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The University of Minnesota Labor Education Service will offer an online course, “Introduction to the Labor Movement” from Jan. 30 to March 31. The course provides an overview of the labor movement — its successes and challenges — in a global context.
This class is open to all. Tuition is $50. Download the registration form here. The registration deadline is Jan. 20.
For many years, the Labor Education Service has taught the Introduction to the Labor Movement class to local labor activists.
“I took this class — albeit in classroom back then — as I got more involved in my union,” said Russell Raczkowski, the instructor for the 2017 class. “It opened my eyes to the larger labor movement and made me more knowledgeable and effective in the pursuit of workplace justice. It’s an honor to be involved in doing it for others.”
Now, the class is taught online. Previously, the online version of class took place over one month. This coming year, it will run over two months.
“It seemed that the students were often playing catch-up on the tight one-month schedule. We hope that a less frantic pace will give students more opportunity to engage the materials we present and explore the themes of the class,” said Raczkowski.
The class breaks into four, two-week sections: defining the labor movement, lessons from the past, current challenges and directions for the future. The last two sections will address, among other things, the new reality of the post-election world for labor.
The class is designed for those newly involved as well as experienced activists who want to expand their knowledge.