|
|
|
|
|||
|
|
|
|
|
||
JANUARY 17, 2003--Oberlin's progressive reputation may have lured Professor of Politics Chris Howell to campus, but the fact that the College is located in an area of the country where labor unions are still active didn't hurt, either.
"My research has always focused on labor movements, and how government reforms affect trade unions," Howell says. "I'm also interested in the role states play in the regulation of social relations between employers and workers. In practice, this has meant a focus upon the industrial relations projects of governments, particularly in France and Britain."
Howell's passion for his research is readily apparent in many of the courses he teaches, including Politics 219, Work, Workers, and Trade Unions in Advanced Capitalist Societies, and Politics 315, The Future of Organized Labor.
"I've always encouraged my students to work within the labor movement," says Howell. "I try to keep them informed and up-to-date about current issues."
But for Howell, teaching is not enough. During his years at Oberlin, he has built relationships with members of the labor movement in the Lorain County and Northeast Ohio areas. His work outside the classroom has included membership on the board of directors for Policy Matters Ohio, the Cleveland-area Worker Rights Board, and the Washington-based Worker Rights Consortium. Howell is not one to shy away from involving his students in rallies to show support for local unions, either.
"You know,
I teach my students about the theory of labor movements, but it
is the marriage of theory and experience that makes for the most effective
teaching," he says.
Please send comments, questions, and suggestions about Oberlin Online news and feature articles to online.news@oberlin.edu.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
