Aims

To describe to students the contexts in the various countries of the European Union that
give them the basic information they need to embark on comparative studies of labour issues.

Main themes

Students will be encouraged through supervised reading to work in the three following
areas:
comparative economic and social geography in the countries of the European Union;
comparative political systems in countries of the European Union;
technology, work organisation and ergonomics.

Content and teaching methods

Objectives: The seminar will aim to familiarise students with the key features of the
world of work environment in European countries participating in the 'Master européen en Sciences du Travail' programme. These will give them an initial understanding of the economic, political, institutional and industrial relations context in these countries (i.e. France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Portugal and Spain). It will also seek, through reading and discussions during sessions, to lead a reflection on the issue of working time in these countries. By the end of the course, students will understand how this issue presents in the country that they are working on as a group.
Content
To deal with the 'contextual factors of work', students will have take an interest not only
in the contexts in which the work is carried out, but also in the work itself. In order to
address it concretely, the seminar will be based on a study of a particular issue such as working time or equal opportunities. In the framework of a research project scenario, we will attempt to find out whether there is convergence of working time in various countries of the European Union, and why. The focus will therefore be on identifying the regulations in force in these countries, the debates that are taking place, any negotiations under way on the subject, and the economic, political, institutional and industrial relations contexts in which this issue occurs.
Methodology
The seminar demands students' active participation in the framework of information search and preparation between sessions, and on group discussion during the sessions.

Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

Students working in a group will produce a 15 page summary based on information collected
by the group and discussed in the sessions. Assessment will focus on (i) participation in the
sessions of the seminar, and (ii) written work carried out in a group, and discussion of this work during the examination session.

Other credits in programs