| Unit name | Geographies of Work and Employment |
|---|---|
| Unit code | GEOG20034 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Professor. MacLeavy |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None. |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None. |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None. |
| School/department | School of Geographical Sciences |
| Faculty | Faculty of Science |
Why is this unit important?
This unit offers a comprehensive overview of a series of key debates concerning the changing nature of work and employment. The temporal focus is primarily on the last twenty years, and arguments about technology, automation and capitalist transformation, as the economic landscape shifts and new work practices and relations are established. Through a series of case studies, the unit engages with the multiple registers in which the challenges – and opportunities – of technological advancement in the workplace have been considered, as well as the way this dynamic and unfolding process of economic transformation calls into question the centrality that work continues to play in our social and political imaginaries. Having probed the developments that have sparked radical shifts in how we live and work, the unit will consider the impact upon social relations and identities, practices and sectors, and politics and environments.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
This unit aims to introduce students to contemporary theoretical and empirical debates in labour geography, economic geography and global political economy. In doing so, it aims to help students develop the ability to pose purposeful questions within these debates and to cultivate intellectual curiosity about their context. It explores topics in the Political Economies and Mobilities theme introduced in Year 1 through research orientated case studies that detail the social processes, structures and causes underlying capitalist development, and provides a grounding for those wishing to pursue dissertations on the changing nature of work and employment in Year 3.
An overview of content
The unit will consider the different dimensions of work as a naturalised feature of everyday lives and the material and political factors that underpin its transformation in the past, present and future, over space, and in technological and financial terms.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
Having completed the unit, students should be better able to navigate the recent body of literature that uses the observed technological, generational and social shifts in how work gets done to call into question the centrality that ‘work’ occupies in visions of the future (including in contemporary Left politics), while also opening up other ways of narrating the economy as it exists in the present.
Learning outcomes
On completion of this unit students should be able to:
The following transferrable skills are developed in the unit:
There will be regular lectures, with a break (no lectures or seminars) at the midway point. There will be two sessions for which students will be divided into small groups for an in-person seminar discussion. The second of these will be based on a film screening that students are recommended to watch in addition to attending the lectures.
Tasks which will help you learn and prepare you for the summative tasks (formative):
Recommended readings will be supplied for each week of the unit to enable students to engage with the theoretical and contemporary debates on the topics of work and employment at a greater level of detail and depth than the lectures, which are pitched at an introductory level. Additionally, there will be seminars in which handouts with questions for small group discussion will be supplied and students encouraged to discuss their understanding of the lectures and reading materials with their peers. The unit director (or other teaching staff) will provide verbal feedback in the seminars and answer questions and points of clarification. Through the seminars, the unit director will be able to identify student learning needs and realign subsequent lectures in order to better address them.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
Essay (100%) [ILOs 1-2]. This will assess the students’ knowledge of the key themes, concepts and case studies outlined in the unit. It will also require students to be capable at written communication, critical thinking, organisational skills and making effective use of wider literatures to support their argument.
When assessment does not go to plan:
Reassessment will also consist of an essay
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. GEOG20034).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
