Research PaperEvaluating Strategies of Change

Instructions
This assignment requires you to write a 2000-word research paper
that explores a particular topic or issue that is of concern to women, lesbian,
gay, and bisexual (LGB) people, and/or gender-nonconforming/transgender people
and evaluates potential strategies for improving their working lives.
Follow these steps to prepare your paper:
1. Begin by
choosing a topic that you would like to explore in greater depth, such as
sexual harassment; employment rights; LGB, transgender, and
gender-nonconforming people in the workplace; pay equity and the wage gap;
sensitivity training, women at the top, and solidarity; self-employment;
child-care policy; women and unions; or greater recognition for womens unpaid
work.
2. Next,
identify potential sources of information on your topic. You will need to
obtain suitable books, articles, and other resource materials. Be sure to look
for resources that will help you document concrete, up-to-date strategies that
women, LGB people, and/or gender-nonconforming/transgender people may be
working on. Useful resources might be obtained from local organizations that
are working on the issue, such as various womens, human rights and workers
rights groups, or unions. They may be able to provide you with written
materials, policy papers, or even someone you could speak with. Regional,
national, and international organizations offer relevant resources on their
websites, which may also include links to other online resources and
organizations. Local, provincial, and federal government offices can also
provide information on specific policies and programs and, in some cases,
position papers on specific issues.
3. Use the
following questions as guidelines in researching and writing your paper:
a. What is the
general issue you are addressing, and why is it important? What is the current
state of the problem? What strategies, if any, have been pursued to date in
dealing with it?
b. Through your
reading of the course material, what major insights, theories, and concepts
emerge with respect to this issue?
c. Through your
research on this topic or issue, what relevant resources and/or organizations
did you identify? What type of work have these organizations done on this
issue? How much interest and attention is it receiving? What strategy or
strategies are individuals, organizations, or governments pursuing to improve
the situation? Describe what is involved in each of these strategies.
d. Based on
your reading and research, how would you evaluate the strategy or strategies
that you have described? What are their respective strengths and weaknesses? In
your view, do they promise to improve the working lives of women? If not, what
other options should be pursued?
4.
Once you have considered these questions,
develop your thesis statement. What is the main argument that your paper will
be making regarding your topic?
5. Your paper needs
to reference and discuss five of the key concepts from the course in relation
to your chosen topic.
a. affirmative action
b. bottom-up approach
c. child-care benefit
d. cultures of discrimination
e. customer sexual harassment
f. direct discrimination
g. employment equity
h. indirect discrimination
i. job share
j. maternity and parental benefits
6.
self-employment and small business
ownership
7.
sensitivity or cultural training
8.
sexual assault
9.
sexual harassment (quid pro quo and as a
continuing condition of work)
10.
solidarity/allyship
11. systemic discrimination/barriers
12. telecommute
13. the motherhood penalty and the fatherhood bonus
14.unions/unionization
15. universal child care
16.wage
gap
17. work-family initiatives

Last Completed Projects