MODULE 5: Gender and electoral politics (due Feb 9) For this 2-pager you are to examine patterns of gender representation in recent Canadian federal elections. Your paper should have two main parts. First is a synopsis of womens representation in the most recent federal election, focusing on the share of women elected, the share of female candidates, and differences among the major parties (Liberals, Conservatives, NDP, BQ, Greens). Wikipedia is a reliable source for this data, and you can also consult news reports and analysis from other online sources, such as Equal Voice Canada. Second is an analysis of the historical pattern of womens representation in the riding where you live. Start with the Ouellet & Shiab (2019) article, where you can enter a postal code to produce a brief description of the overall share of male/female candidates and elected MPs from that riding for elections from 2004-2015. Your job is to update this and investigate further, drawing on other (reputable) online sources to obtain more comprehensive detail on the historic gender pattern of parties candidates and elected MPs in your riding, and probe into plausible explanations. For example, if you think women candidates face more financial barriers, then look up the financial returns of candidates in your riding (this is publicly available data). As you do this research, bear in mind that the riding boundaries may have changed, so be sure to check and capture the full time period. (For example, the McMaster campus is currently in the Hamilton WestAncasterDundas federal riding, but prior to 2015 it was in the AncasterDundasFlamboroughWestdale riding.) As you did for Canada overall, find out the share of women elected, the share of female candidates, and the differences among parties in your riding going back to the 2004 election. Devise a table or other visual to effectively summarize your results. Discuss whether and to what extent women have been disadvantaged in the electoral history of your riding. Does the local story confirm, challenge or add distinctive insights to what key theories and scholarship tell us about the barriers to electing more women to parliament? Make sure you explain what evidence you used in drawing your conclusions. Supplementary readings for assignment:Ouellet, Valerie, and Nael Shiab. 2019. Set up to fail: Why women still don’t win elections as often as men in Canada. CBC/Radio-Canada (Sept 4).
MODULE 6: Gender quotas and womens political representation (due Feb 16) For this 2-pager you are to do a close reading of the parliamentary debates on Bill C-237, the Candidate Gender Equity Act, which was introduced and voted on in 2016. Describe the key points in this debate, paying attention to the arguments made by MPs across different parties. Assess these arguments in terms of what the research says, and how similar reforms in other countries have worked. Finally, look up your MP at the time and see how they voted, as well as whether they intervened in the debate. Imagine that you had two minutes to speak to them about this issue (e.g., at a campaign stop or town-hall meeting) what would you say to them based on what you have learned in this module? Supplementary readings for assignment: o Proudfoot, Shannon. 2016. The Liberals killed a bill promoting gender parity in politics. They were wrong. Macleans (Oct. 24). o Bill C-237, Candidate Gender Equity Act. o https://www.parl.ca/legisinfo/en/bill/42-1/c-237 o House of Commons Debates, 42nd Parl, 1st Sess, Hansard-52 (10 May 2016) at 1835 – 1935; Hansard-92 (18 October 2016) at 1755 1900; Hansard-93 (19 October 2016) at 1855 (vote on division).
MODULE 11: Gender and development (due Mar 30) For this 2-pager, you are to write a critical reflection on Stephanie Nolens Out of India which is a series of essays published as an e-book by The Globe & Mail. You may choose any combination of at least three chapters, plus the concluding chapter A farewell to India (from core readings). What are the issues that Nolen takes up in these chapters? What does Nolen tell us about the causes and consequences of gender inequality, and intersectional sources of (dis)advantage and oppression in India? What have been the consequences of economic development for gender equality, and how does Indias path align or differ from what you learned through core readings and lectures? What is needed in terms of legal and policy reforms, grassroots or global initiatives? What role can those of us in Canada play in addressing the problems exposed in this case, or in other situations around the world? If you have personal experiences and lived knowledge that relate to India or another comparable case, you are welcome to draw on that as well. Supplementary readings for assignment: o Nolen, Stephanie. 2013. Out of India. Globe e-books.
2-pagers (3 x 10%) There are 7 modules with an associated 2-pager assignment (1,000 to 1,250 words, which is 2 to 2.5 pages single-spaced). Each assignment involves a short set of supplementary texts and reflection on specific questions. You must submit three (3) of these, with at least one completed in Part 1 of the course. Most are short essay format, while some allow for creative submissions including introspective dialogues with the readings (Modules 2, 3) and multimedia documents (Module 10). In these instances, the word limit/scope is modified. Whatever the format, you are expected to make an argument in answer to the specific question(s) presented, using theories, concepts, evidence and ideas from across the module materials, as well as original ideas (Aha! moments) that you infer and synthesize from those materials. Apart from Module 10, no research is required beyond the materials provided within the module. You have some flexibility in how you choose to frame each paper, but always ensure you are addressing the question(s) posed.