Workplace Learning and Social Change (WLSC)

Program Director:
Professor Peter Sawchuk, Leadership, Higher and Adult Education

Collaborative Program in Workplace, Learning and Social Change (WLSC)

What WLSC offers

The program is designed for students interested in developing their understandings of work and learning trends in Canada and internationally, with a focus on social change. This program situates workplace learning within broader social trends such as globalization, neo-liberalism and organizational restructuring. As well, the program allows for an exploration of the connections between learning as an individual phenomena and learning as a social/organizational and public policy phenomenon. It aims to highlight the learning strategies that seek to foster social change through greater equality of power, inclusivity, participatory decision-making and economic democracy.

Faculty associated with this collaborative program have particular expertise in issues related to workplace learning amongst immigrant workers, foreign trained professionals, marginalized workers, as well as workers embedded within progressive organizational structures; and, they contribute expertise in the areas of social policy, organizational development, technological change, industrial relations, labour market analysis and school-to-work transitions.

Participating Degree Programs associated with WLSC are:

Adult Education and Community Development in the department of Leadership, Higher and Adult Education (LHAE)
Sociology and Equity Studies in Education in the department of Humanities, Social Sciences and Social Justice Education (HSSSJE)
MA in Women and Gender Studies
MIRHR and PhD in Industrial Relations and Human Resources
MSc and PhD in Rehabilitation Science

Eligibility

The Collaborative Graduate Program encourages diversity in academic disciplines and life experiences. The program is open to all qualified applicants. The applicant will need to satisfy the requirements of the home department including grade point average. For the Collaborative Program specifically, qualified applicants will also demonstrate well developed, scholarly awareness of the field of workplace learning and social change in their application materials.

Admission Requirements

Applicants will indicate on their application to the home department that they are also applying to the Collaborative Program. Applicants will indicate to referees that their letters of support will be used in application for both the Collaborative Program and the home department. In addition to corresponding to all home department requirements, the application shall include a statement of interest (three pages in length) which includes:

relevant personal and/or professional experiences, a career plan, motivation in seeking advanced training in Workplace Learning and Social Change (all applicants)
an indication of specific courses of interest (all applicants)
a brief outline of their proposed research project (for thesis students)
indication of their preference of supervisor (for thesis students)

Students who are already enrolled in HSSSJE or LHAE will also be allowed to apply to the collaborative program during their course of study. Requests from already enrolled applicants will be considered once a year at the same time as admission files are reviewed.

Core Courses

WPL1131H (Master's): Introduction to Workplace Learning & Social Change

This course will introduce students to the central national and international debates in the field. Students will explore the historical development of the notion of "workplace learning" and its links to agendas of social change. The course will expose students to theories of workplace learning and social change, as well as practice and policy in the area.

WPL3931H (Doctoral): Advanced Studies in Workplace Learning & Social Change

This course will allow students to engage in advanced learning and research on the central national and international debates in the field. Students will develop extensive analytic and conceptual knowledge in the areas of the historical development of the notion of "workplace learning" and its links to diverse agendas of social change. The course will require the critical assessment and research applications of theories of workplace learning and social change, as well as practice and policy in the area.

Program Requirements

During their graduate studies, students must follow a program of study acceptable to both the home degree program and the WLSC Collaborative Graduate Program. Students will be registered in both the home department and in the Collaborative Graduate Program. The Director of the Collaborative Program will review students' progress to ensure that they are meeting the requirements of the collaborative program. If a student changes their thesis topic or the focus of their studies mid-way through their degree and no longer wishes to pursue the area of work and learning, they will be required to withdraw from the collaborative program.

Master's level students must complete WPL1131. Doctoral students must complete WPL3931. All students must also complete one elective half course. Thesis students will develop a topic of relevance to the focus of the collaborative program.

Course List - Master's Level

Master’s-Level Required Course
WPL1131H Introduction to Workplace Learning & Social Change

Master’s-Stream Electives
The list of electives is subject to change.

LHA1113H Gender and Race at Work
LHA1117H Consulting Skills for Adult Educators
LHA1119H Creating a Learning Organization
LHA1131H Special Topics in Adult Education (Master’s): Work Learning and Migration
LHA1141H Organizations and the Adult Educator: Historical and Theoretical Perspectives on Organization Development
LHA1145H Participatory Research in the Community and the Workplace
LHA1148H An Introduction to Workplace, Organizational, and Economic Democracy
LHA1150H Critical Perspectives on Organization Theory, Development, and Practice
LHA1156H Power and Difference in the Workplace
LHA1182H Non Profits, Co-operatives and the Social Economy
LHA1186H Perspectives on Organizational Change
LHA1185 Technology @ Work
WGS486/WGS1020HF Gender and Globalization: Transnational perspectives
SES2942H Education and Work
SES2999H Special Topics in Sociological Research in Education: Sociology of Learning and Social Movements
IRE1362 Organizational Behaviour
IRE1611 Sociology of Industrial Relations
IRE1615 Labour and Globalization
IRE1620H Labour Relations in Historical Perspective

Course List - Doctoral Level

Doctoral-Level Required Course
WPL3931H Advanced Studies in Workplace Learning & Social Change

Doctoral-Stream Electives
The list of electives is subject to change. Doctoral students can select an elective course from the list above or take one of the following to meet their elective requirement:

LHA3131H Special Topics in Adult Education: Rethinking Skills: Theory, Policy and Practice
LHA3183H Mapping Social and Organizational Relations in Education
IRE Analytical Topics in Industrial Relations

Affiliated Faculty

N. Jackson, Leadersip, Higher and Adult Education
B. Kirsh, Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy
M. Laiken, Leadership, Higher and Adult Education
D. Livingston, Humanities, Social Sciences and Social Justice Education
M. Lo, Women and Gender Studies Institute
K. Mirchandani, Leadership, Higher and Adult Education
S. Mojab, Leadership, Higher and Adult Education
J. Quarter, Leadership, Higher and Adult Education
P. Sawchuk, (Director), Leadership, Higher and Adult Education
J.S. Song, Women and Gender Studies Institute
A. Verma, Centre for Industrial Relations & Human Resources