This course seeks to flesh out the labor practices of women globally, as shown in mostly twenty-first century literature. Through engaging a variety of texts - both literary and filmic - this course seeks to contribute to an ongoing discussion about the relation between labor and gender. First, what constitutes labor? And second, how has the global economic system historically managed to avoid compensating both domestic and care work? Answering such questions will lead us to investigate not only the global and gendered distribution of labor, but also how modern states have placed limits on whether or when something counts as labor. In the process, we will expand what we mean by ‘economics’ to consider alternative logics for exchange beyond monetary and financial circuits such as, affective economics or trans- and internationalist solidarity networks. Key concepts that this course will consider include social reproduction, export processing zones and maquiladoras, temporary work programs, and citizenship. Authors will be women from South Asia, Africa, the Middle East and North Africa, as well as their diasporas. This course will, at least, have the C and H general education requirements.