Welcome to SWLF 3105!

1
Welcome to SWLF 3105!

• Two important thoughts as we begin
• Congratulations! You made it to advanced
  undergraduate study.
• Did you always think you would be here? (More on
  this later)

2
Who is this guy?

• Name Prof. Joel D. Harden (Joel is preferred)
• Hails from Wakefield (Quebec)
• Why am I here? As your course director this
  year.
• Something interesting about me? I am secretly
  rooting for Finland tomorrow

3
Your turn for introductions

• Two tasks here
• With the markers provided (or using pens of your
  own), create a name placard for the rest of the
  year. You need to hand this placard back to me
  at the end of each class.
• 2. For a few minutes, strike up a conversation
  with the person on your immediate right. Get
  from them the same details I just provided to
  you. When we reconvene, you will introduce this
  person to the rest of the class.

4
Analysis of the course outline

• Assignments
• First paper (10), second paper (15), third
  paper (20), fourth paper (15), final paper
  (25), and class participation (15). There is
  some flexibility here, but we need to reach a
  decision about this today.
• Weekly readings
• Divided into three sections overall (I
  Capitalism and the State II Public
  Expenditures and Taxation III Canadian Social
  Policies).

5
Analysis of the course outline (contd)

• Readings
• Course packs for Fall 2004 and Winter 2005, Taft
  and Stewart (2000), National Council of Welfare
  (2001, 2000, 1999)
• The National Council of Welfare documents are
  free of charge and will be distributed during
  class.

6
Your responsibilities, or how can I get an A
in this course?

• GUIDING PRINCIPLES
• To hand in assignments on time, and observe the
  universitys policy for academic dishonesty.
• To be prepared to participate in tutorials and
  lectures. QWhat is meant by participation?
• To be respectful of others during class, this
  includes myself, guest speakers and fellow
  students.
• To challenge yourself by thinking critically
  about all you encounter in this course.

7
What is critical thinking?

• Best explained in practice, learned from
  experience.
• One clue The red pill approach
• Another clue from Albert Einstein That genius
  lies not in the answer, but the question. What
  do you think this means?

8
First in-seminar assignment

• In one paragraph (2-3 sentences), reflect on what
  you think social policy is, and what motivated
  you to take this course.
• In one paragraph (again, 2-3 sentences), describe
  something an experience of critical thinking you
  have had. What made you re-evaluate what you had
  previously thought? How has this experience
  changed the way you view other related matters?

9
Themes for weeks 2-4

• What is capitalism?
• Where does selfish behaviour come from? Does
  capitalism have anything to do with this?
• What are marginal or neo-classical economic
  theories? What are the assumptions made by
  mainstream economics?

10
Themes for weeks 2-4 (contd)

• What is the significance of these terms means of
  production, relations of production, meritocracy,
  surplus value, relative surplus value, absolute
  surplus value, business cycle.
• Why should students of social policy care about
  any of these words?
• Who was John Maynard Keynes and Karl Marx? Why
  are these dead guys so important for this course?

11
Themes for weeks 2-4 (contd)

• What is the state? What does the state include?
  
• What does pluralist theory say about the state?
• What role does the state play in providing for
  social welfare? Is this role a positive or a
  negative one?

12
Suggestions for your first written assignment

• Keep on top of weekly readings!
• Research, take reading notes, create smaller
  reading notes, write, and edit, edit, edit, edit,
  edit (and edit still a little more)
• Come to our seminar prepared and ready to
  participate.
• Review seminar notes at the end of each week.
• When in doubt, contact me! joelh_at_nipissingu.ca

13
For next week

• Readings Weeks 1-2. Remember to read your
  weekly questions, accessible from Larrys website
  at www.nipissingu.ca/faculty/larrp/lphome
• Buy your textbooks, and get started on your first
  paper.
• Have fun, but rememberthink of Morpheuswhy you
  came here!