1 – Policy Document Reaction PaperMatlab

Java Python Assignment 1 – Policy Document Reaction Paper

A submitted assignment consists of a MS Word or PDF file, uploaded to the Assignment 1 area on Quercus.

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Assignment

Write a 500-750 word reaction to ONE policy document (policy brief, policy proposal, policy or project, policy report, meeting agenda item, media release, critical response, etc.) or part of a document related to a CULTURAL POLICY in the city of Toronto.

The source document must be between 1,200 and 2,500 words long (equivalent to 5-10 pages).

It must be issued by an ORGANISATION active in Toronto’s cultural policy formation network. Examples of such organisations include:

- the City of Toronto, its departments and programs (e.g. Department for Economic Development & Culture, Arts & Culture Grants Program, etc.);

- other, independent or arms-length, government organisations (e.g. Toronto Arts Council, Waterfront Toronto, etc.);

- civil society organisations, including atrists’ organisations (e.g. Artscape, Arts Network, Bloor St. Culture Corridor, Toronto Community & Culture Centre, etc.);

- academic and private research institutions (e.g. University of Toronto School of Cities; think tanks such as Fraser Institute, etc.); and

- private corporations and foundations (e.g. Art Toronto, Pierre Lassonde Family Foundation, etc.).

Remember that the SOCC26 Course Research Guide provides ample information on how to locate “grey literature,” that includes policy documents created and distributed by organisations like these.

The reaction presents and critically analyses a policy document, and is intended for academic and/or politically engaged audience.

The purpose of the reaction paper is to show:

1. your understanding of the document;

2. your ability to evaluate it using your previous academic and course knowledge; and

3. your ability to reflect on its probable role in the life and development of the city and its inhabitants, including its cultural values, policies, and amenities.

The reaction should represent your own thoughts, knowledge and writing. It will be graded on the depth, breadth, and complexity of your ideas.

You are not obliged to use any other sources in your reaction paper, although you are welcome to do so.

Structure of the assignment

There are two ways to structure a policy document reaction.

One is to write a summary of the main points of the policy discussed in the document or (b) the main elements / parts / arguments in the document relevant to your central theme, followed by your critical evaluation of it.

A better way is to integrate your discussion of the policy document content (summary and evaluation) around a central theme. That theme is your overall evaluation of the document and the policy it contains, its relation to social reality, and to other ideas relevant to urban cultural policies, familiar to you from your previous academic work Assignment 1 – Policy Document Reaction PaperMatlab or from other materials in this course. (This way is also more difficult than the first one. It may get you higher credit for the structure of your paper, but you can also write a satisfactory paper using the first structure.)

An introductory paragraph for the paper should state the significance of the policy or its topic for the quality of life in Toronto or for other desirable goals of urban cultural policies. It should answer a reader’s question “Why should I continue to read?”

The body of your paper will develop your central theme in detail. This section will contain a summary of the most important elements of the document, as well as your critical evaluation of it, and your exposition of the relationship between this document, social reality, and your course knowledge / other course materials (if applicable).

You must be specific in your presentation of the content. Refer directly to the text of the source document. You may cite or paraphrase it. Be selective: focus on the parts of the content that you consider the most relevant to your central theme. You do not have space to go into minute details.

The conclusion reiterates your overall opinion of the source document in one or two sentences.

Questions to ask yourself when developing your assessment of the document

1. What is the goal of the policy discussed in this document? What does it want to accomplish?

2. Is this goal worthwhile? Is the issue discussed significant?

3. Who are the intended constituency of the policy discussed? Whom does the document address? Who is expected to benefit from implementation of the policy discussed?

4. Who might be possible opponents of the policy?

4.Will this policy further the common good of residents of Toronto or some other goal? If its goal is more specific (e.g. maximisation of land use in an area or development of a particular sector of the economy), can it be reasonably argued that the accomplishment of this goal would contribute to the common good of Torontonians?

5. How will the benefits and costs of this policy be distributed? Will they be borne by the same or different populations?

6. Will implementation of the policy increase or decrease various types of inequality among Torontonians?

7. Based on your knowledge of urban social realities, do you think that this policy is realistic and feasible? Are resources for its development and implementation available? Is it likely to be acceptable and supported by significant policy formation actors and/or Torontonian public?

Grading criteria

• Understanding of the policy document.

• Critical evaluation of the document is supported by arguments and evidence.

• Use of course and other academic knowledge in the critical evaluation.

• Writing: clear, concise, and grammatically correct; ASA reference style. applied correctly.

Format:

Double-spaced, 12-point scalable font, left justification, one-inch margins. Number the pages. paper is longer, the remaining text will not be taken in consideration toward your grade.

In-text citation, ASA reference style. Remember that the citation format for the source text (the reading you are responding to) is different from the format you use for any other sources you may include. Cite all published sources you use, including other course readings. It is not necessary to cite course lectures.

If you are not familiar with the ASA referencing style, you may find the following brief - but thorough - guide, developed by the UTM Department of Sociology, useful: UTM Department of Sociology ASA Style. Guide, 7th ed. The guide is also available in the SOCC26 Course Research Guide in Quercus