GV3JLD-Global Justice, Labour and Development

Module Provider: Geography and Environmental Science
Number of credits: 20 [10 ECTS credits]
Level:6
Terms in which taught: Spring term module
Pre-requisites:
Non-modular pre-requisites:
Co-requisites:
Modules excluded:
Current from: 2021/2

Module Convenor: Dr Sally Lloyd-Evans
Email: s.lloyd-evans@reading.ac.uk

Type of module:

Summary module description:
«p»Recent debates around sweatshops and forced labour have refocused geographical attention on the injustices brought about by globalization that have led to escalating poverty, inequalities between the 'North' and the 'South’ and a global 'cheap labour economy'. This module provides an in-depth insight into contemporary academic and policy debates around labour and livelihoods in the global South from ‘social justice’ andÌý'development' perspectives.ÌýÌý Through a critique of globalisation, migration, civil society, gender and international governance, students will explore some of the most pressing ethical and justice debates on decent work today such as child labour, the ‘DIY’ or informal economy and modern day slavery.«/p»

Aims:

This module aims to critically examine the impacts of globalisation, unequal development and poverty on workers and livelihoods in the global South from a social justice perspective. By drawing on interlinking discourses from geographies of development with more recent debates over social justice, the module focuses upon contested spaces of labour such as human trafficking, the informal sector, child labour and labour migration.Ìý Students will also critique western concepts of work and ‘development’ in relation to contemporary social, political and economic processes that shape workers’ livelihoods in the global economy. By engendering an understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing workers, communities and families in making a fair and just living, the module will encourage students to question the roles played by a range of actors including global institutions, NGOs, businesses, consumers and new social movements in achieving the International Labour Organisation’s universal goal of ‘decent work for all’.

Assessable learning outcomes:

On completion of this Module it is expected that a student will be able to:

• Critically evaluate the ways in which current discourses of development and social justice can be used to understand global divisions of labour, with particular attention paid to evaluating contested spaces of work such as modern slavery and child labour.


• Identify and critically assess contemporary geographical understandings of the spatial and gendered divisions of lab our within and between countries in the global North and South, and understand the different forms of work and employment undertaken by households in different geographical contexts.


• Explain and critically assess how globalisation impacts upon the livelihoods strategies of households and workers across space, in relation to both local and global development objectives, and the extent to which these processes are gendered.


• Identify and critically appraise a range o f policy discourses and practices of a range of global institutions, businesses and NGOs that address current global concerns over worker exploitation, child labour and trafficking.


• Critically appraise western concepts of work and 'development' in relation to contemporary debates on social justice, global development, civil society, human rights, social responsibility and sustainable livelihoods and debate their impacts on communities in the global South.


• Assemble appropriate information and develop written arguments effectively and independently.

Additional outcomes:
Students will develop their Information Technology and oral communication skills through their use of relevant web sources and databases, research, report preparation and contribution to group discussions and workshops. Seminars will include assistance with essay and exam preparation skills, debates, videos and group discussions. The assessed role-play workshop on 􀀑Child Labour􀀒 helps develop students􀀒 employability skills by introducing them to career opportunities within a range of organisations, encouraging them to interact with businesses or charities in order to gather research and data for the workshop, and the preparation of a corporate style presentation to the group. The module will include presentations fr