Lecture: 4 hours/week
In this course, students engage in a variety of learning activities such as lecture, discussion, group work, case studies and presentations.
- Historical development of social welfare policy in Canada and its political and economic foundations
- Relationships between economics, politics, ideology, and social policy formation
- Concepts of relative and absolute poverty and the social, psychological, and economic impacts of poverty
- Colonial policies, residential schools, and their intergenerational impacts on Indigenous people
- Structures of social welfare delivery in British Columbia, including income assistance legislation and eligibility
- Social welfare policies affecting diverse populations, including women, Indigenous people, immigrants, refugees, children, seniors, and Francophone communities
- Power, oppression, and exclusion within social policy frameworks and service systems
- Critical analysis of social policies and their impacts on marginalized and oppressed groups
- The role of social workers in policy advocacy, reform, and systems change
- Evaluation and development of more equitable social welfare policies
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Describe the relationship between economics, politics, and the historical development of Canadian social policy;
- Define and apply concepts of relative and absolute poverty, and analyze the social, psychological, and economic impacts of poverty;
- Explain the intergenerational impacts of residential schools and the historical relationship between colonial policies and contemporary social inequities affecting Indigenous people;
- Critically analyze how social policies and policy structures shape access to services and outcomes for marginalized and oppressed groups;
- Describe the delivery of income assistance in British Columbia, including relevant legislation and eligibility criteria;
- Evaluate social welfare policies based on their implications and outcomes, with particular attention to equitable outcomes for marginalized and oppressed groups;
- Apply policy analysis skills to contribute to the development and implementation of more equitable social welfare policies;
- Identify and compare social welfare policies designed to support women, immigrants, refugees, children, seniors, and Francophone communities in Canada;
- Analyze social welfare policies affecting Indigenous Peoples in Canada, including reconciliation-focused frameworks such as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action.
Assessment will be based on course objectives and will be in accordance with the °µÍø51 Evaluation Policy. Instructors may use a student’s record of attendance and/or level of active participation in a course as part of the student’s graded performance. Where this occurs, expectations and grade calculations regarding class attendance and participation will be clearly defined in the Instructor Course Outline. This is a letter-graded course.
Typical means of assessment include the following:
- Written papers
- Presentations
- Projects
- Exams
- Participation
- Attendance
Textbooks and materials are to be purchased by students. A list of required and textbooks and materials is provided for students at the beginning of the semester. Example texts may include:
Hick, S., & Stokes, J. (current edition). Social welfare in Canada: Inclusion, equity, social justice. Thompson Educational Publishing.
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