Essay/Research

The final essay is intended to be an opportunity for you to explore how specific social welfare policies and/or decisions affect the well-being of a specific group of people. For your final essay, you will choose: one (1) area of social welfare from the topics listed below; and one (1) group/community of focus from the groups listed below. Demonstration of your understanding of the foundations of social welfare is evaluated by your direct integration of all course readings that are relevant to your topic. Topics Areas (choose 1): Colonization and Settler Colonial Policies (e.g., the Indian Act) Groups/Communities of Focus (choose 1): Indigenous Peoples living in Canada or Ontario Remember that this is a scholarly assignment, and therefore the writing should be formal and scholarly in presenting evidence and in tone. If you make claims, you must be able to back them up with evidence from literature. For example, you can’t really confirm the statement “society is growing more concerned with homelessness,” as one could also argue that this is not true. You must cite a source as evidence. Your final essay should address the following in order. First provide an introduction to your paper, including your main ideas/thesis and what the paper will entail. Then provide a description of the specific group of people you have chosen to examine in the Canadian context. Who makes up this group? Why is it important for us to examine this social policy area? You should incorporate statistics in this section. For example, if you are discussing homelessness, how big is this problem in Canada? How many people in Canada are homeless according to the most recent statistics? Next, discuss the specific social policy area you are presenting. Using the course ideas (and directly integrating the course readings) related to the historical development of social welfare, link these readings to your topic and make the connections for the reader. For example, what is important about the eras of social welfare policy related to the topic? Does content related to the dehumanization of people who are poor apply? Does the legacy of the deserving/undeserving poor apply to your topic? Next, explore the foundations of social welfare in relation to your topic while directly integrating your readings. You should be able to apply content from at least one of Modules 1, 2, 4, and/or 5. Next, synthesize and present the scholarly literature you researched on this topic. Do not write article-by-article, but rather synthesize what your research has taught you about your topic. What does the scholarly literature say about your topic or issue? Present a synthesis of the research done for your annotated bibliography and the research you continued to do on your topic after the annotated bibliography submission. What does the scholarly literature have to say about your topic? Make sure to present this as a synthesis of the sources. Do not just state what the sources stated article-by-article. This is your unique contribution of knowledge to this topic. The other sections have to do with how well you can apply the course knowledge to your topic, but this section is your analysis of the research you did. Next, demonstrate your knowledge of intersectionality by providing some analysis of intersectionality as it relates to your topic (as well as direct integration of sources). For example, if you are focusing on the social welfare of women and homelessness, then research and discuss specifically how intersections of oppression apply. For example, do racialized women face greater rates of housing insecurity than non-racialized women? Discuss what you learned from your research about why: the intersection of racism and gender discrimination. Your conclusion should re-state your thesis and main ideas from your paper. Conclude also with what you have learned from your research and your own thinking about social welfare and the specific group that you have examined. Avoid making any recommendations, as you will not have the space to do this well. Your essay should be 8-10 pages (not including cover page or references sheet) and should follow standard professional presentation (12 point font only, double-spaced, 2.54cm margins top and bottom, APA formatted). It is expected that you will continue to research your essay beyond the sources used for the annotated bibliography. Therefore, a minimum of eight (8) sources should be included in addition to your course sources. Remember that you only include sources in a reference sheet for those that you cite in-text. You may read many more sources than these eight (8); often scholars read a lot but only cite a handful depending on their relevance. Remember that all statistics used must be current, or the most current available. For example, if you note poverty rates in Canada, they should be within the year as this is readily available from a variety of sources. Grading Criteria Dimension Value All elements were completed well Internal logic/Consistency of paper Research quality Integration of course material/Demonstration of adequate understanding of course ideas Professional presentation Recommended Texts You will find references to the following structural social work text throughout the course. This text will be one of your required texts for many subsequent courses. Mullaly & Dupré’s (2019) The new structural social work: Ideology, Theory, and Practice (4th ed.) by Oxford University Press. Shewell’s (2004) ‘Enough to keep them alive:’ Indian Welfare in Canada, 1873-1965 by University of Toronto Press. Mullaly & Dupré’s (2019) The new structural social work: Ideology, Theory, and Practice (4th ed.) by Oxford University Press. Shewell’s (2004) ‘Enough to keep them alive:’ Indian Welfare in Canada, 1873-1965 by University of Toronto Press. Module Readings Module 1 Raphael, D. (2011). Poverty and the modern welfare state. In Poverty in Canada: Implications for health and quality of life (2nd ed., pp. 4-27). Canadian Scholars’ Press Inc. Shewell, H. (2004). Themes and issues. In ‘Enough to keep them alive’: Indian welfare in Canada, 1873-1965 (pp. 4-24). University of Toronto Press Incorporated. Module 2 Hick, S. (2014). Introducing social welfare: Understanding income security. In Social welfare in Canada: Understanding income security (3rd ed., pp. 2-25). Thompson Educational Publishing. Module 3 Kennedy-Kish (Bell), B., Sinclair, R., Carniol, B., & Baines, D. (2017). Early attitudes. In Case critical: Social services and social justice in Canada (7th ed., pp. 52-75). Between the Lines. Graham, J.R., Shier, M.L., & Delaney, R. (2017). Historical influences. In Canadian social policy (5th ed., pp. 18-43). Pearson. Shier, M.L. & Graham, J.R. (2014). Social Policy in Canada. Encyclopedia of Social Work. DOI: 10.1093/acrefore/9780199975839.013.947 Module 4 Graham J.R., Shier, M.L., & Delaney, R. (2017). Ideology and the political spectrum. In Canadian social policy: A new introduction (5th ed., pp. 69-79). Don Mills, ON: Pearson Canada Inc. Sommers, R. (2013). Governing the streets: The legal, social and moral regulation of homeless youth. In Gaetz, S., O’Grady, B., Buccieri, K., Karabanow, J., & Marsolais, A. (Eds.), Youth homelessness in Canada: Implications for policy and practice (pp. 369-386). Toronto, ON: Canadian Homelessness Research Network Press. Module 5 Béland, D., Marchildon, G.P., & Prince, M.J. (2020). Understanding universality within a liberal welfare regime: The case of universal social programs in Canada . Social Inclusion, 8(1), 124-132. Martin, D., Miller, A.P., Quesnel-Vallée, A., Caron, N.R., Vissandjée, B., & Marchildon, B.P. (2018). Canada’s Universal Health-Care System: Achieving its Potential. The Lancet, 391, 1718-1735. Module 6 Pasma, C., & Mulvale, J. (n.d.) Income security for all Canadians: Understanding guaranteed income. BIEN Canada. Lightman, E., & Lightman, N. (2017). Setting the context. In Social policy in Canada (2nd ed., pp. 3-32). Oxford University Press. Module 7 Mikkonen, J. & Raphael, D. (2010). Social determinants of health: The Canadian facts. York University School of Health Policy and Management. Johnstone, M. & Jeyapal, D. (2018).Women, intersecting oppressions, and social policy in Canada. In Harding, R. & Jeyapal, D. (Eds.), Canadian social policy for social workshers (pp. 140-160). Oxford University Press. Bryant, T. & Raphael, D. (n.d.). Intersectionality, the welfare state and women’s health. Czyzewski, K. (2011). Colonialism as a broader social determinant of health. The International Indigenous Policy Journal, 2(1). Retrieved from: http://ir.lib.uwo.ca/iipj/vol2/iss1/5 Module 8 Chunn, Dorothy E., & Gavigan, Shelley A.M. (2004). Welfare law, welfare fraud, and the moral regulation of the ‘never deserving’ poor. Social & Legal Studies 13(2), 219-243. Papillon, M. (2014). Playing catch-up with ghosts: Income assistance for First Nations on reserve. In Welfare reform in Canada: Provincial social assistance in comparative perspective. University of Toronto Press. Smith-Carriere, T., Montgomery, P., Mossey, S., Shute, T., Forchuk, C., & Rudnick, A. (2020). Erosion of social support for disabled people in Ontario: An appraisal of the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) using a human rights framework. Canadian Journal of Disability Studies, 9(1). Module 9 Manuel, A. & Derrickson, R. (2017). Part 1: Getting to know you. In The reconciliation manifesto: Recovering the land rebuilding the economy (pp. 48-74). James Lorimer & Company Ltd., Publishers. Module 10 MacDonald, J.E., & Cooper, S.N. (2018). (dis)Ability policy: A tangled web of complexity. In Harding, R. & Jeyapal, D. (Eds.), Canadian social policy for social workshers (pp. 179-200). Oxford University Press. Module 11 Arya, N. (2018). Timeline: A brief history of migration and marginalization. In Arya, A.N. & Piggott, T. (Eds.), Under-served: Health determinants of Indigenous, inner-city, and migrant populations in Canada (pp. 200-203). Canadian Scholars. Hynie, M. (2018). Social determinants of refugee health. In Arya, A.N. & Piggott, T. (Eds.), Under-served: Health determinants of Indigenous, inner-city, and migrant populations in Canada (pp. 204-225). Canadian Scholars. Mulé, N.J. (2018). Sexual and gender diversity. In Harding, R. & Jeyapal, D. (Eds.), Canadian social policy for social workshers (pp. 161-178). Oxford University Press.