Homework: Labor Study
Length: 8 pages.
Write on a job you currently have or have had in the past. You can write about more than one job if you like. The paper should explain your job: what you do, where you do it, how you do it, why you do it, how you are paid. You should not just summarize your work experience do not simply turn it into a resume. You should think about your work critically. For example,
1) How is your work structured to increase productivity?
2) Is your work alienating? Why? How?
3) Who is the owner? Do you see them?
4) What is your pay? Is it the minimum wage? How much does each product you make or sell cost to produce? How much are they sold for? Who makes the majority of the profit from you work? You could even look at the quarterly statements for your company and examine the disparity.
5) Is your company tied to any particular labour practices? How do they frame their employee/management relationship? Does this hold true to your experience?
6) Include reflection and, even more importantly, analysis.
7) Take your personal experience and expand the analysis to look at the individual and technical aspects of your job(s). Extrapolate from there to look at the structural reasons for the way your work is organized.
8) Examine the rationale for company policies beyond just your personal experience.
The essay should describe how you feel and think about your job. Is it interesting? Do you want to continue doing it for the rest of your life? Or perhaps you hate it. Do you ever want to change parts of it? How do you react to the pressures and hassles of the job? Are the employer's expectations reasonable? Do they conflict with your expectations? These are some of the questions you might consider. Then examine those questions with a mind to understanding why your work was structured in the manner that it was.
These comments are just a guideline. Feel free to construct a paper that suits your interests and your specific job. For example, if you are English major and feel more comfortable writing a narrative rather than a formal essay, then you may do so. If you wish to communicate in poetry rather than prose, then, again feel free to do so. Creativity in approaching this homework is welcomed.
Format your homework according to the following formatting requirements:
(1) The answer should be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
(2) The response also includes a cover page containing the title of the homework, the student's name, the course title, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
(3) Also include a reference page. The Citations and references should follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.