PSCI 443
Senior seminar: Worker power in global perspective Spring 2026
Division II

“Workers of the world, unite!” That is the labor movement’s call to action through nearly two centuries of class conflict. This course explores workers’ attempts to build power across national borders. We begin with questions about power, namely: what is worker power, and why does it depend on solidarity? We focus on two ways in which globalization complicates worker power. First, we take up capital mobility: what challenges do global value chains and production networks pose to solidarity and how do workers navigate those challenges? Second, we turn to labor mobility: what strategies and tactics do migrant workers develop to build solidarity in unfamiliar and potentially hostile settings? Throughout the course, we take up topics such as national and international labor governance, core-periphery relations in global capitalism, the promise and limitations of international organizations, and the role of local struggles in capitalist development. In the second part of the course, students will complete a 25-page research paper based on our readings and discussions.