Labour Studies Lecturer John-Henry Harter receives 2023 Cormack Teaching Award

During the Cormack Teaching Symposium, John-Henry Harter elucidated his teaching approach and discussed how to use diverse methods such as games, role plays, and simulations to engage SFU students in one of his labour studies courses during the Summer 2022 term.

In LBST 330: Selected Topics in Labour Studies (Roles of Resistance), Harter delves into the pedagogy of role plays and simulations as well as using games, role-plays, and simulations in the classroom to advance students' understanding of labour, class, and social justice. His objective is to explore how successful such role plays and simulations can be in the classroom in terms of generating discussion, getting students to think critically, to see labour history as an active rather than static process, and exposing them to radical discourses as a legitimate part of studying contemporary labour issues. 

Throughout the term, students have the opportunity to design their own dynamic role-plays based on Canadian working-class history and political economy. Through the application of dynamic role-plays/role-play simulations, students are encouraged to develop arguments, use evidence, and compare diverse points of view. 

Congratulations, John-Henry!