Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Fall 2022 - GSWS 350 D100

Public Policy for Women (4)

Class Number: 7248

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Sep 7 – Dec 6, 2022: Tue, 12:30–2:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

    Sep 7 – Dec 6, 2022: Thu, 12:30–2:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Prerequisites:

    30 units.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Examines issues where ideas about males and females either explicitly or implicitly influence policy makers. Focuses on current public policies and their relationship to women on topics such as sexuality and violence, economic security, race and inequality, and climate change. Students with credit for POL 350 may not take this course for further credit. Students who have taken this topic under GSWS (or WS) 320 may not take this course for further credit.

COURSE DETAILS:

What are the gendered and racialized origins and impacts of public policy?

Why does universal childcare matter?

What is a gender budget?

How does women’s economic recovery from the pandemic differ from men’s?

These are just a few of the questions we will explore in this course. Students will be introduced to contemporary policy at a variety of scales, with particular attention to municipal and regional government. We will examine policy on a wide range of topics (including, but not limited to, child care, housing, economic security, and safety), using an intersectional equity lens to identify public policy that meets the needs of women across all their diversity. One course project involves observation and analysis of the 2022 municipal elections.

Students will learn to:

  • Use an intersectional and equity lens to understand the relationship between policy tools and women’s lives.
  • Identify policy tools & policy actors in a range of sectors, with a particular focus on municipal and regional government.
  • Consider the lifecourse of policy, from adoption to implementation and evaluation.
  • Examine how women influence public policy to meet their needs.
  • Use field work and analytical writing to examine the policy landscape in practice.

 

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

For more detailed information please see the GSWS website: http://www.sfu.ca/gsws/undergraduate/courses/Educational_Goals.html

Grading

  • Attendance + class participation 10%
  • Article review + discussion facilitation 25%
  • Municipal election fieldwork + analysis 20%
  • Policy review + presentation 35%
  • Peer review 10%

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Various texts (municipal policies, policy analyses, journal articles, etc.) available on Canvas, online, and/or via SFU library databases.


REQUIRED READING NOTES:

Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

SFU’s Academic Integrity website http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating. Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the university community. Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the university. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the university. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html