientific Management” and “Machin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">inery.” In Labor and Monopoly Capital: The Degradation of Work in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in the Twentieth Century, 59 – 85 and 127 – 162. New York: Monthly Review Press, 1998. Taylor, Frederick Win" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">inslow. Selections from The Prin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">inciples of Scientific Management. New York: Harper and Brothers Publishers, 1911. Week 8 (31 October 2016): In Class Exam (spooky) *No readin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">ings* Week 9 (7 November 2016): Social Histories of Technological Change: Roads not Travelled Noble, David. “The Road Not Taken.” In Forces of Production: A Social History of Industrial Automation, 144 – 192. New Brunswick, N.J: Transaction Publishers, 2011 Malm, Andreas. “Fleein" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">ing the Flowin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">ing Commons: The Expansion of Water Power that Never Happened”, 96 – 120. In Fossil Capital: The Rise of Steam Power and the Roots of Global Warmin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">ing. London; New York: Verso, 2016. Week 10 (14 November 2016): Critical Theory and Technological Rationality: The Factory and Society Marcuse, Herbert. “Some Social Implications of Modern Technology.” In The Essential Frankfurt School Reader, edited by Eike Gebhardt and Andrew Arato, 138–63. New York: Contin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">inuum, 2005. Feenberg, Andrew. “From Critical Theory of Technology to the Rational Critique of Rationality.” In Between Reason and Experience: Essays in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in Technology and Modernity, 157 - 180. Cambridge, Mass: The MIT Press, 2010. Week 11 (21 November 2016): Fordism and Post-Fordism Harvey, David. “Fordism” and “From Fordism to Flexible Accumulation.” In The Condition of Postmodernity, 125-172. Cambridge: Blackwell, 1990. Week 12 (28 November 2016): High- Technology Capitalism and the Workin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">ing Class Hardt, Michael and Antonio Negri. “Postmodernization, or the Informatization of Production.” In Empire, 280 – 303. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press, 2000. Fuchs, Christian. “Class and Exploitation on the Internet”. In Digital Labor: The Internet as Playground and Factory, edited by Trebor Scholz, 211 – 224. New York: Routledge, 2013. *View Onlin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">ine* All Watched over by Machin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">ines of Lovin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">ing Grace, part 1. Directed by Adam Curtis. UK: BBC, 2011. Vimeo. Week 13 (5 December 2016): Digital and Globalized Labour Dyer-Witheford, Nick and Greig de Peuter. “Biopower Play: World of Warcraft.” In Games of Empire: Global Capitalism and Videogames, 123 – 151. Min" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">inneapolis: University of Min" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">innesota Press, 2009. Fuchs, Christian and Nick Dyer-Witheford. “Karl Marx @ Internet Studies.” New Media & Society 15.5 (2013): 782-796. COURSE REQUIREMENTS: Students are expected to attend class prepared to discuss the required readin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">ings for that week and to complete their assignments on time. Gradin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">ing Structure: • Participation and attendance: 20% • In-class presentation: 20% • Mid-term exam: 20% • Fin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">inal essay 40% Attendance and Participation (20%) Attendance and participation are compulsory. Six times durin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">ing the semester students will prepare a question based on the readin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">ings. The question will be prin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">inted and handed to the in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">instructor at the begin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">innin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">ing of class. Each question will be worth 1% of a student’s fin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">inal grade. Mid-Term Exam (20%) The midterm will be an in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in-class exam held in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in week 7. Questions will be given to students the week prior. The exam will be written by memory only, no notes. Students are required to write their mid-term exam and fin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">inal essay on different topics. Presentations (20%) Students will in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">individually give one presentation/paper lastin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">ing 12 – 15 min" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">inutes on a topic related to one or more of that week’s readin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">ings. Presentations must not be a general overview of a readin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">ing in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in its entirety. Students should in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">instead identify and discuss issues (or an issue) within" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in or related to a readin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">ing or readin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">ings. Students are required to in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">introduce academic material outside of the course syllabus. Followin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">ing completion of the week’s presentations, the in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">instructor will moderate a discussion between presenters and audience members (non-presentin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">ing students). Students should consider this an opportunity to generate discussion and receive feedback on a topic related to their fin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">inal paper. Fin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">inal Essay (40%) Students will research and write an essay either (1) related to a labour process of their choosin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">ing or (2) comparin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">ing theories of labour process. A good essay will relate the chosen labour process or labour-process theory to relevant social and economic conditions and social groups. The essay should be between 8 and 12 pages in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in length (excludin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">ing references), double-spaced, written in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in Times New Roman font (TNR is free and widely available for download), size 12, with reasonable margin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">ins (no funny busin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">iness). There’s no need for a title page—it’s a waste of paper. Simply put your identifyin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">ing in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">information and title at the top of your first page. Fin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">inal essay must be written on a topic different than that of your mid-term. Due date TBA. Useful Information Late Assignments Students who do not present on the day assigned will in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">incur a 10% penalty. No essays turned in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in past the deadlin" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">in" rel="nofollow">ine will be accepted. Please keep an electronic back-up of all your completed assignments.