HGO4604 – The futures of work
Course description
Schedule, syllabus and examination date
Course content
The political and economic geographies of work have always been changing. In this course, you will learn about structural changes to how we work, where we work, and how we relate to work. Combining perspectives from economic and labour geography, the course will also highlight how actors respond to these changes. Taking as a starting point the contemporary moment, we ask how possible futures might unfold in an age where political unrest, economic inequality, climate change and autocratisation represents fundamental challenges to workplaces and working lives.
The course is divided into three related components. The first looks at structural changes in national labour markets and how globalised economic relations translate into new demands on the workforce. The second is devoted to agential responses, how workers, trade unions and organisations experience, engage with and resist changing conditions of work. The third component is more practice-oriented, inviting the students to apply concepts and explanations from the readings to real-world cases, group discussions and personal reflections
Concepts such as polarisation, involution, intensification, agency, alienation and precarity are presented in empirical contexts, and the students are expected to familiarise themselves with them through the course and discuss and reflect on their meaning and use in other contexts. While the course draws on research literature from across the world, it also aims to connect scholarly accounts with students’ own work experiences and/or employment outlook.
Learning outcome
Knowledge
You will learn to:
- understand the structural conditions of work, its globalised economic relations and the spatiality of workers’ politics.
- understand how social, political and ecological change affects workers, both in specific applied circumstances and on a more abstract level.
- acknowledge the significance of workers’ own actions and strategies, individually and collectively, within particular institutional contexts and subject to structural constraints.
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Skills
You will be encouraged to:
- apply a critical geographical perspective ?to better understand and explain unevenness, difference and power relations in the world of work.
- assess the relevance and applicability of concepts from human geography and other social sciences to explain workers and workplaces in the global economy?facing structural change and multiple crises.
- actively engage in written, oral and conversational discussions on the futures of work through seminar activity.
- demonstrate your knowledge and skills by producing an independent academic text.
- relate analytical concepts on work and employment to your own biography and life situation (reflection note).
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General competences
This course will enable you to:
- apply critical thinking to the challenges facing the world of work, as seen from the standpoint of workers.
Admission to the course
Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.
If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.
This course is a part of the master's program in Human Geography. Students with admission to other relevant master’s degree programmes can apply for admission as guest students.
Master specialisation in didactics for social science in the Teacher Education Programme (Lektorprogrammet) - please see the link for information regarding admission.
Recommended previous knowledge
It is recommended that you have completed the following courses before you take this course:
SGO2200 – Economic geography: Globalisation and regional development and/or SGO2400 – Politisk geografi. However, sitting examinations in these courses is not a prerequisite for taking this course.
Overlapping courses
- 10 credits overlap with SGO4604 – Work and workers of the global Work-Place (continued).
- 10 credits overlap with SOSGEO4604 – Work and workers. Global perspectives (continued).
Teaching
The teaching is a combination of teacher presentations and student discussions and group exercises and consists of six interactive lectures followed by three seminar workshops. For each of these meetings, students are expected to either prepare an individual reflection note in advance or produce a group reflection note during the session
Compulsory instruction and coursework
- Students must submit a minimum of three individual reflection notes and one group reflection note within the announced deadlines. Reflection notes are to be uploaded in Canvas.
Completed and approved compulsory course work is valid until the course is no longer offered. Students who have failed to complete the compulsory course work cannot take the exam.
Absence from compulsory tuition activities
If you are ill or have another valid reason for being absent from compulsory tuition activities, your absence may be approved or the compulsory activity may be postponed.
Examination
The exam is a 4-hour school exam.
One week before the exam, a predefined topic will be announced. The exam will relate to this topic, which will also be made available as a written attachment to the school exam.
Examination support material
Students are permitted to bring one notebook with handwritten notes.
Language of examination
The examination text is given in English.You may submit your response in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or English.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.
Resit an examination
If you are sick or have another valid reason for not attending the regular exam, we offer a postponed exam later in the same semester.
See also our information about resitting an exam.
More about examinations at UiO
- Use of sources and citations
- How to use AI as a student
- Special exam arrangements due to individual needs
- Withdrawal from an exam
- Illness at exams / postponed exams
- Explanation of grades and appeals
- Resitting an exam
- Cheating/attempted cheating
You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.