2010-2011 Graduate Calendar

Social Justice and Equity Studies

 

Master of Arts in Social Justice and Equity Studies

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Dean

Thomas Dunk

Faculty of Social Sciences

Core Faculty

Professors

David Butz (Geography), June Corman (Sociology), Ann Duffy (Sociology/Labour Studies), Thomas Dunk (Sociology), Jane Helleiner (Sociology), Michael Ripmeester (Geography), Murray E. G. Smith (Sociology), John Sorenson (Sociology)

Associate Professors

Robert Alexander (English Language and Literature), Kate Bezanson (Sociology), Jonah Butovsky (Sociology), Janet Conway (Sociology), Hevina Dashwood (Political Science), Michael Driedger (History and Great Books Liberal Studies), David Fancy (Dramatic Arts), Jennifer Good (Communications, Popular Culture and Film), Ana Isla (Women's Studies and Sociology), Voula Marinos (Child and Youth Studies), Phillip Mackintosh (Geography), Dan Malleck (Community Health Sciences), Richard Mitchell (Child and Youth Studies), Dolana Mogadime (Education), Catherine Jean Nash (Geography), Rebecca Raby (Child and Youth Studies), Dragos Simandan (Geography), Susan Spearey (English Language and Literature), Susan Tilley (Education), Sherryl Vint (English Language and Literature), Michelle Webber (Sociology)

Assistant Professors

Jeff Boggs (Geography), Dale Bradley (Communications Studies, Popular Culture and Film), Mary Breunig (Recreation and Leisure Studies), Catherine Chaput (English Language and Literature), Nancy Cook (Sociology), Keri Cronin (Visual Arts), , Adam Dickinson (English Language and Literature), Ifeanyi Ezeonu (Sociology), Margot Francis (Sociology and Women Studies), Tami Friedman (History), Tamari Kitossa (Sociology), Shannon Moore (Child and Youth Studies), Trent Newmeyer (Recreation and Leisure Studies), Hijin Park (Sociology), Maria Del Carmen Suescun Pozas (History), Mary-Beth Raddon (Sociology), Dennis Soron (Sociology), Ebru Ustundag (Geography)

Adjunct Professors

Amanda Glasbeek (Social Sciences, York), A. Bonny Ibhawoh (History, McMaster)

Graduate Program Director

Susan Tilley

stilley@brocku.ca

Administrative Co-ordinator

Julia Gottli

MA Social Justice and Equity Studies

905-688-5550, extension 5591 STH 400B

socialjustice@brocku.ca

http://www.brocku.ca/socialjustice

 

Program Description

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This innovative interdisciplinary MA in Social Justice and Equity Studies responds to the growing need for individuals trained in the expanding field of Social Justice and Equity scholarship. Social Justice Studies is a growing field of study in Canadian universities. It is interdisciplinary, diverse and pluralistic in its theoretical traditions, substantive problematics, methods and approaches.

While the field of Social Justice and Equity Studies is open, it is not completely unbounded. Its emergence as an academic field has historically been linked to ethicopolitical movements for progressive social change. The objective of the SJES program is to train students in critical analysis of social justice and equity issues as related to processes and struggles associated with age, ability, gender, sexuality, racism, speciesism, the environment, class and other patterns of inequality. Training in both theory and research methods links processes operating at and across a range of geographical scales, from local to the global.

The emergence of the field of Social Justice and Equity Studies also reflects recognition of the links between power and knowledge in the university. Social Justice and Equity Studies seeks to enact an emancipatory politics of knowledge in favouring voices and perspectives that have been historically marginalized and who are actively resisting domination. These legacies and commitments inform the teaching and research done under the auspices of the SJES program at Brock and the criteria for affiliation and admission to the program. The program unites scholars from distinct academic disciplines to provide an exciting breadth and diversity of perspectives.

The program is made up of participating faculty from Child and Youth Studies, Communications, Popular Culture and Film Studies, Community Health Sciences, Dramatic Arts, Education, English Language and Literature, Geography, History, Labour Studies, Political Science, Recreation and Leisure Studies, Sociology, Visual Arts, and Women's Studies. Students will be equipped to pursue doctorial studies and to offer their expertise as policy makers or policy consultants to social advocacy and social movement orgranizations as well as a wider public.

 

Admission Requirements

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Successful completion of an Honours Bachelor's degree, or equivalent, in a relevant discipline, with a minimum overall average of 75%. The program welcomes students from a variety of academic backgrounds. Applicants will be expected to demonstrate proficiency in English.

The Graduate Admissions Committee will review all applications and recommend admission for a limited number of suitable candidates.

Individuals interested in part-time study should consult with the Graduate Program Director.

 

Degree Requirements

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Students will consult with the Director or designated faculty liaison person when planning their programs of study. Graduate students follow either Scheme A or Scheme B.

 

Scheme A: Course Work and Major Research Paper

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The program of study must include: SJES 5F91 (major research paper), SJES 5P01, SJES 5P02, SJES 5P03, and three half-credit electives. Of the three half-credit electives, two will normally be offered as electives within the Social Justice and Equity Studies program and one will normally be a course offered by another Brock graduate program, a graduate course at another Ontario university (OVGS), or a Directed Studies course. All courses must be pre-approved by the Director. Additional credits may be required of candidates with insufficient pre-admission background. Scheme A is designed to normally be completed in three terms.

Major Research Paper

To complete the requirements of SJES 5F91, each student must complete a major research paper that demonstrates capacity for independent work and original research or thought. The major paper shall be chosen in consultation with a Supervisor and will be evaluated by the Supervisor and a second faculty reader. Students interested in pursuing a broader range of courses should enroll in Scheme A. Full-time students must complete one year of full-time study (three successive terms).

Full-time students in Scheme A will normally enroll in SJES 5P02, SJES 5P03 and SJES 5P01 in the fall term (note that SJES 5P01 normally runs over two terms). In the winter term students in Scheme A will normally enroll in three additional courses.

Part-time students will normally take one of either SJES 5P02 or SJES 5P03 in the first term and at least one half-credit course per year thereafter.

 

Scheme B: Course Work and Thesis

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The program of study must include: SJES 5F90 (thesis), SJES 5P01, SJES 5P02, SJES 5P03 and one half-credit elective. The elective will normally be offered within the Social Justice and Equity Studies program; however, subject to the approval of the Director, students may fulfill this requirement by taking a course offered by another Brock graduate program, a graduate course at another Ontario university (OVGS), or a Directed Studies course. Additional credits may be required of candidates with insufficient pre-admission background. Scheme B is designed to normally be completed in five terms.

Thesis

To complete the requirements of SJES 5F90, each student must complete, and defend at a public oral examination, a thesis that demonstrates a capacity for independent work and original research or thought. The thesis topic shall be chosen in consultation with the Supervisor and other members of the Supervisory Committee. A formal thesis proposal must be approved by the Committee. Scheme B is intended for students who are prepared to do an in-depth project on a specialized topic.

Full-time students in Scheme B will normally enroll in SJES 5P02, SJES 5P03, and SJES 5P01 (note that SJES 5P01 normally runs over two terms) and a minimum of one additional course in the winter term.

 

Course Descriptions

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Students must check to ensure that prerequisites are met. Students may be deregistered, at the request of the instructor, from any course for which prerequisites and/or restrictions have not been met.

SJES 5F90

Thesis

An in-depth research project involving the preparation and defense of a thesis which shall demonstrate capacity for independent work and original research or thought.

SJES 5F91

Major Research Paper

A major research paper which shall demonstrate capacity for independent work and original research or thought.

SJES 5P01

Graduate Seminar

In a small group forum, students hone their skills in developing research projects. A broad range of topics and progressive approaches to social justice and equity research are introduced through guest speakers, workshops, and student presentations.

SJES 5P02

Theorizing Social Justice and Equity Studies

Students are prepared to critically evaluate classical and contemporary theories of social inequality and social justice through case studies drawn from local, regional, national, and international levels.

SJES 5P03

Research Methods in Social Justice and Equity Studies

Students are prepared to critically evaluate major research methods used in social justice and equity research through case studies at local, national, and international levels.

SJES 5P20

Domination and Resistance

Theories, case studies, and other texts examining domination and resistance in both historical and global contexts. Topics may include exploitation, colonialism, postcolonialism, globalization, counter-hegemonic social identities.

SJES 5P25

Social Justice and the City

Theories, case studies, and other texts examining social and economic inequalities and their relation to processes of urbanization. Topics may include oppressive urbanism, cultural politics of difference, contested terrains of justice, and urban social movements.

SJES 5P30

Social Justice and Environment

Theories, case studies, and other texts examining the interconnectedness of social and environmental problems, and struggles to overcome them, in the context of capitalism and globalization.

SJES 5P35

Animal Liberation and Social Justice

Theories, case studies, and other texts examining social justice beyond the limits of the human species, including issues such as animal rights, animal liberation, speciesism in relation to other forms of oppression, alternative ethical and political relationships to animals.

SJES 5P40

Gender, Sexuality, and Social Justice

Theories, case studies, and other texts examining the social inequities and social movements associated with issues such as gender and sexual identities, and their articulation with other social inequities and struggles at local, national, and global levels.

SJES 5P45

Active Voice: Social Justice and the News Media

Theories, case studies, and other texts examining the representation of social justice and equity issues in the mainstream news media and the struggle and strategies of alternative news media to intervene in those representations.

SJES 5P50

Families, Households, and Social Justice

Theories, case studies, and other texts examining historical and current social inequities, social movements, and state policies associated with gendered and generationed family relations and their articulation with other social inequities and struggles at local, national, and global levels.

SJES 5P55

Labour, Workers, and Social Justice

Theories, case studies, and other texts examining historical and current social movements arising out of worker's experiences and their articulation with other social inequities and struggles at local, national, and global levels.

SJES 5P60

Human Rights and Social Justice

Theories, case studies, and other texts examining the historical development and implementation of legal initiatives in the broad field of social justice and equity at local, national, and global levels.

SJES 5P65

Race, Ethnicity, Indigeneity, and Social Justice

Theories, case studies, and other texts examining the domination and resistance of racialized, ethnicized, and indigenous peoples and their articulation with other social inequities and struggles at local, national, and global levels.

SJES 5P70

Social Justice and the Arts

Theories, case studies, and other texts examining how social justice and equity issues emerge in literary texts, plays, films, music, and other media, and how the arts and media are linked to struggles for social justice at local, national, and global levels.

SJES 5P80

Directed Study

Specialized study on an individual basis under the direction of a faculty supervisor.

SJES 5V80-5V89

Selected Topics in Social Justice and Equity Studies

A topic in social justice and equity studies that will vary by instructor.

 
Last updated: July 19, 2010 @ 10:17AM