Why are so many of our t-shirts and iPhones manufactured around the world under conditions that seem to violate basic human rights? Why do migrant workers in the U.S. often labor under unsafe and exploitative conditions? Can corporate codes of conduct and sweatshop-free branding reverse this global unraveling of labor protections? What legal instruments and strategies can be used to expand rights for workers across globalized supply chains, and how can workers access these rights? What is the role of worker centers, trade unions, and other civil society organizations, as well as actors inside the state, in realizing global standards for rights at work?

This course explores questions such as these through an interdisciplinary social science lens. By the end of the course, students will be able to assess the current challenges facing advocacy for global workers’ rights and will develop a nuanced understanding of how ongoing experimentations in regulation, advocacy, and protest may contribute to making workers’ rights meaningful in particular local contexts.

Course Requirements:

The course requires active participation in class discussion and timely completion of reading and writing assignments. Students will complete one 2-page assignment, one take-home midterm exam, and one final research paper of 6-7 pages, in addition to posting regular reading responses to Canvas.