Spring 2020 - POL 131 D100
Politics of Prosperity and Inequality (3)
Class Number: 5164
Delivery Method: In Person
Overview
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Course Times + Location:
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2020: Mon, Wed, 9:30–10:20 a.m.
Burnaby -
Exam Times + Location:
Apr 20, 2020
Mon, 3:30–6:30 p.m.
Burnaby
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Instructor:
Brian Thomas
bta23@sfu.ca
Description
CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:
Introduces how politics shapes economic inequality and development. Focuses on how government policy and the struggle for power offer solutions to major social and economic problems. Breadth-Humanities/Social Sciences.
COURSE DETAILS:
Course Description:
This course will introduce students to the growing debates around the existence, the nature, and remedies to income inequality in Canada. While the Occupy Movement put income inequality in the public spot light, and especially the concerns that it has for democratic institutions, research indicates that income and wealth inequality have been growing for some time in Canada. While economists and sociologists have discussed the ways in which demographic and economic trends have contributed to growing inequality, only recently has inequality become a sustained area of inquiry for political scientists. These literatures have tended to make inequality look natural and inevitable, but the growing literature in political science suggests a unique role that politics and policy play in producing inequality. Thus we want to understand the main drivers in politics: macroeconomic policy, public opinion, tax and transfer policies and the construction of the welfare state. We shall also add to this discussion by thinking about the special attention that "indigeneity" and "race" play in thinking about inequality. In making traction in these areas we will focus on the experiences of Indigenous Nations, Muslim Canadians and Black Canadians. Their experiences allow us to think about the economic impact of immigration/settlement policy; Aboriginal Policy in Gaming, Employment, Energy Production and the emerging Cannabis industry; and the history that “race” has played in producing income and wealth inequalities in Canada.
Course Organization:
There will be a 3-hour lecture each week.
Grading
- Presentation 15%
- Participation 5%
- Essays 30%
- Midterm 25%
- Final Exam 25%
Materials
REQUIRED READING:
David A. Green, W. Craig Riddell and France St-Hilaire, Income Inequality: The Canadian Story, Institute for Research on Public Policy, 2016. ISBN-13: 9780886453299
Abdolmohammad Kazemipur, The Muslim Question in Canada, A Story of Segmented Integration, UBC Press, 2014. ISBN-13: 9780774827300
Jennifer Nelson, Razing Africville: A Geography of Racism, University of Toronto Press. 2009. ISBN-13: 9781442610286
Yale Belanger, Gambling with the Future: The Evolution of Aboriginal Gaming in Canada, UBC Press, 2006. ISBN-13: 9781895830286
Department Undergraduate Notes:
Registrar Notes:
SFU’s Academic Integrity web site 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
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS