ILRHR 4440

Forging the Future of Work in America

Course Description

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2016-2017.

What is the future of work in America?  Is it what we want it to be?   If not, why not and what can be done about it?  This course addresses these questions, motivated by the concern that those just now entering the workforce are inheriting a mess that, unless reversed, promises to deliver a future in which many, if not most, will experience a lower standard of living than their parents.  The course is a local adaptation of a course developed and conducted by Professor Thomas Kochan at MIT's Sloan School titled "How the Next Generation can Secure the American Dream" (#15.662).  Both courses, in turn, are part of a larger initiative aimed first at getting a firm handle on the younger generation's definition of the "American Dream" and then at mobilizing cross-generational efforts to secure the key components of the dream.  The MIT course employs "blended learning" (i.e., a mix of online and classroom experiences).  Thus, we have an opportunity to tap into its online portion asynchronously (i.e., week by week at our convenience), and use these resources as well as other related materials and guest speakers from the ILR faculty and elsewhere to guide and enrich in-class discussions.  Key topics covered include: current opportunities and challenges facing the U.S. workforce, the nature of the old (post WW II) social contract between employers and employees and the conditions that made it possible, how that social contract has been eroded by subsequent developments (globalization, technology 2.0, etc.), and steps that might be taken to achieve a more desirable future state.

When Offered Spring (seven-week session).

Permission Note Enrollment limited to: sophomore, junior and senior undergraduates.
Prerequisites/Corequisites Prerequisite: ILRHR 2600 or equivalent.

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