SOCY 344 Power and Change in Canada

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1 Queen s University Department of Sociology 2015/16 Winter term SOCY 344 Power and Change in Canada Lecture Schedule: Tuesdays 1 2:30 pm; Thursdays 11:30 am 1 pm. Location: Chernoff 117 Instructor: Prof. Cynthia Levine- Rasky phone: (613) x clrdomain@gmail.com office: D520 M- C office hours: Wednesdays 3 5 pm TAs: Marsha Rampersaud 14mr15@queensu.ca; Mohammed Masoodi 0mm121@queensu.ca Stauffer Library sociology subject page: Course Description This course examines power in Canada as the foundation of social problems, and change as general movement toward solving those problems. Issues qualify as social problems when they are perceived to originate in a social context rather than in the individual, when they are defined as a problem by a critical mass of society, when there is potential for problems to be corrected or controlled, and when they exert a negative impact on society. Social inequality is the enduring theme that runs through each of the subjects covered in the course. Beginning with theories of inequality and a rationale for situating social problems within the ambit of sociology, we will explore inequalities of income, race and ethnicity, gender, age, and sexual orientation. Following this foundation, we will look at a few substantive issues the sex trade, addictions, crime, the environment and problems arising from the social institutions of the family, education, and media. Finally, social problems related to national and global economies are explored. The course encourages active learning by integrating class discussions with every lecture, and incorporates documentary film as a teaching tool. By the end of the course, students will have gained an informed and new perspective on a range of social issues and be prepared to speak about their contexts and implications. The objective of the course is to cultivate a sociological imagination in students in the identification, understanding, and solution of social problems. A concept developed by C. Wright Mills, the sociological imagination refers to making conscious connections between private troubles and public issues. This may be done by situating personal biography in history and within broader social forces that operate through history and in the present. In this way, we may integrate what Mills calls the intimate features of the human self with the society in which we live. Required Reading Kendall, Diana, Vicki L. Nygaard, and Edward G. Thompson, Social Problems in a Diverse Society, 3 rd Canadian edition. Toronto: Pearson Canada. ISBN Assignments Final Exam: 50% Response Papers: 5% each = 50%

2 Response Papers At the end of each lecture, about 30 minutes will be dedicated to a classroom discussion on the day s reading topic/s. The format may be a debate, or a response to a question or an example presented in the textbook or a current event. Students are encouraged to participate in the class discussion, but are required to do so by posting a response in Moodle. This is how this assignment works: A question will be posted for each lecture for a total of 24 questions (12 weeks x 2 lectures/week). Students do not have to post an answer to every question. Over the term, you will choose 10 questions you find most interesting, and you will write and post a response to these only. Responses are posted privately on Moodle any time from the start of lecture on Tuesday until Friday at noon. To facilitate class discussion, I will provide time in lecture for students to reflect on the question. You are responsible for keeping track of your work. You cannot post your responses any time you like. You cannot post responses cumulatively and you cannot wait to the end of term to post all of them or a bunch at a time. You cannot wait until Week 3 to post a response for Week 1 if you neglected to do so in Week 1. There are no opportunities to post a late response. The assignment has been set up on Moodle to accept your posts from the start of the first lecture of the week until Friday at noon. Timing the assignment this way allows students to consider each other s viewpoints raised in class facilitating active learning and class dialogue. Responses are expected to be a minimum of one page and a maximum of two pages in length, double- spaced. TAs will not evaluate any portion of a response that runs in excess of two pages. Evaluation is based on the quality of critical analysis. By critical analysis I mean an argument, position, question, or perspective that explains something, draws out implications, synthesizes ideas, interprets something, applies ideas drawn from the course, raises new questions, or places something into a social context. To build your argument, you are expected to refer to the course text AND any other reputable source or sources (those based on research or written by experts in the area), and to discuss an example if one was not provided in the question. Cite your sources and provide a reference list. There is no standard format for the response and no number of references is prescribed. Students are expected to develop effective responses to a social problem drawing from scholarly books and journal articles, government documents, and research reports published by individuals and organizations representing different perspectives on an issue. Hypothetical examples of this assignment are provided below. Responses that are restricted to description, summary, repetition of others ideas, uninformed opinion, simplistic judgments, or other superficialities will be evaluated accordingly. The TAs will upload their remarks to responses at their discretion. The TAs and the instructor are available to discuss any aspect of this assignment during their office hours or by appointment. Response Paper: Sample Question In chapter 12 on problems in education, Kendall et al. discuss the establishment, operation, and purpose of residential schools for indigenous children in Canada. They very briefly refer to research on the long- term impacts of the residential schools on students and their families. The authors do not, however, discuss the general failure of residential schools in achieving their purpose. What was this purpose (or these purposes), and how would you explain the schools

3 failure to achieve it? Refer to the theoretical perspectives explored in Chapter 12, to lecture notes and slides, the Kendall book, and to any other reputable source/s. Example of a paragraph from an A level response paper As discussed in class, the government s purpose in establishing the residential school system was expressed in an 1889 Department of Indian Affairs annual report: to disassociate the Native child from the deleterious home influences to which he would otherwise be subjected. It reclaims him from the uncivilized state in which he has been brought up. Public education was the instrument of assimilation, an objective that was to be achieve through the prohibition of Native culture, the segregation of children, and the systematic dismantlement of Indigenous identities. From the functionalist perspective, the manifest purpose of residential schools may have been socialization into the dominant culture, to transmit knowledge and skills enabling aboriginal children to participate in mainstream society, or the social control of a population regarded negatively. But it was a latent function of the schools the suppression of Indigenous peoples that more accurately describes their purpose. Functionalists would admit that the schools were dysfunctional because they failed in both their manifest and latent functions. Students were not successfully assimilated into the dominant culture, and Indigenous societies were not suppressed. Research indicates the long- term negative impact of the residential schools (Statistics Canada 2009 cited in Kendall et al. 2011: 285). Affirmed by the Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, the legacy of the residential school experience is reflected in the significant educational, income, health, and social disparities between Aboriginal people and other Canadians (2015: 189). Reasons for this failure lie in colonialism and a multi- faceted institutional racism. Example of a paragraph from a B level response paper The purpose of the residential schools was to assimilate Indigenous children to mainstream culture (Kendall et al. 2011: 284). The removal of children from their homes and forcing them public education on them had many negative consequences for them such as abuse. A story published in the Globe and Mail called the residential school system a form of genocide (Puxley 2012). In applying functionalism to this question, one might argue that the purpose of the schools was social placement of Native children in jobs in Canadian cities, or the social control of a group who needed to be taught discipline. Maybe it was also to keep them out of trouble, another element in functionalism when it comes to education. Conflict theory would say that the residential schools had the hidden curriculum of conformity and obedience so that Native students would turn out in a subordinate status just like working- class students described in the book. But the residential schools failed to educate Native children. How can you get an education if you are the subject of genocide? Example of a paragraph from a C level response paper Residential schools took Native children away from home and forced them to learn non- Native ways. Children were abused physically and sexually. For example, Kendall says that Indigenous languages were forbidden, and Euro- Canadian values were considered superior. People who attended the schools describe horrific conditions as well as the long- term consequences the experiences had on their lives. On page 284, Janice Acoose had all of her belongings removed, and Darwin Blind talked about all kinds of abuse that happened to him. Some people like Jim Miller say

4 that it wasn t so bad, so from this we learn that there are different perspectives on the residential schools, like there are on everything. I don t know if the conflict perspective is right in its idea of cultural capital because I doubt whether the Native kids were presented with much in the way of books, art, and music. Maybe they would have succeeded if they had been! Why should only some families have access to that and not everyone? If the functionalists were right and the residential schools did a better job in transmitting the culture, things would have turned out better for the Native children. As it is, I cannot understand how any government would want to do to any child what they did to Native children. There is simply no way to explain it. Final Exam The final exam will be held during the final exam period in April. The format of the exam will be multiple- choice questions. Test items will cover every chapter of the book about equally. Here are two hypothetical examples of questions that will appear on the final exam. According to sociologists, a social problem is a social condition or a pattern of behaviour that: a. individuals typically bring upon themselves; therefore, they must take action to solve their own problems. b. everyone agrees is harmful for all individuals and the society. c. often is of relatively short duration and is problematic only for those who are affected by it. d. people believe warrants public concern and collective action to bring about change. Residential schools: a. were viewed as one way to amalgamate the values and beliefs of the Europeans with those of the First Nations. b. Carried out the assimilationist policies of the Europeans using mainly oppressive means. c. Were mainly government or state run with a few operated by churches. d. Were closed down at the advent of WWII. Sessional Dates for aldates_2015_2016_asc.pdf

5 Lecture Schedule (All readings refer to chapters in the Kendall et al. textbook.) DATE LECTURE TOPIC RDG DISCUSSION TOPIC (Choose 10; See details on Moodle) January 5 What are social problems? Ch. 1 Exercising the sociological imagination January 7 Theories of inequality Ch. 1 Applying theories to a current social problem January 12 Poverty and Income Inequality Ch. 2 The implications of income inequality January 14 Explaining Income Inequality Ch. 2 Solving the problem of income inequality January 19 Inequality, Race, and Ethnicity Ch. 3 Racism, racialization, and power relations January 21 The Roma in Canada Ch. 3 The Roma in Canada January 26 Inequality and Gender Ch. 4 Gender inequality and the lack of women in leadership positions January 28 Aboriginal Women Ch. 4 The murdered and missing Aboriginal women in Canada February 2 Inequality and Age, part I Ch. 5 Inequalities and age February 4 Inequality and Age, part II Ch. 5 as above February 9 Inequality and Sexualities, Ch. 6 Homophobia and queer youth part I February 11 Inequality and Sexualities, part II Ch. 6 The representation of LGBT characters in popular culture February 23 The Sex Trade in Canada Ch. 7 The sex trade and the law February 25 Addictions Ch. 8 Addictions as a social issue March 1 Crime and Criminal Justice Ch. 9 The police and racial profiling March 3 Health and Illness Ch. 10 The social determinants of health March 8 The Family Ch. 11 The boomerang phenomenon March 10 Education Ch. 12 Accessibility and rising tuition costs of PSE March 15 Political Economy and the State Ch. 13 The global social justice movement March 17 The Media Ch. 14 Violence and the media March 22 Population, Urbanization, and the Environment Ch. 15 March 24 Global Social Problems Ch. 16 War and peace March 29 Solutions to Social Problems Epilogue Toward solutions of social LAST DAY problems The interconnectedness of environmental and social problems

6 Policies Accommodations: Queen s University is committed to achieving full accessibility for persons with disabilities. Part of this commitment includes arranging academic accommodations for students with disabilities to ensure they have an equitable opportunity to participate in all of their academic activities. If you are a student with a disability and think you may need accommodations, you are strongly encouraged to contact the Disability Services Office (DSO) and register as early as possible. The Centre provides letters requesting accommodation. Instructors should receive these letters no later than fourteen days after the first day of class. For more information, including important deadlines, please visit the DSO website at: Communication of Grades: Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy legislation prohibits the public distribution of assignments (eg. outside an office door), and the general posting of grades. Results of all assignments will be picked up by individual students during class or during the professor s or TAs office hours. If you are unable to pick up your assignments personally, you can provide the professor with a stamped, self- addressed envelope to be used for the return of your work with the exception of the final exam. University policy requires professors to store final exams for one year after the end of the term. Evaluation Queen s Official Grade A A A B B B C C C D D D Numerical Course Average (Range)

7 Academic Integrity Academic integrity is constituted by the five core fundamental values of honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility (see These values are central to the building, nurturing and sustaining of an academic community in which all members of the community will thrive. Adherence to the values expressed through academic integrity forms a foundation for the freedom of inquiry and exchange of ideas essential to the intellectual life of the University (see the Senate Report on Principles and Priorities). Students are responsible for familiarizing themselves with the regulations concerning academic integrity and for ensuring that their assignments conform to the principles of academic integrity. Information on academic integrity is available in the Arts and Science Calendar (see Academic Regulations), on the Arts and Science website and from the instructor of this course. Departures from academic integrity include plagiarism (defined as the representation of another person s ideas or writing as one s own. The most obvious form of this kind of dishonesty is the presentation of all or part of another person s published work as something one has written. Other examples are copying and pasting from the internet, a printed source, or other resource without proper acknowledgement; copying from another student; using direct quotations or large sections of paraphrased material in an assignment without appropriate acknowledgement; submitting the same piece of work in more than one course without the permission of the instructor/s, use of unauthorized materials, facilitation (defined as the enablement of another s breach of academic integrity. Examples: making information available to another student; knowingly allowing one s essay or assignment to be copied by someone else; buying or selling of term papers or assignments and submitting them as one s own for the purpose of plagiarism), forgery and falsification, and are antithetical to the development of an academic community at Queen's. Given the seriousness of these matters, actions which contravene the regulation on academic integrity carry sanctions that can range from a warning or the loss of grades on an assignment to the failure of a course to a requirement to withdraw from the university. Statement on Copyright The material in this syllabus is copyrighted and is for the sole use of students registered in Power and Change in Canada. The material on this website may be downloaded for a registered student s personal use, but shall not be distributed or disseminated to anyone other than students registered in SOCY 344. Failure to abide by these conditions is a breach of copyright, and may also constitute a breach of academic integrity under the University Senate s Academic Integrity Policy Statement.