Why Choose a Labour Studies Degree?
By Reuben Roth, Ph.D. Director of the Labour Studies Program, Laurentian University
As a Labour Studies professor I often hear the question: “Why should I enroll in a Labour Studies program? Where will it get me at the end of a three or four year degree?”
I think the best answer to this question can be summed up in a phrase: Labour Studies takes the ‘best of the best’ across the university, and gives students a leg up because they end up having a broader set of skills and an expanded view of the world.
Here are just some ways that Labour Studies taps into other disciplines to come up with a better-rounded education:
Labour Studies teaches you about health and environmental issues.
Labour Studies puts you in touch with local geography and global politics.
Labour Studies teaches you principles of economics and business.
Labour Studies takes students into the world of legal studies.
Labour Studies opens up a world of literature, fiction, art and music.
Labour Studies teaches important writing and communications skills.
Labour Studies connects you to local history and our history as a nation.
Labour Studies opens you to a different view of culture, human rights and women’s issues.
As you can see, unlike other disciplines Labour Studies isn’t just about one thing; it’s as diverse as the world of work. Laurentian’s Labour Studies program can take students into any of these worlds of knowledge – and see them emerge with a degree.
We also respect our students’ workplace experiences and we encourage students to use their work-related knowledge in classroom discussions and essays, for example.
We offer a placement program that gives students an opportunity to connect with potential employers while you’re still enrolled in our program. In our third and fourth-years we arrange for students to be placed with an employer, union, government or nonprofit agency in the community. You get real job skills and make important connections while earning credits.
Of course Labour Studies is also about unions and their members. We offer insights into how unions work and how they allow ordinary people to have a voice in important affairs. Almost all unions have democratic structures that give their members opportunities to decide internal policies and even have an impact on international issues.
But you don’t have to know a lot about unions to join our program. About sixteen million Canadians work and almost one-third of all Canadian employees belong to a union. If you have an interest in work, jobs, the labour market, human rights or what people do with one-third of their working life, you probably already have an interest in Laurentian’s Labour Studies program. Even if you’re just looking for the kinds of skills that will get you a job after you graduate, then you should also look at the Labour Studies program.
If you want a university education that’s both practical and interesting, think about Laurentian’s Labour Studies Program.
For more information you can visit our website: http://labourstudies.laurentian.ca or contact Reuben Roth by email: rroth@laurentian.ca .