Instructions:

The purpose of this final paper is to assess your grasp of the course material, and to give you a chance to critically apply your understanding of course concepts towards an analysis of the gig economy. Therefore, no outside research is necessary.

Read the essay “Platform Capitalism, Platform Cooperativism, and the Commons” by Evangelos Papadimitropoulos.” Pay particular attention to the author’s discussion of platform cooperativism and the commons.

Write a 5-6 page, double-spaced (around 1250-1500 words) essay addressing the following prompt:

In our class, we have studied the uneven distribution of benefits and harms associated with gig

economies, especially in relation to platform work. For your final essay, critically reflect on the possibilities of a more just gig economy for platform workers. Write an essay analyzing the

concept of platform cooperativism as discussed by Papadimitropoulos. What possibilities do platform cooperativism offer in terms of addressing or at least mitigating the harms generated by gigwork and platform capitalism?

Your essay should do more than just agree or disagree with platform cooperativism. Instead, be sure to put platform cooperativism in conversation with other concepts we have discussed in

class. For example, you can discuss how, by expanding the commons, platform cooperativism offers opportunities for more flexible work options without accompanying surveillance. Then you can draw from the testimonies of platform workers regarding precarities, and then discuss how cooperativism may address their concerns.

Or conversely, you can use a similar framework to discuss how cooperativism does not address the roots of workers’ concerns.

Other guidelines:

The best essays will have a well-organized structure. Prepare an introductory paragraph that has a strong thesis statement and be explicit about how you will support your thesis

statement with concepts from our class.

Draw from a combination of at least three class texts, including the testimonies and situated knowledge from gig workers.

Cite your sources in-text, using your choice of MLA citation style. Please be consistent in your citations. As a rule, your reader should always be able to tell when you are referencing another person’s work and when you are making your own claims. Prepare a Works Cited page (not included in word count).

You may use first person, “I” in your essays. Be thoughtful in using first person, make sure that this adds to your analysis.Please submit your work in MS Word or pdf format.