Teaching Labor Relations With Norma Rae

Abstract

Undergraduate business students in North America are often unfamiliar with the labor organizing process and frequently fail to identify with the reasons why workers join unions. This article suggests a discussion exercise based on the 1979 film, Norma Rae, by 20th Century Fox, as an effective tool for familiarizing students with fundamental topics in labor relations such as the union organizing process, union avoidance strategies, and unfair labor practices. In addition, the film and the discussion-based exercise can be used to help students further explore the sources of individual attitudes toward unions, union instrumentality perceptions, union voting intentions, and contemporary issues in private sector labor relations. Collected data show positive responses from students who viewed the movie and participated in the discussion-based exercise. Suggestions are offered for using the film and the discussion-based exercise in the classroom to engage students in the study of labor relations.

A Systematic Approach to Educating the Emerging Adult Learner in Undergraduate Management Courses

“…Moreover, instructors can encourage vicarious learning by offering participation or bonus points to students who are willing to share a movie clip, real life experience, or article that they found and describe to the class how it relates to a class concept. Our review of the literature yielded several activities that provide instructional ideas to capitalize on vicarious learning particularly through the use of videos in the classroom (e.g., Comer & Holbrook, 2012;Holbrook, 2009;Huffman & Kilian, 2012;Kenworthy-U'Ren & Erickson, 2009;McHugh, 2009;Taylor & Provitera, 2011;Tyler, Anderson, & Tyler, 2009).…”

The King of Kong

“…Films are a way to cover the broad elements of a course (Holbrook, 2009), as well as a means to illustrate particular concepts that students may struggle with (Taylor & Provitera, 2011). The existing empirical evidence suggest that films and film clips help student engagement, course liking, and learning (Fee & Budde-Sung, 2014;Smith, 2009).…”

“…Video clips and films in particular have become increasingly recognized as a way to increase student learning and engagement (Billsberry, 2013; Champoux, 2001; Holbrook, 2009; Smith, 2009; Tyler, Anderson, & Tyler, 2009). Films are a way to cover the broad elements of a course (Holbrook, 2009), as well as a means to illustrate particular concepts that students may struggle with (Taylor & Provitera, 2011). The existing empirical evidence suggest that films and film clips help student engagement, course liking, and learning (Fee & Budde-Sung, 2014; Smith, 2009).…”

Topics, Texts, and Critical Approaches

“…Most commonly, management course developers have drawn on subject matter and practices within the arts and humanities for such endeavors (Gagliardi & Czarniawska, 2006). Under that substantial umbrella, scholars have turned to the fields of art (Colakoglu & Littlefield, 2011; Cowan, 2007); music (Comer & Holbrook, 2012); history (Kohn, 2013); and, more extensively, film (Billsberry & Gilbert, 2008; Bumpus, 2005; Champoux, 1999; Clemens & Wolff, 1999; Holbrook, 2009; Smith, 2009; V. F. Taylor & Provitera, 2011).…”