Comparative Perspectives on Social Exclusion and Business
AP/SOSC 3043 3.0
Winter 2019
Department of Social Science, York University
Course Instructor: Jeffrey Squire
Class Time: Wednesdays 4-6pm
Class Location: LSB 103
Office hours: Wednesdays 11am-12noon (strictly by apt)
Office Location: N832A Ross Building
E-mail: squirej@yorku.ca
Note: This syllabus is subject to changes
Course description
This course offers comparative perspectives on social exclusion and business with a focus on intersectional inequalities embedded in businesses. Essentially, the course provides students with an opportunity to discuss institutional and systemic forms of discrimination in the workplace, leadership structures and the paradox of diversity in relation to business practices. Key concepts to be discussed include but not limited to race, (trans)gender, disability, business and social exclusion. Case examples are drawn from Canada as well as internationally. The course involves weekly lectures, guest speakers, documentaries and case studies. As well, weekly discussions of assigned readings and lectures would be the focus of class tutorials.
Required course texts
A course kit has been compiled with the list of weekly readings and it is available at the York University bookstore. Students who choose not to acquire the course kit are required to access the assigned readings electronically via the yorku library database or have printouts prior to the beginning of each seminar. Please be advised that lectures notes will NOT be posted on Moodle.
Course Objectives
In this course we:
1. Explore the concept of social exclusion and business both in Canada and the Global North
2. Analyze some of the key issues faced by marginalized groups in businesses and the workplace
3. Assess how businesses facilitate social exclusion
4. Examine responses to social exclusion perpetuated by businesses
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Schedule of Topics and Assigned Readings
Week 1 (Jan 09) – Introduction to the Course
• Course Outline
• Assignments
• Organization of the Course
• Course Expectations
• Resources
Week 2 (Jan 16) – Historical Evolution of Social Exclusion
• Galabuzi, Grace-Edward. 2006. Canada’s Economic Apartheid: The Social Exclusion of Racialized Groups in the New Century. Canadian Scholars Press Inc., Toronto. Chapter 1: “Introduction: Emerging Realties and Old Problems.” pp. 1-24
Week 3 (Jan 23) – Industries, Pollution and Social Exclusion
• Robert J., & Shirley R. (2006). Examining Linkages between Race, Environmental Concern, Health and Justice in a Highly Polluted Community of Colour. Journal of Black Studies, Vol. 36 No. 4, March 2006 473-49
Week 4 (Jan 30) – Healthcare and Social Exclusion
• Paula Braveman (2014). What is Health Equity: And How Does a Life-Course Approach Take Us Further Toward It? Matern Child Health J (2014) 18:366–372
Week 5 (Feb 06) – Gender and Social Exclusion
• Hilbrecht, Margo; Lero, Donna S. (2014). Self-employment and family life: constructing work-life balance when you’re ‘always on’, Community, Work & Family, Vol. 17, Iss. 1 (January 2): 20-42. DOI:10.1080/13668803.2013.862214
• Guest Speaker: Sylvia Peacock
Week 6 (Feb 13) – Gender and Racial Segregation within the Ontario Fire Services.
• Readings TBA
• Guest Speaker: Kaitlin Peters
Week 7 (Feb 20) – Reading Week. No Classes
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Week 8 – (Feb 27) – Disability and Social Exclusion
• R. Bromley, D. Matthews & C. Thomas. City centre accessibility for wheelchair users: The consumer perspective and the planning implications. Cities Volume 24, Issue 3, June 2007, Pages 229-241
Week 9 (Mar 06) – Sexuality, Work and Social Exclusion
• Rachael Sullivan & Becki Ross. Tracing lines of horizontal hostility: How sex workers and gay activists battled for space, voice, and belonging in Vancouver, 1975-1985. Sexualities September 2012, Volume l 5 (Issue5-6) p.604To-621
Week 10 (Mar 13) – Individual Consultations
Week 11 (Mar 20) – Social Exclusion and Housing
• Smith, Heather and David Ley. “Even in Canada? The Multiscalar Construction and Experience of Concentrated Immigrant Poverty in Gateway Cities.” Annals of the Association of American Geographers 98.3 (2008): 686-713.
Week 12 (Mar 27) – Indigenous Populations, Work and Exclusion
• R. Levin & M. Herbert (2005). “The Experience of Urban Aboriginals with Healthcare Services in Canada”. Social Work in Healthcare, volume 39, Issue 1-2 2005
Week 13 (Apr 03) – Social Inclusion: The Way Forward
Assessment of Learning
Assignment
Weight %
Due Date
Designation
Critical Reflection
20
January 30
Individual
Response Papers
30 6 @ 5% each
Weeks, 3,4,5, 8, 9, 11
Individual
Final Essay
40
March 27
Individual
Atten/participation
10
ongoing
Individual
Total
100%
Critical Reflection
This assignment requires you to write a commentary on an aspect of social exclusion and business that is of interest or concern to you. You can select a topic from the readings, lectures or guest lectures or you can also come up with your own topic with the approval of your tutorial leader. Remember this is an academic exercise and
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not a personal blog and as such, you are required to place your reflection in an academic context by drawing from at least five peer-reviewed journal articles. Google and other internet- based references are strictly prohibited.
The reflection must be at least 6 pages long excluding the bibliographic page and must be 12 sized fonts, double-spaced with a properly formatted bibliography. This assignment constitutes 20% of your final grade and is due on Wednesday January 30, 2019.
Weekly Reading Response
You are required to submit a 2-page response paper based on the weekly assigned readings in weeks 3, 4, 5, 8, 9 & 11. The reflection paper must demonstrate an understanding of the readings and must include 2 questions for class discussions. Papers submitted on time which clearly demonstrate a grasp of the readings and include 2 questions for class discussion will receive 5 full marks. In total, these papers are worth 30% of your final grade and since they form the basis of class discussion, late submissions will not be considered. The responses must be 12 sized fonts, double-spaced, with a properly formatted bibliography, if necessary.
Term Essay
This assignment requires you to submit a 10-page essay on a topic related to the central theme of the course – Comparative Perspectives on Social Exclusion and Business. The paper must have the following main features:
• A cover page with a title that reflects the argument or question being explored
• An abstract not exceeding 150 words
• A table of contents
• Introduction and background
• Objective of the essay
• Literature Review
• Analysis and Discussion (link back to lit review)
• Recommendations and Summary
• A list of references or works cited, a minimum of 10 scholarly journals and/or books
This paper is worth 40% of your overall grade and is due on Wednesday March 27, 2018. In addition to submitting hardcopies to your tutorial leader, you are to submit electronic copies to my email at squirej@yorku.ca. The subject line must have your name and title of your essay. You must list all references cited in an appropriate scholarly format (does not matter which style you use if you remain consistent). The essay must be 12 sized fonts, double-spaced, with a properly formatted bibliography.
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Attendance & Participation
Attendance and participation in class activities is an integral aspect of this course and constitutes 10% of your overall grade. This requires you to attend all classes, do your weekly readings and engage in critical discussion of the materials. Grades will be awarded on the frequency and quality of student participation in class. I recognize that some students may not be comfortable speaking in large group settings and as a result contribution in small group discussions is encouraged and will be assessed.
Email policy
If you’d like to contact me outside of my scheduled office hours, please direct all course-related questions to my squirej@yorku.ca email address. I will respond to your emails as promptly as possible. However, please be advised that I usually receive many emails each day that require a response therefore, it may take me a day or two to reply to your message. Note also that email is the official channel of communication between the University and its students. You are required to check your yorku.ca email account regularly; I recommend that you check for course‐related emails at least twice a week. If you use another email service (e.g., gmail), it is your responsibility to ensure that mail sent to your york.ca account is forwarded to your other account.
Submission of assignments
Check the requirements in the schedule regarding submission of electronic and/or hard copies for each assignment. Hard copies are to be submitted to your teaching assistant during class.
By submitting an assignment for this course, you are agreeing to the following:
• You have properly referenced and footnoted all ideas, words or other intellectual property from other sources used in the completion of this assignment.
• You have included a proper bibliography, which includes acknowledgement of all sources used to complete this assignment.
• The assignment was completed by your own efforts. You did not collaborate with any other person for ideas or answers (except for group projects)
• This is the first time you have submitted this assignment or essay (either partially or entirely) for academic evaluation.
Turnitin: If necessary, plagiarism detection software (e.g.,Turnitin) will be used to screen assignments in this course for proper citation, referencing and instances of plagiarism. This is being done both as an educational activity for you and to verify that use of all material and sources in assignments is documented. You will be able
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to submit your assignments to Turnitin multiple times so that you can see how the software has analyzed your writing, and so that you can adjust if portions of your text are flagged as being problematic.
Late policy: You are expected to take account of the possibility of computer or printer failure in planning your time. Emailed or faxed assignments will not be accepted. The penalty for late assignments is 5 % of the total possible mark per day, including weekends and holidays. I will not accept assignments more than 5 days after the due date unless we have a prior arrangement.
When You Cannot Meet a Course Requirement Due to Illness or Other Reasons: There will be no unpenalized extensions on assignments except for illness, severe personal extenuating circumstances, or weather emergencies. When you find yourself unable to meet a course requirement because of medical, compassionate or other reasons, please advise me in writing by email; make sure to include your full name in your message. Where possible, you must contact your teaching assistant in advance of the assignment due date, but otherwise as soon as possible after the due date. As a rule, you must provide appropriate documentation, for example, a note from your doctor indicating the dates during which you were ill and describing the severity of your illness. Manage your time carefully. Pressure of work alone is not an acceptable reason for seeking an extension without penalty.
My Teaching Philosophy and Practices
My teaching philosophy is predicated on the view that education is a tool for facilitating meaningful change in society. Therefore, my role as an instructor is to inspire, motivate and encourage my students to build, develop and enhance their critical thinking skills. I assist my students to translate knowledge acquired in the classroom into positive action. I do so by striving to make learning a dynamic and inspirational experience for both myself and my students. In other words, your learning is my utmost priority. I also recognize that students have diverse learning styles and as such, I take an interactive approach to the delivery of course materials. My course delivery incorporates videos, visual aids, group work, guest speakers, brainstorming, case studies, jigsaw, think, pair, share and where appropriate, field trips. Therefore, my approach to teaching is primarily interdisciplinary. The interdisciplinary approach assists me in illustrating how concepts and theories learned in class can be connected to broader socio-economic as well as political issues. To assist you in developing and enhancing your critical thinking skills, I encourage your participation, comments, and questions during class activities. To ensure that I am keeping up with the learning needs of my students, I encourage students to provide me with feedback on a regular basis through emails, in-class
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evaluations and informal conversations. This system allows me to adjust and respond favourably to the learning needs of my students.
My Expectations of You as a Student:
I expect my students to arrive on time, attend all classes, and be respectful of themselves, their colleagues and the instructor. As a student, you are expected to complete the assigned readings, and to participate actively and consistently in class. No TEXTING is allowed in class! Internet usage is restricted to course related activities. Chatting on Facebook and other social media sites is deemed disruptive and impermissible in this class. I expect you to turn off your laptop and mute your mobile before class. If you need access to course materials stored on your laptop during a class, then you can turn it on – otherwise please leave it off.