First Year Seminar 6
Social Justice in Contemporary Europe
Fall 2004 Syllabus
TTh 2:45-4pm
  BH 110

Nigel Boyle
217 Scott Hall
Office Hours TTh 10-12
Tel. 607-3770 email nboyle@pitzer.edu
 http://bernard.pitzer.edu/~nboyle/

Synopsis of Course Content
Poverty and politics in Europe will be examined in this seminar.  The vocabulary used in debates about poverty and inequality in contemporary Europe is quite different from that used in the US: "social exclusion", "social cohesion", "social dumping", "social partnership", "social democracy" and "socially sustainable development" are recurring themes across the ideological spectrum.  Is the European reality as different from the American as the rhetoric might suggest?   What is "social justice" in European contexts and how successful have public policies been in achieving it?

This is a writing intensive seminar.  In-class writing, a reflective essay, reports on various film and speaker series, an opinion piece, and a substantial research paper will all be required.  There will be a writing assignment every week of the semester (including he weeks of Fall Break and Thanksgiving!).  The research project is broken down into defined stages.  Students will have considerable latitude in deciding the topics on which they will write .  The course will also function as a workshop in which commenting on the work of one's classmates is an  important requirement. 

This First Year Seminar is connected to the other First Year Seminars by a broad theme (social justice), set of common speakers, and some common reading material.  Within this seminar a variety of teaching techniques and materials will be used: Instructor lecture/presentations; in-class films; off campus film series; statistical reports; academic articles; student presentations; on campus speaker series; off campus speaker series; joint seminar with Senior students; on-line newspapers.   

Reading material, will be made available via the webCT site.  Students will also make their own work available to classmates.  Additional material will be added to the  webCT site, as dictated by student interests.  In addition, the following materials are reuired/strongly recommended:

Required Newspaper Subscription:  The Financial Times ($31.95 for paper edition; $21.95 for the electronic edition).http://news.ft.com/Education/Portal/index.html
Required Book T. C. Boyle The Tortilla Curtain (Huntley Bookstore)
Recommended Book Diane Hacker A Writers Reference 5th edition (Huntley Bookstore)

Course Grade

The grade will be determined as follows:

• assignments  due Sept 16, 23, Oct. 7, 14,  22, November 4,  19 and 23 each worth 5% =  40% of course grade
• assignments  due October 28, November 11 and December 10  (the research project) each worth 10% = 30%  of course grade
• class participation and other in-class activities = 30% of the course grade
  

All written assignments are to be given (hard copy) to the instructor in class on Thursday (unless otherwise stated).  Unexcused absences and work turned in late will be automatically penalized.

Semester Schedule and Assignments

Week 2 Vocabularies and Data
September 7 The European Union and the European Project (presentation)
September 9  Parlez-vous Eurospeak?  "Race", "class", "gender", "social exclusion", "social cohesion", "social dumping", "social partnership", "social democracy", "socially sustainable development" (discussion).

Assignment: 2-page paper.  "The 'Facts': what surprised me in the OECD's Society at a Glance 2004"

Week 3 Race, Class and Gender: Europe and the US
September 14 Speaker Paul Kivel "Race, Class and Gender: working for social justice in war time" paulkivel.com
September 16  Movie and Tea: "La Haine" at Instructors home 1415 Guadalajara

Assignment: Reflective Essay 4-page on "Social Class"

Week 4 Comparing the the US and Europe, and the EU and Nafta
September 21 The Lisbon Agenda: towards a European Welfare State?  (presentation)
September 23 The Lisbon Agenda: towards a European Welfare State?  (discussion)

Sarah Anderson and John Cavanagh "Lessons of European Integration for the Americas"
D. Halpern, R. Drago and N. Boyle "How We Study Work-Family Interactions"
Gosta Esping-Andersen "The Structural Bases of Postindustrial Employment"
Fritz W. Scharpf "The European Social Model: Coping with the Challenges of Diversity" http://www.mpi-fg-koeln.mpg.de/pu/workpap/wp02-8/wp02-8.html

Assignment: 3-page opinion piece due 'Response to Op ed(s) in the Financial Times"

Week 5  A Case Study: Ireland: Boston versus Berlin
September 28  Ireland: Boston versus Berlin (presentation)
September 30 Noon Malott Commons Scripps Nigel Boyle "The Celtic Tiger and the Swiss Army Knife"
September 30 The Celtic Tiger and the Swiss Army Knife (discussion)

Assignment: list of possible topics for research project

Week 6  Social Justice and the US Social Model
October 5 Speaker Susan Straight
October 7 The Tortilla Curtain (discussion)

TC Boyle The Tortilla Curtain

Assignment: 5-page refection on The Tortilla Curtain

Week 7 Selecting a Research Topic
October 12  Workshop on selectiing a research topic
October 14 Library resources tutorial, Honnold Library

Assignment: 2-page proposals (plus a bibliography) for research project due

Fall Break

Week 8 Empires: European and American
October 21 Global Politics and Social Justice (discussion)
October 21 Niall Ferguson Athenaeum 6:45 pm
 
Assignment: 2-page discussion based on at least 2 of the speakers in the Athenaeum series due Wednesday October 22).

Week 9 Borders, Migrants and Nationalism
October 26 Speaker Gilberto Martinez "Borders and Migrants"
October 28 Immigrants, Citizenship and Nationalism in Europe (discussion)

Week 10 Bush, Kerry, Nader and Europe
November 2  Preparation for Student Research Presentations (workshop)
Election Night Party, location TBA
November 4  Implications of the US Presidential Election for Social Justice and for Europe (discussion)

Assignment: 2-page discussion paper on the speakers in the Pitzer First Year Seminar Series

Week 11 Research Project Presentations
November 9 Student Research Presentations (15 minute presentations)
November 11 Student Research Presentations (15 minute presentations)

Assignment: 20-page presentation draft of research paper due


Week 12 Research Project Presentations
November 16  Student Research Presentations (15 minute presentations)
November 18 Joint class with Fulbright nominees
Friday November  19 Visit International Undergraduate Research Symposium McConnell Living Room 12-3

Assignment:   2 2-page sets of comments on classmates presentation drafts

Week 13 The Criminal Justice System and Social Justice
November 23 "In the Name of the Father" Movie and "Tea" 1415 Guadalajara Place

Assignment: 2-page paper discussing at least 2 of the films in the EU Center film series "The New Europe, Looking East"

Thanksgiving Break November 24-29

Week 14 Criminal Justice and Social Justice in Europe and the US
November 30 Speaker Steve Gonzalez "Social Justice and the Criminal Justice System"
December 2 Criminal Justice and Social Justice (discussion)

Assignment: Full drafts of paper (20-25 pages, including footnotes and bibliography) due

Week 15 Conclusions
December 7 The Future of the European Social Model (discussion)
December 9 Research, Action and Social Justice (discussion)

Final Draft of Paper due December 10.

Film and Speaker  Series

The "New Europe: Looking East" Film Series, EU Center Film Series, Scripps College
Tue. 9/21 “Kolya” by Jan Sverak (Czech Republic). The 7 p.m. screening will be followed by a discussion with Donal O’Sullivan, Location: Humanities Building 119, Scripps College.
Tue. 10/12 “Train of Life” by Radu Mihaileanu (France).  The 7 p.m. screening will be followed by a discussion with Donal O’Sullivan. Location: Humanities Building 119, Scripps College.
Tue. 10/26  “Prisoner of the Mountains” by Sergey Bodrov (Russia).  The 7 p.m. screening will be followed by a discussion with Donal O’Sullivan, Location: Humanities Building 119, Scripps College.
Tue. 11/9 “Divided we Fall” by Jan Hrebejk (Czech Republic). The 7 p.m. screening will be followed by a discussion with Donal O’Sullivan. Location: Humanities Building 119, Scripps College.

Athenaeum Series, CMC (call 621-8244 to confirm, dinner optional)
Tues. 9/14 "Conversation with Phil Gramm"
Thurs 9/16 Cornel West "Race and Democracy" 6:45 Athenaeum, CMC.
Wed 9/29 Jared Diamond "Ecocide" 6:45 Athenaeum, CMC.
Thurs 10/21 Niall Ferguson "Empire..." Athenaeum 6:45 pm

Pitzer Freshman Series (class-time speakers, Avery Auditorium)
September 16  Paul Kivel "Race, Class and Gender: working for social justice in war time"
October 5 Speaker Susan Straight
October 26 Speaker Gilberto Martinez "Borders and Migrants"
November 30 Speaker Steve Gonzalez "Social Justice and the Criminal Justice System"