As with much of American politics, the current immigration debate is filled mostly with polemics and demagoguery. It is often difficult to find a nuanced discussion of the issues and the wider context in which they exist. Luckily over the holiday break I was able to dive into two books on the subject, both of which provide a very contextualized account of central issues and controversies and where they reside in the course of debate.
The first one I read is They Take Our Jobs: And Twenty Other Myths About Immigration by Aviva Chomsky. It was a great book. Chomsky identifies key myths that are pushed about immigration from both pro and con positions. It places the immigration issue within the larger context of neoliberal reforms. While I wish some of the entries were longer, always good to leave the reader interested in finding out more, the book really stands out as a critically engaged account of the issues. One thing that particularly stood out was the role of marginalized labor and its place in the U.S. economy from the time of the American Revolution.
Ex Mex: From Migrants to Immigrants by Jorge Castañeda, a former foreign minister of Mexico, examines the historical context that situates the current debate. He also provides an excellent discussion of possible policies and the likely proponents and opponents to these policies. Examining the ways immigration from Mexico has changed, but also how it remains remarkably similar to previous decades, helps to identify that what we face is nothing new. Also noteworthy is that it provides a Mexican perspective on the issue, particularly from a person who has had a lot of influence and experience dealing with this issue at the highest levels of government.
While these are just two of many possible books that provide accounts of the current immigration debate, they are both very accessible and well-written. A proper discussion of immigration and its ramifications must start somewhere and these are good resources for that discussion.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Monday, January 14, 2008
New Semester
This week is the first real week of TAing this semester for me. I will be teaching my first three tutorials. It will be interesting because the tutorial system is not something I ever ran into in my undergraduate education. Apparently it is quite common at Canadian universities.
In the tutorial system there is one lecture held by the professor, generally near the beginning of the week, which all the students attend. Then students come to a tutorial section where there are around 10-15 students. These tutorial sessions are taught by the TA and are for in-depth discussion of topics discussed in lecture. Previously TAing the quantitative methods course I was only responsible for helping folks in lab sessions. I think it will be interesting to facilitate discussions and have a more dynamic interaction. I have three tutorials each week and they are each two hours long. It will be interesting particularly because the first few weeks deal with things such as epistemology, ontology, and research ethics. As the students are Sophomores (or 2nd year as they say up here), this will be one of their first experiences with learning specific research methods. It is both a qualitative and quantitative course and so it will be interesting to see what biases people come in with and how they come to terms with different methods. With the SFU Sociology and Anthropology department being so qualitative in focus, I look forward to hearing students' concerns.
Over the holiday break Heather found me reading an article titled "Rethinking Critical Pedagogy and the Gramscian and Freirean Legacies: From Organic to Committed Intellectuals or Critical Pedagogy, Commitment, and Praxis." It is about creating non-hierarchal relationships in the classroom. As soon as she saw the title she just walked out of the room. I have to say it is a pretty good read if anyone is interested... Some how I think I am alone on this one.
Overall, I am really excited for this semester. I am beginning to work on the results section of my thesis, in many ways the key section, and look forward to completing the entire thesis on time (defending in July or August). I really enjoy working on my thesis and think the two RA projects I am working on are both really interesting.
In the tutorial system there is one lecture held by the professor, generally near the beginning of the week, which all the students attend. Then students come to a tutorial section where there are around 10-15 students. These tutorial sessions are taught by the TA and are for in-depth discussion of topics discussed in lecture. Previously TAing the quantitative methods course I was only responsible for helping folks in lab sessions. I think it will be interesting to facilitate discussions and have a more dynamic interaction. I have three tutorials each week and they are each two hours long. It will be interesting particularly because the first few weeks deal with things such as epistemology, ontology, and research ethics. As the students are Sophomores (or 2nd year as they say up here), this will be one of their first experiences with learning specific research methods. It is both a qualitative and quantitative course and so it will be interesting to see what biases people come in with and how they come to terms with different methods. With the SFU Sociology and Anthropology department being so qualitative in focus, I look forward to hearing students' concerns.
Over the holiday break Heather found me reading an article titled "Rethinking Critical Pedagogy and the Gramscian and Freirean Legacies: From Organic to Committed Intellectuals or Critical Pedagogy, Commitment, and Praxis." It is about creating non-hierarchal relationships in the classroom. As soon as she saw the title she just walked out of the room. I have to say it is a pretty good read if anyone is interested... Some how I think I am alone on this one.
Overall, I am really excited for this semester. I am beginning to work on the results section of my thesis, in many ways the key section, and look forward to completing the entire thesis on time (defending in July or August). I really enjoy working on my thesis and think the two RA projects I am working on are both really interesting.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
A People's Economist
A recent article by Joseph Stiglitz, a noted economist, provides a concise and directed critique of the havoc created by the Bush administration. He details the economic mismanagement and financial audacity that has damaged the U.S. and will require significant effort to redact. He provides a good starting point for a discussion of the steps to be taken to fix this problem.
As far as economists go, I find Stiglitz to be one of the one's I admire most. He doesn't accept many of the "facts" spun out by economists and has worked to increase nuance among economic analysis of the "invisible hand" by identifying informational asymmetries and their role in markets.
While he still represents a more mainstream view than I would ascribe to, I find value in his analysis and his work for social change and justice. His recent involvement in the independent film "The Big Sellout" was excellent. In this film he commented on the commodification of goods and the negative effects that it had on various countries. It was a really good movie and provided some clear examples where the Washington Consensus was failing those it claims to be "developing".
As far as economists go, I find Stiglitz to be one of the one's I admire most. He doesn't accept many of the "facts" spun out by economists and has worked to increase nuance among economic analysis of the "invisible hand" by identifying informational asymmetries and their role in markets.
While he still represents a more mainstream view than I would ascribe to, I find value in his analysis and his work for social change and justice. His recent involvement in the independent film "The Big Sellout" was excellent. In this film he commented on the commodification of goods and the negative effects that it had on various countries. It was a really good movie and provided some clear examples where the Washington Consensus was failing those it claims to be "developing".
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Coming Up For Air
I am beat. After grading eleven 15-20 page quantitative methods papers for one class, twenty 30-40 page papers for another quantitative methods class, entering forty-three 175 variables surveys, and grading 20 essay final exams in the course of a week I think I am ready for the holiday break. This is the first day in a while I haven't had to have 6 things on my mind at once. Luckily we leave tomorrow for Fargo. It will be a nice break and I look forward to seeing my cats. The first leg of the trip is a long one for me and I am hoping to get in some good pleasure reading time (despite the fact that the books I read for pleasure are on my thesis topic).
In other news, after invigilating (that is what they call proctoring up here) one of my classes' exams, I was informed that they were all heading to the bar on campus and begged me to come. I was honestly sad to decline, but I had to because I needed to get grading otherwise I wasn't sure I would get done in time. I also felt bad saying no because the students were saying things like "but you'll never see us again," "just one drink," and "don't worry we will help you grade at the bar." Ok not so much the last one, those sneaky little bastards. Overall, I would say it was my favorite class that I have TAed for. It is also the last time (probably) that I will TA quantitative methods.
Next semester I have decided to TA a new course: intro to research methods (seriously I think the department is in love with me, I always get first choice of the TAships while everyone else bitches about their assigned courses). From what I hear, the course is about 80% qualitative and 20% quantitative. I think it will be a good switch. My undergrad experience was definitely mixed methods and it will be enjoyable to get back into that sort of work. I enjoy TAing because it requires me to gain a certain level of expertise in a fast amount of time in a subject that I may only be familiar with. I have to be able to know the stuff well enough to have multiple ways to explain it and answer tough questions on the spot. It's a challenge that I think has made me understand why people enjoy teaching. Another big difference with SA 255 (intro to research methods) is that I will have three two-hour tutorials. In the Canadian university system for big classes it is common to have one lecture during the week and then a bunch of tutorials led by grad students.
So my advisor Fernando De Maio, is the professor for the course. He will hold a two hour lecture on Mondays and then there will be six two hour tutorials spread out around the week. He will take one, I will be responsible for three, and the other TA for the course will have two. In the tutorials you lead discussion and help them engage with the material in a more collegial atmosphere. A lot of people say they get really nervous about their tutorials but I am kind of excited to see how it goes. I am just hoping I don't end up regretting asking for the three tutorials instead of the two.
In other news, after invigilating (that is what they call proctoring up here) one of my classes' exams, I was informed that they were all heading to the bar on campus and begged me to come. I was honestly sad to decline, but I had to because I needed to get grading otherwise I wasn't sure I would get done in time. I also felt bad saying no because the students were saying things like "but you'll never see us again," "just one drink," and "don't worry we will help you grade at the bar." Ok not so much the last one, those sneaky little bastards. Overall, I would say it was my favorite class that I have TAed for. It is also the last time (probably) that I will TA quantitative methods.
Next semester I have decided to TA a new course: intro to research methods (seriously I think the department is in love with me, I always get first choice of the TAships while everyone else bitches about their assigned courses). From what I hear, the course is about 80% qualitative and 20% quantitative. I think it will be a good switch. My undergrad experience was definitely mixed methods and it will be enjoyable to get back into that sort of work. I enjoy TAing because it requires me to gain a certain level of expertise in a fast amount of time in a subject that I may only be familiar with. I have to be able to know the stuff well enough to have multiple ways to explain it and answer tough questions on the spot. It's a challenge that I think has made me understand why people enjoy teaching. Another big difference with SA 255 (intro to research methods) is that I will have three two-hour tutorials. In the Canadian university system for big classes it is common to have one lecture during the week and then a bunch of tutorials led by grad students.
So my advisor Fernando De Maio, is the professor for the course. He will hold a two hour lecture on Mondays and then there will be six two hour tutorials spread out around the week. He will take one, I will be responsible for three, and the other TA for the course will have two. In the tutorials you lead discussion and help them engage with the material in a more collegial atmosphere. A lot of people say they get really nervous about their tutorials but I am kind of excited to see how it goes. I am just hoping I don't end up regretting asking for the three tutorials instead of the two.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Justice May Be Blind But Her System Is Not
A new report identifies that the rising rate of imprisonment in the U.S. has not resulted in a decline in the actual crime rate that many neo-conservative ideologues had predicted. The report "Unlocking America" also identifies that the massive expense that is incurred from this explosion of the prison population represents a significant burden on society. The U.S. has often considered itself a "law and order" society where revenge and justice are used in the same breath. Ideas of deterrence and paternalism inform the vast majority of our criminal policies. The linkages between the increased inequalities and hopelessness experienced by those who are born without is something that is often discarded as an important factor.
It is time for the U.S. to look to other models of justice that have found more success and attempt to create massive change. One significant barrier to any reform is the massive profit that is being made by the corporations that are building and running these new mega-prisons, as well as those industries (food, bedding, security) that are making an exorbitant profit from providing substandard services (in a parallel with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan).
The outdated notion of "lock them up and throw away the key" clearly has not provided Americans with the level of security they desire. A more nuanced approach to sentencing and rehabilitation is necessary to provide real safety. The further polarization of wealthy Americans into gated communities and the poor into squalid decaying inner cities only exacerbates this crucial problem. A serious focus must be made to close the gaps between the richest and the poorest. This must also be coupled with substantive reforms to our democratic process that allows for a more inclusive civil society where more voices have a chance to be heard.
The prison problem is a prime example of the ideology of neo-conservativism being passed off as fact. There are many different options for punitive actions in a criminal justice system. In the U.S. only the most expensive and least supported (in terms of facilitating a safer society) in the empirical literature are utilized. Examples such as those currently used in Scandinavian countries can help us to start a dialogue and create substantive reform.
A further point that must be identified is the fact that in terms of costs "white collar crime" represents a significantly larger drain on society than violent crime does. Though those folks that commit this sort of crime are more likely to receive a slap on the wrist versus real substantive punishment. When the quality of the lawyer is one of the main determinants of a persons chance of getting a fair trial, our justice system cannot be called just. The fact that crimes committed by the poor are those that are labeled a "social problem" just shows the complete bias and unobjective nature with which prosecutions are handed out. Those who cannot afford to pay for a good lawyer get a public defender, one of the most overworked and underpaid jobs. This vast discrepancy in quality of trial is just a further indication of the inequitable system under which we live.
It is time for the U.S. to look to other models of justice that have found more success and attempt to create massive change. One significant barrier to any reform is the massive profit that is being made by the corporations that are building and running these new mega-prisons, as well as those industries (food, bedding, security) that are making an exorbitant profit from providing substandard services (in a parallel with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan).
The outdated notion of "lock them up and throw away the key" clearly has not provided Americans with the level of security they desire. A more nuanced approach to sentencing and rehabilitation is necessary to provide real safety. The further polarization of wealthy Americans into gated communities and the poor into squalid decaying inner cities only exacerbates this crucial problem. A serious focus must be made to close the gaps between the richest and the poorest. This must also be coupled with substantive reforms to our democratic process that allows for a more inclusive civil society where more voices have a chance to be heard.
The prison problem is a prime example of the ideology of neo-conservativism being passed off as fact. There are many different options for punitive actions in a criminal justice system. In the U.S. only the most expensive and least supported (in terms of facilitating a safer society) in the empirical literature are utilized. Examples such as those currently used in Scandinavian countries can help us to start a dialogue and create substantive reform.
A further point that must be identified is the fact that in terms of costs "white collar crime" represents a significantly larger drain on society than violent crime does. Though those folks that commit this sort of crime are more likely to receive a slap on the wrist versus real substantive punishment. When the quality of the lawyer is one of the main determinants of a persons chance of getting a fair trial, our justice system cannot be called just. The fact that crimes committed by the poor are those that are labeled a "social problem" just shows the complete bias and unobjective nature with which prosecutions are handed out. Those who cannot afford to pay for a good lawyer get a public defender, one of the most overworked and underpaid jobs. This vast discrepancy in quality of trial is just a further indication of the inequitable system under which we live.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Social Problems Require A Social Solution
A recent report from the UK finds that obesity is not the individual problem that most people seem to think. Instead, social factors appear to play a larger role in determining whether or not someone becomes obese. For someone in sociology this seems reasonable, but for those not familiar with the field it may be hard to understand how social forces can create social problems.
Some will still argue that it is an individual's "choice" and responsibility to control and regulate themselves. This atomistic view of the world misses the way in which our choices and ideas are constrained by the social world in which we live. For example, energy dense foods (e.g. fast food) that are cheap and available to the poor are more likely to lead to obesity than more nutrient dense food (e.g. fresh fruits and vegetables). While many would say that this just means that the poor need to "make better choices," the fact that these findings show a clear pattern by sociodemographic factors indicate that ideas of choice and responsibility are not sufficiently nuanced to get at the reasons for difference.
Societal factors such as sedentary lifestyle, energy saving devices, automobility, and energy dense cheap foods are all on the rise. Social problems require social solutions and this report just highlights this. A considered response is necessary to combat this problem. It is important to identify and attempt to work on structural factors and not just the symptoms. Issues of consumerism and excess consumption must be examined along with things such as education. We also must come to hold corporations more accountable for their actions and products. Simply providing the nutritional information of the products is not sufficient. It is true that people have the ability to decide what they are consuming. The fact that it is often easier to consume something fast and unhealthy than something self-prepared and nutritious shows a failure of the market to provide adequate alternatives.
Friday, November 9, 2007
Undergrads...
For those of you who are undergrads, this is not meant as an insult to you. Though if the below applies to you, then feel free to pretend that I am glaring at you condescendingly.
So far in my graduate career, I have had the good fortune of being able to TA for quantitative methods. This class is intended for third year students, but due to an intense fear of anything with numbers in this department, most put it off until their fourth year and often their last semester. This creates a problem because it is also the most often failed course in the department. One of the professors that teaches it even remarked that they lose students from sociology to anthropology just because people are so afraid of this course. I have even had to deal with a student taking it for their fourth time (once you fail it three times you have to get special permission from the department to take it again, and it is the last chance).
With that lead up I imagine you are wondering why I would say that TAing this class would be fortunate in any way. My absolute favorite part is the hilarity of the students involved and their lack of basic academic skills even in their junior or senior years. While I have to say the overall level of students is higher than my previous university, the ones that are bad are REALLY bad. In the class we mostly do everything on SPSS and the first couple weeks are always dedicated to getting people familiar with the program and how to open data sets, save outputs, etc. So you can imagine my surprise when in the final weeks of the previous semester, at time in which students should be well into their final project, a student raises her hand and says "How do I open my data file?" Now this particular student was never terribly engaged and continually refused to get extra help when it was offered. When I came over to her desk she had no idea how this most basic of functions could be carried out. I explained it to her and helped her find her data file so she could continue her project. I use the term "continue" very loosely because clearly she had not done much up to this point.
Another thing that continues to amaze me about my students and students in general is their immense fear of their textbooks. They aren't assigned as a joke or as a paperweight; they provide relevant information about the class. On Wednesday the professor who I TA for was out of town for a conference (in the Bahamas... that bastard) and he asked me to present that weeks lecture to the class. It was on bivariate statistics, specifically correlation coefficients and t-tests. This is something that I am quite familiar with so I had no problem agreeing to present on it. I amended the power-point that he used last year for the class with some of my own work. Upon beginning the lecture is was clear that 90%-95% of the class had NO idea what I was talking about. This lead me to the depressing realization that the sorry sods had not even bothered to glance at their book prior to coming to class. Fernando (the professor) went out of his way to assign two textbooks for the class. One is your average introduction to social statistics book that can be dense at times. He also assigned a companion book which is much easier to read and covers the topics of the class but in less depth. This book is so easy to read that at times it nearly insults your intelligence. The lecture went well overall and I was able to get the few students that did read to answer the prompts for participation throughout the lecture.
Not reading your book in any class is something I can't understand. But in a class like quantitative methods where you can't fake your way through lecture is not the place to do it. You can probably B.S. your way through a social problems lecture, or maybe even a history or philosophy lecture, but if you don't even know what a correlation coefficient is your are pretty much screwed. The blank stares from the lazy majority made this clear. Luckily I noticed early and was able to adjust the lecture down a few steps to drag these folks along and hopefully I inspired them to at least find out where they stashed their textbooks (unlikely, I'd assume). Then in the lab in the afternoon one of my students asked me a specific question about one of the statistical tests. I explained it without thinking anything of the question. The student responded "how do you memorize all of the information about all these tests?" I told her that I use most of them in my thesis work but that I also skim the chapters prior to each lecture. One of my more hilarious students (one of his research questions is whether having sex increases someones self-perceived happiness using statistical analysis, and who also is in two bands, one a "lighter version of Marilyn Manson" and the other devoted to covering old Japanese pop songs) piped up and said "I haven't even read either text book." I should have been surprised by this comment but I wasn't. I remarked that it probably wasn't something I would admit. If you are paying to go to college and paying for your books you are just wasting your time by not reading your books. Even if you pull an A without reading, your comprehension of the material is much less than someone who engaged with the literature. While I understand that reading myspace/livejournal/facebook may be more exciting than reading your textbook, they don't make you look any less like a moron for failing a class for the second or third time.
So far in my graduate career, I have had the good fortune of being able to TA for quantitative methods. This class is intended for third year students, but due to an intense fear of anything with numbers in this department, most put it off until their fourth year and often their last semester. This creates a problem because it is also the most often failed course in the department. One of the professors that teaches it even remarked that they lose students from sociology to anthropology just because people are so afraid of this course. I have even had to deal with a student taking it for their fourth time (once you fail it three times you have to get special permission from the department to take it again, and it is the last chance).
With that lead up I imagine you are wondering why I would say that TAing this class would be fortunate in any way. My absolute favorite part is the hilarity of the students involved and their lack of basic academic skills even in their junior or senior years. While I have to say the overall level of students is higher than my previous university, the ones that are bad are REALLY bad. In the class we mostly do everything on SPSS and the first couple weeks are always dedicated to getting people familiar with the program and how to open data sets, save outputs, etc. So you can imagine my surprise when in the final weeks of the previous semester, at time in which students should be well into their final project, a student raises her hand and says "How do I open my data file?" Now this particular student was never terribly engaged and continually refused to get extra help when it was offered. When I came over to her desk she had no idea how this most basic of functions could be carried out. I explained it to her and helped her find her data file so she could continue her project. I use the term "continue" very loosely because clearly she had not done much up to this point.
Another thing that continues to amaze me about my students and students in general is their immense fear of their textbooks. They aren't assigned as a joke or as a paperweight; they provide relevant information about the class. On Wednesday the professor who I TA for was out of town for a conference (in the Bahamas... that bastard) and he asked me to present that weeks lecture to the class. It was on bivariate statistics, specifically correlation coefficients and t-tests. This is something that I am quite familiar with so I had no problem agreeing to present on it. I amended the power-point that he used last year for the class with some of my own work. Upon beginning the lecture is was clear that 90%-95% of the class had NO idea what I was talking about. This lead me to the depressing realization that the sorry sods had not even bothered to glance at their book prior to coming to class. Fernando (the professor) went out of his way to assign two textbooks for the class. One is your average introduction to social statistics book that can be dense at times. He also assigned a companion book which is much easier to read and covers the topics of the class but in less depth. This book is so easy to read that at times it nearly insults your intelligence. The lecture went well overall and I was able to get the few students that did read to answer the prompts for participation throughout the lecture.
Not reading your book in any class is something I can't understand. But in a class like quantitative methods where you can't fake your way through lecture is not the place to do it. You can probably B.S. your way through a social problems lecture, or maybe even a history or philosophy lecture, but if you don't even know what a correlation coefficient is your are pretty much screwed. The blank stares from the lazy majority made this clear. Luckily I noticed early and was able to adjust the lecture down a few steps to drag these folks along and hopefully I inspired them to at least find out where they stashed their textbooks (unlikely, I'd assume). Then in the lab in the afternoon one of my students asked me a specific question about one of the statistical tests. I explained it without thinking anything of the question. The student responded "how do you memorize all of the information about all these tests?" I told her that I use most of them in my thesis work but that I also skim the chapters prior to each lecture. One of my more hilarious students (one of his research questions is whether having sex increases someones self-perceived happiness using statistical analysis, and who also is in two bands, one a "lighter version of Marilyn Manson" and the other devoted to covering old Japanese pop songs) piped up and said "I haven't even read either text book." I should have been surprised by this comment but I wasn't. I remarked that it probably wasn't something I would admit. If you are paying to go to college and paying for your books you are just wasting your time by not reading your books. Even if you pull an A without reading, your comprehension of the material is much less than someone who engaged with the literature. While I understand that reading myspace/livejournal/facebook may be more exciting than reading your textbook, they don't make you look any less like a moron for failing a class for the second or third time.
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