The course

Cases & AI project

About 53 percent of your grade comes from work you write and defend yourself: the weekly discussions, three California cases, and the AI and the Future of Work project. Rubrics are in Canvas.

California case analyses 3 × 50 pts

Each case runs two to three pages, double-spaced, in APA style, and uses the same five-part structure. The Applied Case at the end of each chapter is the model.

The facts that matter, and only those
The legal and institutional framework: which statute, which agency, and which contract clause
The positions of each side, stated so that side would agree with how you put it
Your recommendation
What you would need to know to be more confident

Due Sun Oct 11 · with Ch. 7

Case #1 — Grievance & arbitration

Take the union’s side or management’s and argue the contract.

Due Sun Oct 25 · with Ch. 9

Case #2 — Bargaining at CSUDH

Use HEERA, PERB, and the CSU–CFA relationship to analyze a bargaining dispute on your own campus.

Due Sun Nov 8 · with Ch. 11

Case #3 — Wage & hour meets the contract

How does a union contract interact with California’s wage-and-hour floor?

AI and the Future of Work 150 pts

Pick one California occupation or industry and answer three questions. What is actually being automated? How have workers and their organizations responded? What should labor policy do about it?

Sun Nov 1 · 25 pts

Proposal

One page that names your occupation or industry, three sources, and your working question.

Sun Dec 6 · 125 pts

Final deliverable

Either a 5–7 page paper or an 8-minute recorded presentation with slides. Add an appendix that documents every generative AI tool and prompt you used.

Topics that have worked: rideshare drivers under AB 1340 · autonomous vehicles and the Waymo rollout · fast-food automation after the FAST Act wage increase · generative AI in entertainment contracts · warehouse algorithmic management · AI in nursing and patient care.

Using AI is allowed and must be documented. Cite the tool in APA software format and list the prompts that shaped what you submitted. Two limits apply: the Reflection Paper has to be your own thinking, and undisclosed AI use is an academic integrity violation.

Exams, discussions, and the rest

Component	Points	What to know
Weekly discussions	225	Best 15 of 16 at 15 points each, including two “Unions in the News” prompts. Take a position, ground it in the chapter, and bring in your own workplace.
SmartBook (Connect)	100	Best 10 at 10 points each. Graded mostly on effort.
Quizzes	150	26 offered and the 8 lowest dropped. California quizzes are in Canvas and Budd quizzes in Connect. Each one is timed and taken in one sitting.
California cases	150	See above
AI and the Future of Work	150	See above
Midterm	75	CA Ch. 1–7 plus Budd 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9. Opens Mon Oct 12 and is due Sun Oct 18. It is not dropped.
Final	100	Cumulative. Opens Sat Dec 12 and is due Thu Dec 17. A practice final (extra credit) is available in Week 15.
Reflection paper	50	2–4 pages on what you learned and how you will use it. Due Fri Dec 11.