MA International Labour and Trade Union Studies (ILTUS)

This is a one-year full time or two-year part-time postgraduate course.

Labour movements worldwide are seen as being in crisis and are actively seeking ways of renewal. These issues are closely linked with globalisation and with fluidity among emergent transitional and developing states and countries. Ruskin’s place in the labour movement, together with academic staff researching, writing and teaching in the field, puts it in a good position to become a centre of debate and scholarship in this project.

The Ruskin MA offers practitioners and scholars of such challenges the conceptual, analytical and critical framework for understanding and explaining labour movement change.

This MA course aims to:

Stretch student thinking beyond the ‘envelope’ to new and creative strategies of labour movement renewal and transformation, and their own role and identity in this.

Debate issues such as:

• Organised labour’s relationship with globalisation
• Internal union democracy and leadership,
• Inclusively in relation to diversities across gender, class, age, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, disability
• Cross-national and cross-cultural comparisons
• Achieving praxis – theory into practice

WHAT WILL I STUDY IN THE COURSE? The MA’s focus is on contemporary issues and the future of labour movements. While strongly grounded in practice, theoretical frameworks will frame and explain issues and students will extend this approach in their Part 2 work/union/current issue based Dissertation. At workshops, students discuss and debate with one another, with tutors and with invited academic researchers and speakers from the labour movement. Tutors on the MA are themselves experienced researchers and publish in their fields. Full-time students may be sponsored by their own or other trade union organisations. If in the UK, these will normally provide trade union attachments (unpaid) for overseas students. Some scholarships may be available.

The course is designed for:

• Experienced UK trade union officers and activists (paid and lay) from UK unions especially those which have and are developing international departments and who work closely with overseas partners such as PSI (Public Services International), ICFTU (International Confederation of Free TUs) and the ETUC (European Trades Union Confederation) as well as their sister unions abroad.
• UK trade union officers and activists working in professional and white-collar unions who are already graduates, and are seeking postgraduate academic study and qualifications in the field.
• Overseas specialists, including from EU countries, in developing and emerging economies, and eastern/central Europe.
• Activists and officers from labour movements worldwide. NGO workers in the field, equality and human resources specialists in the field. Graduates of industrial relations, human resource management, business, economics and associated disciplines.
• Graduates of Ruskin’s BA International Labour and Trade Union Studies

Full-time students will write their dissertations between June and October and will have individual tutorial/supervisory supervision from tutors in the College.

HOW WILL I LEARN AND BE TAUGHT IN THE COURSE?

You don’t have to live in Oxford to study the MA. The part-time course runs over two years and is organised through three-day residential workshops at Ruskin College. Between workshops, students keep in touch with one another and with tutors via e-support systems. The full-time course runs over 12 months. Overseas students on scholarships will normally live in Ruskin student accommodation, and other full-time students may do so if accommodation is available. Students from both part time and full-time courses will join together for classes at the three-day residential workshops. Full-time students will attend seminars and tutorials and spend time at UK labour organisations on unpaid attachments.

Student support

Support systems between workshops include tutors, the programme coordinator, and student colleagues in Student Study Groups (SSGs) using a range of communications methods; principally e-communications.

If students are sponsored by/working with or for a union or other organisation, we expect that they will be given support such as access to data, relevant policies and strategies, conferences, meetings with key people. This is especially important since assignments are oriented mainly towards labour movement current issues.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Students will normally be graduates with an honours degree or equivalent qualifications in a relevant area of study. Instead of a degree, you may be admitted if

• You have relevant paid or unpaid experience including training/education courses, in organisations such as trade unions, community, voluntary or political groups.
• You have knowledge and academic skills commensurate with degree level work.
• You can show evidence of capacity for post-graduate study through providing a portfolio of recent written work; for example reports, policy papers, funding applications, essays, etc.
• You complete an academic case study analysis exercise and background reading set by the MA to the equivalent standard of a first degree
• You have qualifications in the relevant area of study and have completed the equivalent of year 1 elsewhere, you may apply for entry to Part 2 of the MA programme.

COURSE AND APPLICATION DATES

This course runs every other year. There will be a series of open days throughout the year that the course starts.

CAREERS

The MA aims to provide a higher education level qualification for the labour movement and associated practitioners in order to enhance their strategic skills and knowledge and provide the basis for career progression in the field, including movement between union policy development and practice and academic research and education.

As evidenced by the 2005 TUC Union Officer Training Review, which notes that following changes in union officer roles and entry routes, the level of educational qualifications has increased and now among officers, degree/HND and professional qualifications dominate (2005:9).

The MA is equally useful for those seeking to develop research and academic careers in the field.

HOW TO APPLY FOR THIS COURSE

You can apply for courses online via the Ruskin College website or you can download a pdf of our application form. Send printed application forms to Academic Registrar, Ruskin College, Ruskin Hall, Dunstan Road, Old Headington, Oxford, OX3 9BZ You can request a hard copy of the application form to be sent to you by contacting Reception at Ruskin Hall on 01865 759600 or email enquiries@ruskin. ac.u

You should submit your application with:

• Evidence of your formal qualifications, and for those applying on the basis of equivalence, examples of recent written work and previous study etc.
• 2,000 words on Why You Want to Apply for the MA International Labour & Trade Union Studies at Ruskin College

FUNDING YOUR STUDIES

Students are responsible for the payment of their own tuition fees on this course and there will be an additional residence and catering charge for the residential workshops (approximately £150.00 per workshop). There are six workshops in year one, and three in year two. Some individual unions provide scholarships for study at Ruskin.

The TUC also generously provides three scholarships per year to £1,000.00. The MA programme co-ordinator, Ian Manborde (07900 325379) is willing to assist MA applicants in seeking financial assistance from their trade unions and employers.

Historically, the majority of all MA ILTUS students receive some form of financial assistance for MA study from their trade union and/or employer.

Fees and Funding

How to Finance your Studies for the UK - based students There is a range of options available to help you finance your studies dependent on the level, of course, you are undertaking, your financial status and where you live in the UK. Students should make their application for financial assistance as soon as they receive their offer letter. Information on where to apply for funding will be included in the offer letter, along with the tuition fee amount and any course codes that you will need. Students will not be allowed to enrol unless they can provide evidence to show how their tuition fees and (if applicable) residential and catering fees will be paid.

Tuition Fees 2015/16

Access to HE Programmes, Level 3, Full Time: £3,358

Why study at Ruskin?

Individuals like you who want to make positive changes to their lives and have the determination to secure the education, qualifications and opportunities that we offer.

As a Further Education College based in Oxford, Ruskin offers educational opportunities, to adults with few or no formal qualifications in an informal setting. Our curriculum starts with the students, their enthusiasm, needs, ambitions and skills and we offer our applicants potential progression routes from foundation courses, through to Access to Higher Education, Degree Programmes up to Masters level.

Whether you are about achieving qualifications, pursuing a forgotten enthusiasm or simply learning to enjoy education. Our friendly residential college attracts students from our local communities, across the UK and the world to help each other learn.

We’ll help you find a level of study that suits your skills and experience.

Ruskin College has a proud history of supporting individuals to realise their potential. We’re a small college, with big ideas – and the programmes we offer mean your learning can also make positive changes to the lives of others. Ruskin welcomes students who not only want to develop themselves but want also to put something back into society.

All of our courses feature the same high-quality teaching and support and there is a range of options for you to explore, from short courses through degrees to masters programmes.

What’s special about Ruskin?

• Academic excellence - Ruskin offers highly qualified staff who provide a supportive and enriching learning experience
• A supportive environment - with our help you can realise your potential and overcome your own personal barriers to learning. Your tutor will help you to find the skills you need and handle the challenges you face
• A like-minded community - you’ll be joining a community of like-minded people, and studying alongside other adults like you who have chosen to make a positive change in their lives
• Clear progression - your learning journey is tailored to your ability and aspirations and that can mean direct access to a degree programme (subject to interview)
• An eye to the future - what you can achieve depends on the skills you have developed during your studies. Our longer courses can lead you directly into professional careers or on to further higher education.

Our story began 115 years ago, rooted in educating working-class adults. Today, we continue to offer opportunities and support to students who often face challenging circumstances. Students come to us from all walks of life, of all ages, some with family or caring commitments, many who are familiar with unemployment or part-time, low paid jobs, and many who have been denied education, qualifications and chances earlier on in their lives.

Why not make Ruskin College the next chapter in your story?

Accommodation at Ruskin

Ruskin College is located in Old Headington, an area just three miles from the centre of Oxford and rich in history. Ex-residents of Headington include CS Lewis, JRR Tolkien, Sir Isaiah Berlin and Elizabeth Bowen amongst others.

From Headington, there are regular and frequent bus services to the city centre and a regular coach service to London.

Once offered a place, full-time students can apply for a single study bedroom for the entire academic year (40 weeks). Accommodation for students on site is of a high standard, recently-refurbished and offering study/bedrooms in small blocks on the peaceful, semi-rural campus.

There is a choice of standard rooms with shared bathrooms or shower and toilet facilities or en-suite rooms at a higher cost, and subject to availability. All have shared kitchens, and there are three common rooms for use in the evenings.

The College occupies a beautiful site with lawned areas to the front, featuring specimen trees and an avenue of elms, a walled garden behind with opportunities to become involved, an orchard, a small wood and meadowland beyond. Above all, this provides a calm and tranquil environment in which to study.

Life on Campus

The College attracts students from all over Britain and many parts of the world. Within its residential community, students socialise, study and help each other learn in a friendly, supportive environment.

Up-to-date computer facilities are available throughout the week, including weekends, and the modern, purpose-built Callaghan library is well-stocked with over 40,000 volumes.

There is an active Students Union, called the Ruskin College Student Union (RCSU), which promotes and supports the interests of Ruskin students, co-ordinates activities and sponsors groups and societies within the College.

Students are also eligible to join the Oxford Union, and University of Oxford clubs and societies, which offer a wealth of sporting, theatrical, musical and political activities.

Ruskin College is one of the liveliest venues for literary and political meetings in Oxford. We have visiting speakers, music evenings and creative writing and poetry readings, in addition to hosting a variety of Platform events in theatre, law, gender and history.

Life in Oxford

The City of Oxford offers a wide range of cultural and leisure opportunities.

The Ashmolean was the world’s first public museum and houses collections from classical sculpture to impressionist paintings. The Museum of Modern Art offers the best of contemporary work. Within Oxford colleges, many fine collections of art are available for public viewing.

The Bodleian Library, the main research library of the University of Oxford, counts among the most prestigious in the world, and Oxford’s Blackwell's bookshop is the flagship for one of the UK’s largest academic booksellers.

The Oxford Playhouse and the New Theatre showcase the best in touring performance – from classic drama, through opera and dance, to stand up and big name bands and singers. A variety of other smaller scale performance spaces cater for all tastes, many offering opportunities to participate.

A vibrant music scene also exists in Oxford’s pubs and clubs right across the city, from folk to funk, rock to reggae.

There are great sports and leisure facilities within Oxford. The University Sports Centre has squash courts and a gymnasium, and there are opportunities galore for individual and team participation. The city itself also offers an ice rink and a variety of sports centres and facilities.

University Access

Many of the facilities of the University of Oxford, its libraries, social life, and events, are open to Ruskin students through the College’s links. Students studying for the Foundation Degree in Business and Social Enterprise are able to access facilities offered by Oxford Brookes University, including the library, careers service and sports facilities.

Ruskin College also has established links with Universities to provide progression into higher education for those completing one of the Access to Higher Education Diploma courses or the first (CertHE) or second (Foundation degree) courses.