Degree Type:
Master of ArtsDepartment:
Department of Labour and Human Resource StudiesProgramme Duration:
2 years (Standard Entry)
Modes of Study:
SandwichEntry Requirements:
Not Published
Programme Structure
Level 800
First Semester
MLS 801S: Labour and Development
The course aims to provide students with an understanding of theoretical foundations of labour and development with emphasis on how politics and economics impinge on labour relations and national development. The following topics will be treated: the various development paradigms and their implication for labour, globalisation and international relations, as well as regional trade blocks. Also, to be treated are economic reforms and labour relations as well as labour migration. The course will equip students with analysis of global events and trends and their implications for labour relations in and outside Africa. Finally, critical interrogation of the complexities and trends in global political economic relations as a basis for devising alternative development paradigms.
MLS 803S: Labour Economics
Labour Economics explores the theoretical and empirical perspectives of the operations of labour markets and the institutions that shape labour market outcomes in Africa. The course will, address topics such as: labour supply and demand, theories and practice of wage determination, earnings and employment outcomes, human capital, labour productivity and growth, labour mobility, labour market discrimination, unemployment, and the role of unions and government in labour markets.
MLS 805S: Labour and Political Systems
This course examines various political systems within which labour operates and how labour manages the emerging political challenges. It will, in addition, expose students to the various political thoughts, theories and ideologies that underpin labour and labour relations. The course will explore forms of political systems, democracy and democratic workers participation, labour organisations and social movements as well as labour politics.
MLS 807S: Industrial Relations and Sociology of Work
This course engages students in the critical analysis of the major theories and concepts of work and organisations and their application to the understanding of everyday work, the changing nature of work and labour relations. The course will explore the history and origins of work and labour relations during and after the industrial revolution into the current knowledge-based workplace. Topics will include: Theories and concepts of industrial relations; Institutions of industrial relations; Working conditions and worker behaviour; Globalization, neo-liberalism and labour/work change; Formal and informal employment and labour relations; the organization of work and patterns of employment; transformation of work and labour process as well as social change.
MLS 809S: Statistics and Computing
Statistics and Computing is designed to equip students with the statistical and analytical tools needed for interpreting empirical data. Some of the topics to be discussed include nature of statistics, measures of central tendency, and measures of dispersion. Topics such as probability theory, normal distribution, sampling distribution, hypothesis testing, correlation and regression analysis, chi-square distribution and analysis of frequencies will also be treated.
MLS 811S: Advanced Research Methods
The course is designed to equip students with the tools of social science research. The course discusses research concepts and processes and encourages students to apply these to solve problems. Emphasis will be on varieties of social science research, measurement and scaling, initiating research, sampling procedures, methods of data collection as well as data interpretation and presentation.
Second Semester
MLS 802S: Political Economy of Africa
Political Economy of Africa focuses on the interaction between African economic and political systems in relation to the global political economy. It also examines economic reforms in Africa and their effects on African labour markets and labour relations; the role of supra-state institutions (IFIs: IMF, World Bank, WTO, MNCs) as well as the role of donor agencies (USAID, JICA, CIDA, SIDA) and how these shape national and international labour relations, policies, practices, and outcomes.
MLS 804S: Gender and Labour Policy
The course covers the gendered impact of economic policy making in the specific context of countries in the global south. The course will emphasise gender concerns in development policy making, as well as the theoretical framework for analysing gender issues in development planning. The course will also pay attention to the gendered implication of neo-liberal economic model and explore gender specific developmental challenges such as segmented labour markets, care economy and violence against women. Also, to be treated are gender sensitive development interventions and initiatives.
MLS 806S: Work in the Informal Economy
This course is designed to enable students review critically, the structure and operation of the informal economy within African nations. The course will examine the theoretical approaches to the informal economy, globalisation and employment informalisation, case studies on efforts to organise informal economy workers, forms of informal economy associations, as well as the role of civil society groups and international organisations in promoting the rights of informal economy workers. Also, to be treated are labour migration and labour management in the informal economy.
MLS 808S: Labour Legislation and International Labour Standards
This course will expose students to the evolution of labour legislation and the role of labour laws and international labour standards (ILS) as a tool for social protection and leverage for advancing the interest of workers in the world of work. It will cover the ILS’s response to a growing number of workers needs and challenges in a globalised world of work, as well as the general features and systems for monitoring adherence to standards application.
MLS 810S: Labour Policy Development
The course will examine the theory of public policy formulation as well as policy making, implementation and evaluation within the public sphere in general and within the sphere of labour in particular. The course will also focus on the different approaches to policy formulation and implications for labour. Topics such as labour policy implementation, labour organisational development, strategic planning as well as resource assessment and prioritisation will be treated as well.
MLS 899S: Seminars and Term Paper
The seminar presentations will be given by experts and practitioners on contemporary issues in labour studies and these will inform the issues to be discussed in students’ term papers.