M A J O R E S S A Y T O P I C S

RACISM AND THE LAW

AS/SOCI 3561 6.0 (Y)

DUE DATE: MARCH 15, 2007

QUESTION: BLACK YOUTH – SOME SOCIAL THEORISTS CONTEND THAT POPULAR CULTURE HAS MOTIVATED MANY YOUNG BLACK MEN TO EMBRACE WHOLEHEARTEDLY SOCIETY'S NEGATIVE VIEW OF THEM. THIS IS CALLED THE “COMMODIFICATION OF THE THUG.” HERE, YOUNG BLACK MEN ENTHUSIASTICALLY EMBRACE OTHERWISE NEGATIVE STEREOTYPES, OFTEN TO AVOID BEING CONSIDERED SELL-OUTS BY THEIR FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES. IS THIS CONCEPT OF THE COMMODIFICATION OF THE THUG EXEMPLIFIED IN THE “PUGULISTIC EROTICISM” OF RAP MUSIC? OR IS RAP MUSIC AN EXPRESSION OF REVOLUTIONARY RESISTANCE MOVEMENT}

QUESTION: MULTICULTUALISM -- CANADA'S POLICY OF MULTICULTURALISM HAS BEEN CALLED A "MANDATORY REQUIREMENT FOR THE 21ST CENTURY" BY ITS BOOSTERS, AND IT HAS BEEN CALLED "MOSAIC MADNESS" BY ITS CRITICS. COMPARE AND CONTRAST THESE VIEW POINTS IN REGARD TO THE NEEDS OF A COMPLEX URBAN/GLOBAL SOCIETY?

QUESTION: ABORIGINAL PEOPLE -- IT HAS BEEN SAID THAT THE STRUGGLE FOR SELF-GOVERNMENT AND FOR THE SETTLEMENT OF LONG-STANDING LAND CLAIMS ARE THE TWO DIMENSIONS OF "NATIVE ACTIVISM" AMONG THE FIRST NATIONS PEOPLE IN CANADA IN THE MODERN CONTEXT? EXPLAIN AND ANALYSE.

QUESTION: IMMIGRATION – ASPECTS OF CANADA'S POLICIES TOWARDS REFUGEES AND IMMIGRANTS ARE ACCUSED OF BEING SEXIST AND RACIALLY DISCRIMINATORY - NOT NECESSARILY EXPLICITLY OR DELIBERATELY BUT THROUGH APPLICATION OF SEEMINGLY NEUTRAL RULES THAT NEGATIVELY IMPACT THE MOST VULNERABLE (P 243)." DISCUSS USING CONTEMPORARY EXAMPLE(S).

QUESTION: GENDER JUSTICE -- MANY WOMEN OF COLOUR ARGUE THAT THEIR EXPERIENCES ARE WRITTEN OUT OF FEMINIST SCRIPTS, AND INSISTED THAT WHITE FEMINISTS ACKNOWLEDGE AND DISMANTLE THEIR OWN RACISM, INCLUDING THE RACISM INHERENT IN THE THEORIES. EXPLAIN AND ANALYSE

QUESTION: DYSCONSCIOUS RACISM (IN THE ACADEMY) – CRITICAL RACE THEORISTS ARGUE THAT THE CUMULATIVE EFFECT OF ACTS OF “DYSCONSCIOUS RACISM” AND THE CREATION OF CHILLY ACADEMIC CLIMATES HAS MADE MINORITY SCHOLARS FEEL LIKE A GUEST IN SOMEONE ELSE’S HOUSE. DISCUSS.

QUESTION: CRIMINAL JUSTICE – ABORIGINAL CANADIANS ARE INCARCERATED SIX TIMES THE NATIONAL RATE. IT HAS BEEN ARGUED THIS OVER REPRESENTATION OF ABORIGINALS IN PRISON IS A RESULT OF THE MARGINALIZATION AND DISADVANTAGE THEY FACE AS A CONSEQUENCE OF COLONIALIZATION. ADDRESS THIS ARGUMENT, AND DISCUSS THE PRACTICAL WAYS TO COMBAT THE PROBLEM OF THE OVER INCARCERATION OF ABORIGINALS.

QUESTION: RACIAL AND ETHNIC STEREOTYPES: HOW ARE RACE/ETHNICITY AND POWER PORTRAYED IN THE MOVIE "CRASH"? GIVE SPECIFIC EXAMPLES AND EXPLAIN HOW THESE CONCEPTS HELPED/IMPAIRED SOME OF THE CHARACTERS IN FORMING THEIR OWN IDENTITY. ANALYZE WHETHER AND/OR HOW CERTAIN KINDS OF RELATIONSHIPS (POWER RELATIONSHIPS) AFFECT THE FINAL IDENTITY THAT THE CHARACTERS CREATE FOR THEMSELVES.

Reflecting the course, the major papers will center on the sociological concepts of culture, social power and ideology as the primary focus in the analysis of social change process. Two major dimensions that I will evaluate your writing on are how well you substantiate your statements and arguments and how rigorous and creative you are in dealing with the material and the topic. Here are some suggestions which may be useful.

1. Substantiating your ideas:

(a) Logical argument (This is so because ...).

(b) Empirical evidence (This is an experience or something that can be seen to occur in society. You can base this on your own experience or descriptions from empirical studies that you find in academic literature, or other relevant reading material).

(c) Outside sources (references, paraphrases and quotes from writers in the field that lend support for what you are saying).

(d) Rules for Internet Use: Only online journals and no NGO sites and publications (unless pre-authorized by the Instructor)

2. Achieving analytic depth and creativity:

1. Analogy (This is like ... e.g., comparing the organization of society to the organization of a human body. Your articulation of comparable characteristics adds a new and revealing way of seeing elements [meanings, practices, and procedure] that make up the situation or phenomenon that your analysing).

(b) Generating your own concepts (Thinking of new labels for or a different way to express or explain a conventionally understood situation, action or process, that brings out dimensions that make it up but which may not be obvious or emphasized in our conventional understandings.

A GOOD ESSAY NEEDS TO HAVE A CLEAR, WELL FOCUSED THESIS, REVIEWS RELEVANT LITERATURE, AND IS ANALYTICAL (NOT SIMPLY DESCRIBING EVENT, BUT EXPLAINING WHY THEY HAPPEN). YOU SHOULD SUPPLY EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT YOUR POSITION BY UTILIZING AVAILABLE PRIMARY OR SECONDARY SOURCES.

YOUR ESSAY WILL BE EVALUATED BASED ON YOUR ESSAY'S: ACADEMIC CONTENT, CLARITY, ORGANIZATION OF IDEAS, PROPER USE OF SOURCES, PROPER QUOTATIONS AND CITATIONS.. PLEASE REFER TO YORK'S CENTRE FOR ACADEMIC WRITING <http://www.arts.yorku.ca/caw AND THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY ESSAY WRITING GUIDELINES FOR OTHER WRITING RESOURCES.

(1) ESSAY SHOULD BE TYPED AND DOUBLE-SPACED.

(2) ESSAY SHOULD BE TYPED IN THE "MLA" OR "APA" FORMAT (YOU MAY WISH TO CHECK WITH THE GUIDE AT THE WRITING CENTRE).

(3) ESSAY LENGTH: 8 TO 10 PAGES

(4) ESSAY ON WHITE PAPER AND STAPLED IN THE UPPER LEFT-HAND CORNER. (NO BINDERS PLEASE).

(5) MAKE SURE TO HAVE A SECOND PRINT OF YOUR ESSAY (NOT ON THE DISKETTE) FOR YOUR OWN FILES BEFORE SUBMITTING YOUR PAPER.

(6) ESSAY MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY A COVER PAGE CONTAINING THE FOLLOWING:

. STUDENT NAME AND CLASS

. ESSAY TITLE

. DUE DATE

. NAME OF PROFESSOR

. NAME OF COURSE

NOTE ON PLAGIARISM: PLAGIARISM REFERS TO USE OF IDEAS, WORDS, SENTENCES, DATA, ARGUMENTS, CALCULATIONS OR OTHER WORK DONE BY SOMEBODY ELSE WITHOUT ACKNOWLEDGMENT. PLAGIARISM IS CONSIDERED AS AN EXTREMELY SERIOUS ACADEMIC OFFENSE AND CARRIES PENALTIES. YOU SHOULD PAY PARTICULAR ATTENTION TO PROPER CITATION AND QUOTATION RULES IN YOUR ESSAY. YORK UNIVERSITY USES SOFTWARE THAT CAN CHECK FOR PLAGIARISM. STUDENTS MAY BE REQUIRED TO SUBMIT THEIR WRITTEN WORK IN ELECTRONIC FORM AND HAVE IT CHECKED FOR PLAGIARISM.

**NOTE ON EMAILING PAPERS: NO EMAILING PAPERS UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES