Multiculturalism in Canada: A Personal and Research-Based Analysis

Canada is the only society left in the world committed to policies of multiculturalism, which would suggest that Canada is somehow doing better than other countries that do not endorse multiculturalism or have removed multicultural policies.  But is this accurate? Does multiculturalism reduce prejudice and discrimination (i.e., racism)?  Each person in Canada (whether born here or not) has a different experience of multiculturalism based on their position within the social hierarchy – this assignment asks you to analyze multiculturalism from your personal perspective, with the help of research.  

For this assignment, you will be conducting a research-based critical and personal analysis of multiculturalism in Canada.  

You were born in canada or spent most of your life here:

Given your gender and ethnicity, what does research say about your position within Canadian society (i.e., the 2019 vertical mosaic)?  What has been the experience of others in Canada with these same social characteristics in terms of prejudice and discrimination?  

For this assignment, this is what you will do:

1. You need to conduct researchand find a minimum of three credible (preferably academic) sources to use as a basis for your analysis and to inform your opinion on the topic.  Your sources should not be more than 10 years old.  
2. With each source, write a full page, double-spaced, on the following:
   1. Give the full reference of the source (as you would include in a Bibliography or Works Cited section);
   2. Briefly state what you learned from this source about how your particular position within Canadian society interacts with multiculturalism (i.e., the impact of the society on the individual) in terms of prejudice and discrimination;
   3. Briefly state how you will incorporate it into your analysis in Part B (again, not a summary – you must state how you plan to use this source in your Part B paper).

If you were born outside of canada:

Given your gender and ethnicity, what is your position within the social hierarchy of your home society?  What has been the experience of others in that society with these same social characteristics in terms of prejudice and discrimination?

Length:

Part A should be three pages long, DOUBLE-SPACED, in 12 point font.  Papers that go significantly over or under length will be penalized.

Now, using what you learned in class and from the research in Part A, construct a critical and personal analysis of multiculturalism in Canada from your own personal perspective.  

If you were born in canada or spent most of your life here:

What has been your experience of multiculturalism in Canada? Conduct a comparative analysis between yourself and others in Canada with the same social characteristics.

Given your current position within the Canadian hierarchy (i.e., based on the 2019 vertical mosaic and research conducted), what has been your experience with prejudice and discrimination?  

Does multiculturalism operate in Canada the way you think it should, or could? What changes would you make to Canadian society to improve multiculturalism?

If you were born outside of canada:

This will require you to do some research beyond what we learned in the lecture notes and discussions. Remember That Every Claim You Make In a Research Paper Must Be Supported By Research. If You Cannot Support It, It Does Not Belong In Your Paper. This includes opinions – they must be informed by research otherwise they do not belong.  

Remember that writing counts. Regardless of the brilliance of your thinking on the subject, if it is poorly expressed, you will not get a good mark (I call this ‘when bad writing happens to good ideas’).  Poor writing and grammar have a negative impact on the clarity and quality of your argument, and will be penalized.  Proof-read, spell-check, grammar-check, and double check.  

Length:

Part B must no more than 1,200 words in length, DOUBLE-SPACED, in 12 point font.  You may go no more than 100 words over (max 1,300 words) or under (minimum 1,100 words). You must include a Word Count (not including title page) at the end of your paper.  Papers that go significantly over or under length will be penalized.