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Social Justice Studies 100
Introduction to Theories of Social Justice
Course description
This interdisciplinary, introductory course focuses on theories of social justice and is teamtaught from several perspectives in the social sciences and humanities. The class will examine
the central theoretical frameworks utilized by scholars working in this diverse field. It will
introduce students to key thinkers associated with social justice studies and develop a
comprehensive and critical understanding of the concepts that these thinkers apply to social
justice issues.
Course Information
Term: Fall 2013
Course time: Mon. 5:30-8:20
Location: Bob Wright Centre, BWC A104
Instructors
Professor
Dr Margo Matwychuk
Dr Pamela Moss
Dr Carmen Rodriguez
de France
Email
mmatwych@uvic.ca
pamelam@uvic.ca
mdcr@uvic.ca
Tel
721-6283
721-6297
721-8633
CRN #: 12834
Office & Office Hours
COR B210 – T 1-2; by appt
HSD B250 – M 4-5; by appt
MAC A270 – by appt
Please note that Dr. Pamela Moss is the course coordinator. Any administrative and course
related concerns should be directed to her. You may ask for content clarification with the
relevant professor for that week.
Equity Policy
"The University of Victoria is committed to promoting, providing, and protecting a positive,
supportive and safe learning and working environment for all its members" “Senate Resolution,
January 13, 1999).
As part of our commitment to equity, the Departments of Anthropology and Curriculum and
Instruction have established Equity Committees. If you have concerns regarding equity issues in
the classroom, you may contact a member of one of these Equity Committees. Office staff in
these departments can provide you with the names of the current members of this committee.
Grading scheme
Participation:
First Take-Home exam:
Second Take-Home exam:
Third Take-Home exam:
Project (Exploration 5%; Poster 20%)):
Total:
15%
20%
20%
20%
25%
100%
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Engagement, Pop Quizzes and In-class Assignments (15%)
Engagement (3%)
Engagement is about being part of the class: attending class sessions, studying the assigned
reading, and participating in class discussions. Engagement is more than being physically
present. Quality of presence matters. Showing up consistently but saying nothing will not
lead to a high engagement mark. Talking all the time but demonstrating little knowledge of
the assigned readings will also not lead to a good participation mark. Showing up
consistently, taking notes, actively listening to the instructor and contributions from your
peers, joining in class discussions, and keeping comments directed to the topic at hand will
lead to a high engagement mark.
Pop Quizzes (3 @ 2% each for a total of 6%)
One pop quiz will be given by each instructor. The quiz will cover either reading material for
that day or reading material assigned by the same instructor. The quizzes can happen at any
time during class in any class session. Pop quizzes will be handwritten. Please bring paper
and pen to each class.
In-class Assignments (3 @ 2% each for a total of 6%)
One in-class assignment will be handed in for each instructor during one of the class
sessions. (There may be more than one in-class assignment for each instructor, but only one
will be handed in for a mark.) Assignments will vary. Assignments will be handwritten. (Any
exception will be announced at the beginning of the assignment.) Please bring paper and pen
to each class.
Take-home exams (3 @ 20% each)
There will be 3 exams which will test your comprehension of key concepts, theories, and debates
covered in the course sections. All exams will be take-home exams. All exams will be printed
out and submitted to the appropriate instructor. Each exam is due on the Wednesday ten
days after the last lecture of a session.
First Take-Home Exam: distributed on October 1, due by end of October 10 (12
midnight). Covers material from lectures and readings assigned by Dr Margo
Matwychuk.
Second Take-Home Exam: distributed on October 29, due by end of November 7 (12
midnight). Covers material from lectures and readings assigned by Dr Carmen Rodriguez
de France.
Third Take-Home Exam: distributed on November 26, due by end of December 5 (12
midnight). Covers material from lectures and readings assigned by Dr Pamela Moss.
Project: Social Justice Carnival (two parts: 1 @ 5% and 1 @ 20%)
Increasingly, social justice activists attempt to turn learning and protest events into positive
experiences that simultaneously emulate a more egalitarian and just society of the future. The
medieval European Carnival and other festivals like it were regular periods in the year in which
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traditional hierarchies of class and gender were temporarily but publicly dissolved or turned
upside down. The Russian literary critic Mikhail Bakhtin first provoked the interest of antiauthoritarian thinkers in these festivals with his analysis of their subversive character. The
project has been designed to facilitate interaction among students through collectively designing,
discussing, and presenting some of the theoretical implications of social justice issues. The
Carnival elicits an atmosphere of celebration of learning through mingling and chatting while at
the same time creates a venue through which students become the teachers.
Description:
The project is a semester long task. By September 23, you will have been randomly
assigned to groups of 5 to 6. The groups meet and, in consultation with the teaching
assistant, decide on a topic by October 7. Each student explores the topic in light of some
of the concepts learned in class lectures and course readings and turns in an assignment
October 21. The group prepares a visual presentation in the form of a collaborative poster
and an annotated bibliography for the Carnival on December 2.
Key dates:
 Group Assigned by Instructors – by September 23.
 Decide on topic – by October 7.
 Exploration of Interest with Concepts (5%) – due October 21.
 The Collaborative Poster and Annotated Bibliography (20%) – due December 2.
Work to be marked:
Exploration of Interest with Concepts (5%)
This is an assignment to be completed on your own. On October 7, the format of the
assignment will be distributed in class. The assignment consists of an exploration of some
of the concepts from lectures and course readings in relation to the topic the group
decided on. The due date is October 21th.
Collaborative Poster with Annotated Bibliography (20%)
The last class session features the presentation of the collaborative poster as part of the
Social Justice Carnival. Your group will create a poster as a visual presentation, which
should include text, to explore a topic via the theory and concepts within social justice.
You and your group will set up your collaborative poster at the beginning of the Carnival
and submit it to an instructor at the end of the Carnival.
The annotated bibliography is a collection of readings on the topic from a social justice
perspective that applies some of the theories and concepts discussed in class, or perhaps
some that are part of social justice theory but have not been discussed in class. (Be sure
that these are indeed social justice theories and concepts. If you have a question about the
content, contact the teaching assistant or one of the instructors.) The annotated
bibliography is a collaborative effort by the group; needs to include 15 readings that have
been annotated. For the purposes of this assignment, annotated means a one paragraph
statement about the reading that covers the topic, social justice theory (or theories)
included in the reading, and a brief assessment of the readings usefulness for
understanding theory in social justice. Please make a printout of the annotated
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bibliography and display it with your collaborative poster presentation. Submit the
printout of the annotated bibliography to an instructor at the end of the Carnival.
A more detailed description of the collaborative poster and annotated bibliography will
be distributed November 4.
Extensions
Extensions are not usually granted. If a student cannot turn in an assignment by the due date,
please let the course coordinator know immediately. Emergencies and illness will need
documentation. Late assignments will be docked 10% of the final mark per day.
Make-up Work
There is no possibility to make-up pop quizzes and in-class assignments. For excused absences,
please see the instructor.
Grading
According to the UVIC 2013-14 Calendar, the official grading standards are as follows (See
http://web.uvic.ca/calendar2012/UVicCal-Undergrad-2012.pdf , page 38):
A+
A
A-
Exceptional, outstanding and excellent performance. Normally achieved
by a minority of students. These grades indicate a student who is selfinitiating, exceeds expectation and has an insightful grasp of the subject
matter.
B+
B
B-
Very good, good and solid performance. Normally achieved by the largest
number of students. These grades indicate a good grasp of the subject
matter or excellent grasp in one area balanced with satisfactory grasp in the
other area.
C+
C
Satisfactory, or minimally satisfactory. These grades indicate a
satisfactory performance and knowledge of the subject matter.
D
Marginal Performance. A student receiving this grade demonstrated a
superficial grasp of the subject matter.
F
Unsatisfactory performance. Wrote final examination and completed course
requirements; no supplemental.
For the purposes of calculation, the above letter grades may be converted to percentage values.
Here is the official university conversion table:
A+ (90-100%)
A (85-89%)
A- (80-84.99%)
B+ (77-79.99%)
B (73-76.99%)
B- (70-72.99%)
C+ (65-69.99%)
C (60-64.99%)
D (50-59.99%)
N (fail by non-completion)
F (fail by grade < 50%)
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Academic Integrity
The university takes very seriously infractions of academic integrity. This includes plagiarism,
impersonation, and cheating on exams and assignments. Sanctions against such practices may
include oral and written reprimands, the assignment of remedial work, a mark of zero for
assignment in question, a permanent notation on a student's academic record, suspension from
classes, and expulsion from the university.
According to official UVic policy, a student commits plagiarism when he or she does the
following:
● submits the work of another person as original work;
● gives inadequate attribution to an author or creator whose work is incorporated into the
student's work; or
● paraphrased material from a source without sufficient acknowledgement as described
above.
Please note that the second point includes failing to indicate clearly the inclusion of any other
individual's work.
Clear indication of the use of another person’s work (including ideas that you paraphrase in your
own words) is done using accepted practices within a discipline. For this course, use any
consistent, established style for footnotes or in-text references, together with a properly
formatted list of references (that is, a bibliography).
All word-for-word passages must also be credited this way. For such direct quotations, the exact
words borrowed must also be indicated. This is done through single-spaced indentations of
longer passages and the use of quotation marks for smaller ones. Style guides are available
through the library website at http://library.uvic.ca/instruction/cite/styleguides.html.
Guidelines for determining what is plagiarism and how to avoid it are in the following document
from MacPherson Library:
http://library.uvic.ca/instruction/cite/documents/avoiding_plagiarism.pdf.
If you are still in doubt as to what constitutes plagiarism in a particular instance should consult
with us.
Please note we reserve the right to use plagiarism-detection software.
Accommodation
Students may require personal and/or technological assistance, some flexibility in attending
lectures and exams, or in meeting assignment deadlines. Accommodation may include students
with a disability or chronic illness, students honouring religious commitments, and those with
other unavoidable responsibilities.
If you need accommodation, you must contact the course coordinator at the beginning of term or
when appropriate, in the case of bereavement. You must also contact the appropriate office of the
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university (e.g. Resource Centre for Students with a Disability) when necessary. Be prepared to
supply all the necessary documentation. If you are unsure where to go in addressing your needs,
start with the Student Transition Centre.
Course Readings and Other Materials
All course reading materials are available through the Library Reserve System. Please go to the
Library Home Page. Navigate to the Course Reserves tab. You will be prompted for your Netlink
ID and password. SJS100 course readings will be available.
Please note due to copyright laws, all journal articles will be connected to a database through
which you then download the appropriate journal article. All readings from books will be in pdf
format and downloadable from the website. Books, if available, will be on reserve in the Reading
Room in MacPherson Library.
Other course materials (i.e., lecture outlines, handouts, take-home exams) are posted or will be
posted on Moodle (located at <moodle.uvic.ca>).
Please note that the readings available at the Library Reserves Desk are offered both
electronically, and in a limited number of paper copies. The paper copies are available for only
two hours at a time. Students are well-advised to look these items up well in advance of the week
they are being used.
The required readings or other resources assigned will be discussed on the date listed – you
are expected to read them prior to class.
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Detailed meeting/reading schedule*
*You must read the assigned items before the dates listed below.
The exception to these general posting arrangements is the film shown on Week 1. If you wish to
review this film after Week 1, it may be viewed in full online via YouTube or the National Film
Board of Canada website.
Note that readings are in three different referencing styles, reflecting practices in three different
disciplines. In your annotated bibliography, you choose one style and make all your entries
consistent.
Week 1: September 9: Social Injustice in Action
Margo Matwychuk, Pamela Moss, Carmen Rodriguez de France
● Introduction
● Film and discussion: Christine Welsh, director, Finding Dawn. Svend-Erik Eriksen,
Producer (National Film Board of Canada, 2006).
Week 2: September 16: Critical Social Justice
Margo Matwychuk
Readings:
 Sensoy, Ȍzlem and Robin Diangelo, “Preface,” “Prologue,” and “Critical Thinking
and Critical Theory,” and “Appendix: How to Engage Constructively in Courses That
Take a Critical Social Justice Approach,” in Is Everyone Really Equal?: An
Introduction to Key Concepts in Social Justice Education. (New York: Teachers
College Press, 2012) pp. xvii-xxv, 1-13, 165-79.
 Lee, Megan, “‘Maybe I’m not Class-Mobile; Maybe I’m Class-Queer’ Poor kids in
college, and survival under hierarchy,” in Jessica Yee, ed. Feminism FOR REAL:
deconstructing the academic industrial complex of feminism. (Ottawa: CCPA, 2011).
Pp. 85-92.
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Week 3: September 23: Political Economy, Power and Neoliberalism
Margo Matwychuk
Readings:
 Wolf, Eric R., 1997: “Modes of Production,” Ch. 3 in Eric R. Wolf, Europe and the
People Without History. Berkeley: University of California Press. Pp. 73-100.
 Sensoy, Ȍzlem and Robin Diangelo, “Oppression and Power,” in Is Everyone Really
Equal?: An Introduction to Key Concepts in Social Justice Education. (New York:
Teachers College Press, 2012) pp. 38-56.
 Harvey, D., 2006: Neo-liberalism as creative destruction. Geogr.Ann., 88 B (2): 145–
158.
Week 4: September 30: Political Economic Approaches to Poverty
Margo Matwychuk
First Take-Home Exam: To be posted on Moodle by the end of October 1 (12 midnight),
due by the end of October 10 (12 midnight)
Readings:
 Bourke, Alan, Tia Dafnos, and Markus Kip, “Lumpen-City: Discourses of
Marginality/Marginalizing Discourses,” in A. Bourke, T. Dafnos, and M. Kip, eds.
Lumpencity: Discourses of Marginality, Marginalizing Discourses. (Ottawa: Red
Quill Books, 2011), Pp. 9-40.
 Willson, Mark, “Homelessness as Neoliberal Discourse: Reflections on Research
and the Narrowing of Poverty Policy,” in A. Bourke, T. Dafnos, and M. Kip, eds.
Lumpencity: Discourses of Marginality, Marginalizing Discourses. (Ottawa: Red
Quill Books, 2011), Pp. 105-29.
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Week 5: October 7: The Politics of Identity
Carmen Rodriguez de France
Readings

Adams, M. (2013) Introduction. In M. Adams, J. Blumenfeld, C. Castaneda, H.
Hackman, M. Peters, X. Zuniga (Eds.). Readings for Diversity and Social Justice.
New York: Routledge, pp. 1-5.

Daniel Tatum, B. (2013). The complexity of identity: Who am I?. In M. Adams, J.
Blumenfeld, C. Castaneda, H. Hackman, M. Peters, X. Zuniga (Eds.). Readings for
Diversity and Social Justice. New York: Routledge, pp. 6-8

Kirk, G. & Okazawa-Rey, M. (2013). Identities and social location: Who am I? Who
are my people? In M. Adams, J. Blumenfeld, C. Castaneda, H. Hackman, M. Peters,
X. Zuniga (Eds.). Readings for Diversity and Social Justice. New York: Routledge,
pp. 9-15

Johnson, A. (2013). The social construction of difference. In M. Adams, J.
Blumenfeld, C. Castaneda, H. Hackman, M. Peters, X. Zuniga (Eds.). Readings for
Diversity and Social Justice. New York: Routledge, pp. 15-21

Butler, J. (2010). Survivability, vulnerability, affect. In J. Butler (2010). Frames of
war: When is life grievable? London: UK: New Left Books. pp. 33-63
Week 6: October 14:
NOTE: NO CLASS – UNIVERSITY CLOSED FOR THANKSGIVING
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Week 7: October 21: Diversity and Equality
Carmen Rodriguez de France
Readings

Bell, L. A. (2013). Theoretical Foundations. In M. Adams, J. Blumenfeld, C.
Castaneda, H. Hackman, M. Peters, X. Zuniga (Eds.). Readings for Diversity and
Social Justice. New York: Routledge, pp. 21-26

Hardiman, R. Jackson, B., & Griffin, P. (2013). Conceptual foundations. In M.
Adams, J. Blumenfeld, C. Castaneda, H. Hackman, M. Peters, X. Zuniga (Eds.).
Readings for Diversity and Social Justice. New York: Routledge, pp. 26-35

Heins, V. (2008). Realizing Honneth: Redistribution, recognition, and global justice,
Journal of Global Ethics, 4:2, 141-153, Available:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17449620802194025
Week 8: October 28: When Social Justice is used as Façade
Carmen Rodriguez de France
Second Take-Home Exam: To be posted on Moodle by the end of October 29 (12
midnight), due at end of November 7 (12:00 midnight).
Readings

Young. I. (2013). Five faces of oppression. pp. 35-45. In M. Adams, J. Blumenfeld,
C. Castaneda, H. Hackman, M. Peters, X. Zuniga (Eds.). Readings for Diversity and
Social Justice. New York: Routledge, pp. 35-45

Marker, M. (2006). After the Makah Whale Hunt: Indigenous Knowledge and Limits
to multicultural discourse. Urban Education, vol. 41 no. 5, September 2006, pp. 482505
Guest Speaker: Dr. Michael Marker
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Week 9: November 4: Generating the Socially Just Ethical Subject
Pamela Moss
Readings

Braidotti, Rosi (2011) Sustainable Ethics and the Body in Pain. In Nomadic Theory:
The Portable Rosi Braidotti, pp. 299-324. New York: Columbia University Press.
Required reading includes: pages 306-13 and pages 323-324. Note: This is tough
reading. Please persevere.

Foucault, Michel (1997) The Ethics of the Concern of the Self as Practice of
Freedom. In Ethics: Subjectivity and Truth, pp. 281-301.New York: The New Press.
Required reading includes: page 281 until the first question on the top of page
293. If you are interested in philosophy, read until the end of the article. Note:
this is an interview with the author.
Week 10: November 11:
NOTE: NO CLASS – UNIVERSITY CLOSED FOR READING BREAK
Week 11: November 18: Disability Studies and Social Justice
Pamela Moss
Readings:

Thomas, Carol (2007) Theories and traditions in Disability Studies: Disability as
social oppression. In Sociologies of Disability and Illness: Contested Ideas in
Disability Studies and Medical Sociology, pp. 49-82. London: Palgrave.
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Week 12: November 25: Embodying Ethics / Bodies as Ethical Subjects
Pamela Moss
Third Take-Home Exam: To be posted on Moodle by the end of November 26 (12
midnight), due at the end of December 5 (12 midnight)
Readings:
You will be assigned which article to read in class on November 18.
Read one of the following three articles.

Little, Jo (2013) Pampering, Well-being and Women’s Bodies in the therapeutic
Spaces of the Spa. Social and Cultural Geography 14(1), 41-58.

Longhurst, Robyn (2011) Becoming Smaller: Autobiographical Spaces of Weight
Loss. Antipode 44(3), 871-88.

Wright, Melissa W. (2010) Geography and Gender: Feminism and a Feeling of
Justice. Progress in Human Geography 34(6), 818-27.
Week 13: December 2 – Social Justice Carnival
Please arrive before class time in order to ensure that your poster is set up and ready to
be viewed at the beginning of class.
Display a copy of your annotated bibliography with your poster display.
Remember to bring your Comment sheets to the Carnival.
Submit a printout of your annotated bibliography with your poster to an instructor at the
end of the Carnival.