BROCK UNIVERSITY

Department of Political Science

Canadian Civil Society

POLI 4P12/5P12

Winter 2017

Instructor: Dr. L.S. Tossutti

Seminars: Tuesdays, 0800-1100
Seminar Room: MCD403
Office: Plaza 335
Office Hours: By appointment
Email: ltossutti@brocku.ca
Phone: 905-688-5550 (ext. 5005)

Course Description

This course examines theories and case studies of the formation of advocacy groups,
social movements, and non-profit organizations, how they engage in formal and informal
avenues of political influence and advocacy, interact with state institutions, and represent
the interests of their members, supporters, and/or clients. It also examines the role of
political parties and local MPs in representing the interests of Canadians and mobilizing
their participation. These questions are addressed through a model of teaching and
learning known as service-learning, in which a students academic studies are enhanced
through work with a civil society organization in the Niagara Region and Hamilton, and
the community involvement enriches their academic studies.

Learning Objectives/Outcomes

The course will develop the students understanding of key concepts and theories from
the fields of political science, sociology and community work, ability to communicate
information and arguments to academic and practitioner audiences in different media
formats, and capacity to exercise initiative, personal responsibility and accountability to
host organizations in the local civil society sector.

Required Course Text and Readings:

Smith, M. 2015. Group Politics and Social Movements in Canada, 2nd ed. Toronto:
University of Toronto Press. Hereafter abbreviated as GPSM.

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Other course readings are available on the SAKAI course website at:
https://lms.brocku.ca/portal/site/POLI4P12D03FW2016MAIN

Course Format

This 12-week course combines classroom seminars and an 8-week field placement with
an advocacy group, social movement, non-profit organization, political party, or Member
of Parliament.

Seminars:
Course participants will meet in the seminar classroom on January 10, January 17,
February 7, February 14, March 7, March 14 and March 28. The seminars will be based
on a discussion of the assigned readings, and, as students acquire more experience with
their placement organizations, how the readings relate to their experiences in the field.

Field Placement:
Each student must contribute a minimum of 3 hours per week over an eight-week period
(for a total individual contribution of 24 hours) to a partner organization. Participating
organizations represent a broad range of issue areas, including poverty and homelessness,
immigrant and refugee settlement, Indigenous women, environmentalism, animal rights,
food security/sustainable farming, and Canadian federal politics.

The placement duties have been pre-arranged by Professor Tossutti in consultation with
the partner organizations and are described in templates that have been uploaded to the
SAKAI course site. Some placements require weekly attendance at the partner
organization, while other placements do not require on-site work. The placement
assignments will be determined at our first meeting on January 10, 2017. Students will
be asked to volunteer for placements and every effort will be made to assign them to their
first or second preferences. If demand for particular placement exceeds supply, the
instructor will assign the students to another placement organization as needed.

Mandatory Orientation Meetings with Placement Organization:

Students must attend orientation meetings with Professor Tossutti and representatives
from the partner organizations between January 10-20. Most meetings will be arranged
outside of regular class time and off campus. The purpose is to introduce the students to
the organization and their placement supervisors, and to discuss their placement duties.

Green Party of Niagara (St. Catharines riding). info@gpniagara.ca

Member of Parliament Vance Badawey (Niagara Centre Liberal)
http://vbadawey.liberal.ca/
Member of Parliament Chris Bittle (St. Catharines Liberal)
http://www.parl.gc.ca/Parliamentarians/en/members/Chris-Bittle(88934)
Native Women Inc. Niagara Chapter (Fort Erie-based advocacy and service
provision for Native women and their families) * This placement may require
travel to Fort Erie http://www.ncnw.net/

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 Niagara Farm Animal Save (local Save Movement organization bearing witness
to farm animals going to slaughter in Niagara)
https://niagarafarmanimalsave.wordpress.com/blog/
Niagara Farm Project (agricultural organization promoting local sustainable
farming practises and local food economy) http://www.niagarafarmproject.ca/
Niagara Folk Arts and Multicultural Centre (supports and assists the ethno-
cultural and newcomer community in Niagara) http://www.folk-arts.ca/
Niagara Sustainability Initiative (St. Catharines-based organization promotes
environmental and economic performance through the greening of local
organizations in the Niagara Region) http://niagarasustainability.org/
Start Me Up Niagara (St. Catharines drop-in centre for community members
facing life challenges including addiction, mental illness, poverty, homelessness
and unemployment) http://startmeupniagara.ca/
Wesley Urban Ministries (multi-service organization serving people living in
poverty in Hamilton,ON)*This placement requires travel to the WUM site
http://wesley.ca/

Course withdrawal date: The last day to withdraw from the course without academic
penalty is March 10, 2017. Due to the nature of this course, the requirement that
instructors shall assess and communicate to students a minimum of 15 percent of their
final grade by not later than the week prior to the last data for withdrawal without
academic penalty cannot be met.

Course Requirements, Due Dates and Grading

Seminar Participation: 15 percent

Two Placement Duty Progress Reports (due February 7 and March 7, in class): 10
percent (5 percent each x 2)
Individual Reflection Assignment (March 28 at 4pm): 15 percent
Analytical Paper (April 17 at 4pm): 35 percent
Field Placement: 25 percent

Seminar Participation: In the weeks when the class meets, two students will be assigned
to lead a discussion of the readings. The seminar discussion leaders must prepare and
distribute a typewritten summary of the central arguments, analytical approaches and
conclusions contained in the readings, of approximately 1-2, single-spaced pages in
length. The discussion leaders seminar participation grades for that week will be based
on the accuracy and comprehensiveness of the presentation, as well as on their ability to
facilitate a discussion. The participation marks of students who are not assigned to lead a
discussion of the weekly topic will be based on the frequency and quality of their
participation. Students who do not attend class or who do not participate in the
discussion will be assigned a grade of 0 for that class. Students who do not provide an
acceptable reason for their absence from a seminar (i.e. documentation of illness or
personal emergency) will be assigned a mark of 0 for that seminar. Make-up
assignments will not be composed for students who miss seminars.

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Placement Duty Progress Reports: Each student must submit two progress reports,
each of which is approximately 3-4, double-spaced pages in length, to the instructor and
organizational representative. Electronic submissions are accepted. Each report should
include the following information: assigned duties; work schedule/a timeline for
completion of duties; work completed-to-date, and any challenges encountered during the
placement. The organizational representative will be responsible for verifying the
content and the instructor will be responsible for grading the report. Reports submitted
after the due date will be assigned a grade of 0.

Individual Reflection Assignment: A fundamental aspect of all service learning courses

is the systematic practice of reflection. This assignment requires that you reflect upon
your service learning experience and its impact on your personal, academic and/or
professional development. This assignment may be submitted in essay or video format.
Students choosing the essay format should write a paper of approximately 5-6, double-
spaced typewritten pages, and submit a hard copy only of their work to Professor Tossutti
or deposit it in the drop box located outside the Political Science Department, by the due
date (Plaza 328). Students choosing the video format should prepare a video of
approximately 2-3 minutes in length, and submit their work to the SAKAI site.

Field Placement

Students will be assessed on the basis of how well they fulfilled their professional duties
to the organization, as established at the orientation meetings. Students whose placement
involves on-site service will be assessed on the basis of their reliability and
professionalism in terms of attendance, the completion of their assigned duties while on-
site, and fulfillment of the 24-hour service requirement. Students who are assigned to
complete a written report or participate in off-site service, will be assessed on the basis of
the completion of their duties by the deadlines that are established by the students and
partner organization at the orientation meeting. Some placements involve a combination
of on-site and off-site service. In these cases, the placement grade will be based on a
50/50 combination of the factors described above.

Analytical Paper

The analytical paper should briefly summarize the history, legal status and mandate of
your organization, its model/strategies for advocacy and/or representation, and reflect on
the factors that affected its ability to achieve change and/or to provide service to its
members, supporters, clients or constituents. The analysis must draw on the course
readings and your personal experiences. Undergraduates should write a paper
approximately 13-14, double-spaced pages in length, not including references. Graduate
students should expect their reports to be between 16-17, double-spaced pages, not
including references.

Students must submit a hard copy of the analytical paper to Professor Tossutti, or deposit
it in the drop box, and submit their papers to the turnitin.com plagiarism detection service

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by the deadline. Students using this service should enter the course number (14301495)
and course password (service). Students may opt out of a turnitin.com submission with
the prior approval of the instructor. Approval of an opt-out is contingent upon evidence
of personal research.

Late Penalties:

A late penalty of 5 percent per weekday and 10 percent for the weekend period beginning
at 4:00pm on Friday and ending at 8:30am on Monday shall be assessed for all late
assignments. No assignments will be accepted one week after the due date, without
documentation of medical or personal emergencies. Extensions are granted only in
circumstances that are beyond the students control, such as health problems that are
supported by a medical certificate, or personal emergencies. Requests for extensions of
the assignment deadline must be made in writing and supported by documentation.

Mental Health Support Services:

Confidential Personal Counselling on Campus

To make an appointment to see a counsellor call 905-688-5550 extension 4750 during
regular office hours (8:30 - 12:00, 1:00 - 4:30) or visit the Student Development Centre
(ST400) during office hours. https://brocku.ca/personal-counselling

Student Justice Centre

A space safe on campus that provides listening, support, and referral services. Services
are available Monday through Friday 9:00-5:00 (TH252A) by appointment or drop in.
www.brocksjc.ca

I.M. Well App

The I.M. Well app aims to address the stigma surrounding mental wellness by connecting
students to the appropriate services on campus and within the community. This is an
educational tool that covers a wide variety of topics such as anxiety, depression,
transition and addiction. This app also offers a 24/7 live chat with mental health
professionals.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.eapexpert.iamwell&hl=en
https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/im-well/id1150435727?mt=8

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January 10 -Civil Society and Service Learning

Required Readings:

Barber, Benjamin. 1998. Three Kinds of Civil Society. A Place for Us: How to Make
Society Civil and Democracy Strong, 12-37. New York: Hill and Wang.

Jacoby, B. and Associates. 1996. Service-Learning in Todays Higher Education. Service

Learning in Higher Education: Concepts and Practises, 3-25. San Francisco, CA:
Jossey-Bass.

January 17 -Theories of Group and Movement Organizing

-Case studies: The Indigenous, LGBT and Disability Rights
Movements

Smith, Miriam. 2014. Theories of Group and Movement Organizing. In Group Politics
and Social Movements in Canada, 2nd ed., xi-xxxi

Coates, Ken. 2015. #Idle No More and the Remaking of Canada, 163-194. Regina, SK:
University of Regina Press.

Smith, Miriam. 2014. Identity and Opportunity: The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and
Transgender Movement. In GPSM, 179-200.

Vanhala, Lisa. 2014. Meaning Frames Opportunity Structures and Rights in the Canadian
Disability Rights Movement. In GPSM, 305-331.

February 7- The Anti-Poverty and Student Movements

Greene, Jonathan. 2014. Mobilizing on the Defensive: Anti-Poverty Advocacy and

Activism in Times of Austerity. In GPSM, 75-96.

Lafrance, X. and Alan Sears. 2016. Infrastructure of Dissent: The Case of the Quebec
Student Movement. In A World To Win: contemporary social movements and
counter-hegemony, edited by William K. Carroll and Kanchan Sarker, 159-175.
Winnipeg: ARP Books.

McNally, David. 2016. Neoliberalism and Its Discontents: austerity and resistance in an
age of crisis. In A World To Win: contemporary social movements and counter-
hegemony,75-92.

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Wood, Lesley, and Craig Fortier. 2016. Consent, Coercion and the Criminalization of
Dissent. In A World to Win: contemporary social movements and counter-
hegemony, 128-140.

February 14 Interest Representation Inside and Outside Parties and Parliament

Amyot, Grant. 2017. The Waning of Political Parties? Canadian Parties in Transition,
4th ed., edited by Alain-G. Gagnon and A. Brian Tanguay, 84-106. Toronto:
University of Toronto Press.

Blidook, Kelly. 2014. Democratic Responsiveness in the House of Commons. In

Canadian Democracy From the Ground Up: perceptions and performance, edited
by Elisabeth Gidengil and Heather Bastedo, 213-230. Vancouver UBC Press.

Newman, Jacquetta. 2017. Back to the Future: Encoding and Decoding Interest
Representation Outside of Parties. In A-G. Gagnon and A. Tanguay, Canadian
Parties in Transition, 4th ed., 250-271. Toronto: University of Press.

Ruderman, Nick. 2014. Canadians Evaluations of MPs: Performance Matters. In

Canadian Democracy From the Ground Up: perceptions and performance, edited
by Elisabeth Gidengil and Heather Bastedo, 41-61. Vancouver: UBC Press.

February 20 Reading Week-no classes

March 7 The Non-Profit and Voluntary Sector

Models and strategies of advocacy

Hall, Michael. 2005. Cornerstones of Community: Highlights of the National Survey of

Non-Profit and Voluntary Organizations. Ministry of Industry. Catalogue No. 61-
533-XPE. http://sectorsource.ca/sites/default/files/nsnvo_report_english.pdf

Pekkanen, Robert & Stephen Rathgeb Smith. 2014. Introduction: Nonprofit Advocacy:
Definitions and Concepts. In Non-Profits and Advocacy: Engaging Community
and Government in an Era of Retrenchment, edited by Roert Pekkanen, Stephen
Rathgeb Smith and Yutaka Tsujinaka, 1-17. Johns Hopkins Press.

Shragge, Eric. 2013. Theoretical Perspectives and Models of Community Work. Activism
and Social Change: lessons for community organizing, 1-28. Toronto: University
of Toronto Press.

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March 14 Voluntary Sector Organizations, Policy Advocacy and the State

Elson, Peter. 2011. Cuts to the Core. High Ideals and Noble Intentions: Voluntary
Sector-Government Relations in Canada, 88-114. Toronto: University of Toronto
Press.

Imagine Canada. 2015. Advocating for Canadians and Communities: Ensuring Charities
Voices are Heard. Toronto: Imagine Canada.
http://sectorsource.ca/sites/default/files/resources/files/roadshowslides-en-
06052015.pdf

Imagine Canada. 2016. Imagine Canadas Sector Monitor.

http://sectorsource.ca/sites/default/files/resources/files/sector_monitor_public_pol
icy_activity_2016.pdf

Mintz, Eric, Livianna Tossutti and Chris Dunn. Political Influence: Interest Groups,
Lobbyists, and Social Movements. In Canadas Politics: Democracy, Diversity
and Good Government, 186-189, 195-198. Toronto: Pearson Canada.

Recommended:

Chaves, Mark, Joseph Galaskiewicz and Laura Stephens. 2004. Does Government
Funding Suppress Nonprofits Political Activity. American Sociological Review
69: April, 292-316.

March 28: The Non-Profit and Voluntary Sector in the Community: Employment
and Civic Engagement

Mintz, Eric, Livianna Tossutti and Chris Dunn. Political Influence: Interest Groups,
Lobbyists, and Social Movements. In Canadas Politics: Democracy, Diversity
and Good Government, 183-186. Toronto: Pearson Canada.

Ontario Nonprofit Network, Toronto Neighbourhood Centres and Mowat Not For Profit
Research Centre. 2015. Change Work: valuing decent work in the not-for-profit-
sector. Toronto: The Mowat Centre. http://mowatcentre.ca/wp-
content/uploads/publications/111_ChangeWork.pdf

Sinha, M. 2015. Spotlight on Canadians: Results from the General Social Survey.
Volunteering in Canada, 2004 to 2013. Catalogue no. 89-652-X201500. Ottawa:
Ministry of Industry. http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/89-652-x/89-652-x2015003-
eng.pdf

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 Academic Policies
Academic Integrity:

Academic misconduct is a serious offence. The principle of academic integrity,

particularly of doing ones own work, documenting properly (including use of quotation
marks, appropriate paraphrasing and referencing/citation), collaborating appropriately,
and avoiding misrepresentation, is a core principle in university study. Students should
consult Section VII, Academic Misconduct, in the Academic Regulations and
University Polices entry in the Undergraduate Calendar, available at
http://brocku.ca/webcal to view a fuller description of prohibited actions, and the
procedures and penalties.

Intellectual Property Notice:

All slides, presentations, handouts, tests, exams, and other course materials created by the
instructor in this course are the intellectual property of the instructor. A student who
publicly posts or sells an instructors work, without the instructors express consent, may
be charged with misconduct under Brocks Academic Integrity Policy and/or Code of
Conduct, and may also face adverse legal consequences for infringement of intellectual
property rights.

Academic Accommodation:
As part of Brock University's commitment to a respectful work and learning
environment, the University will make every reasonable effort to accommodate all
members of the university community with disabilities. If you require academic
accommodations related to a documented disability to participate in this course, you are
encouraged to contact Services for Students with Disabilities in the Student Development
Centre (4th floor Schmon Tower, ex. 3240). You are also encouraged to discuss any
accommodations with the instructor well in advance of due dates and scheduled
assessments.

Academic Accommodation due to Religious Obligations:

Brock University acknowledges the pluralistic nature of the undergraduate and graduate
communities such that accommodations will be made for students who, by reason of
religious obligation, must miss an examination, test, assignment deadline, laboratory or
other compulsory academic event. Students requesting academic accommodation on the
basis of religious obligation should make a formal, written request to their instructor(s)
for alternative dates and/or means of satisfying requirements.

Medical Exemption Policy:

The University requires that a student be medically examined in Health Services, or by an
off-campus physician prior to an absence due to medical reasons from an exam, lab, test,
quiz, seminar, assignment, etc. The Medical Certificate can be found at:
http://www.brocku.ca/health-services/policies/exemption