Critical Social Inquiry 0259 - Hist/Organizing/Unorganizable

Recently, several states including New York, Massachusetts and California have passed Domestic Workers Bill of Rights legislation. This legislation establishes clear standards for defining the length of the work day, the right to sick days and maternity leave as well as appropriate rest and meal breaks. These recent victories bode well for future organizing efforts, but also draw inspiration from historical movements of domestic, laundry and hospital workers. This course will explore the history of domestic workers, the efforts of scholars to document their struggle and the ongoing effort to make domestic work visible and included within existing legal frameworks for providing basic protections for workers. The last section of the course will focus on current campaigns to expand domestic and service worker rights and pay particular attention to the impact of home health care worker campaigns on public sector workers' rights.

Power, Community and Social Justice Multiple Cultural Perspectives Writing and Research Students are expected to spend at least six to eight hours a week of preparation and work outside of class time.