Multiculturalism and Social Cohesion: Potentials and Challenges of Diversity

LIBS 1580 – Fall 2017
Multiculturalism Assignment 2- Unit 4
When? –DueApril 13th, 6pm.;20% of final grade. Please submit on e-conestoga in the
‘Assignments’ tab. You have 3 weeks to work on it...try not to leave it to the last minute!
The assignment is provided with ample time for completion. There is a specific Due
Date which is clearly communicated and regular reminders are given.You can submit only
once, so I encourage you to be confident and happy with your assignment.I'm available to
assist with direction, suggestions etc. while you are working on your assignment.When you
feel that you have done your best work and are happy with the completed assignment, hand it
in by the Due Date (April 13) for marking. If you want/need more time, you can hand in the
completed assignment with a late penalty of 10%, past the Due Date,to be fair to all students
who submitted on time. If you require accommodations for the assignment, I suggest you
contact me well in advance of the due date. I will not grant extensions the day before it is due.
Pairs? -You may work individually, or with maximum 1 partner. If you work with a partner, both
of you will receive the same grade. You should be making sure that both names are on the
assignment page when you submit it, and only one person should upload a copy.
Length? Approx. 3 pages, single spaced, Arial or Times font (12 size). You should use
subheadings or numbers to clearly label the different sections of your assignment, and this
should include abibliography/references section where applicable.
References/Citations? – You must clearly and properly reference your work. Citations and
para-phrasing, and data/stats usage must adhere to theAPA @ Conestoga style. i.e. (Author,
year, p. #) when citing in text, and then complete a proper bibliography/reference list at the end
with each source consulted. Make sure your References list has the complete source,
including website and date of access.Go through the various sections of the APA @
Conestoga website, especially the parts on ‘quotations’ and ‘paraphrasing’ before writing your
assignment, so you are clear on how to properly cite.The Virtual Learning Commons (VLC) @
Conestoga has additional resources to help you succeed in your work and provides academic
support.
You should use scholarly sources outside the course notes (though more are encouraged).
Academic sources are found in academic journals, books, university presses, and other similar
resources that you can search through via the Library @ Conestoga LRC. You all have access
to the LRC off-campus, once you sign in, it will be possible to access loads of materials (full
text articles and books) online. Alternate sources can be reputable newspapers and media (i.e.
CBC, Toronto Star, NYT, The economist, The guardian, etc.), or also other reputable websites
(not random blogs) from organizations and statistical agencies (i.e. Statistics Canada, The
World Bank, IMF, EIU, etc.).
There is a ‘turn-it-in’ originality check enabled so be careful not to plagiarize. Any assignments
found plagiarized will receive an automatic zero, and may be sent to the Chair of the
Department for further action.

*A note on citations: It is not okay to copy and paste entire long paragraphs or exact
sentences from websites, government agencies, or other articles (even if you put a quotation
or a source). Exact Quotes should be used sparingly, and if used, should not be more than a
few lines; and then put in quotations. Rather, paraphrase and put into your own words the
information you are trying to relay and summarize. Paraphrasing should also have a citation
(author, year, pg), but should not be copied verbatim from the website. Write it out on your
own!** When in doubt, cite it! Use the APA Conestoga resources or ask me for clarification.
Style– Follow the instructions below and fill in your answers. This is a formal assignment, so
use proper writing style, and make sure to edit your work, and watch for spelling and grammar!
*
How/What? – Complete the following topic below, and when you submit the assignment, be
sure to write a title and your name (+ partners name if applicable) on a title page or top of first
page. You may copy and paste the questions into a new document, and create your
assignment therein by answering questions below. Then save it with your name in the
document title, and upload it to e-conestoga through the appropriate assignment submission
folder (one copy per group). Ask me for help!! 
-Read the following article by Jeffrey Reitz that has been divided into paragraphs. Then, go to
the last page of the document and read the questions posed, and any links therein.Type your
answers (12 font, single space) to the questions labeled below the questions, and save ONLY
those pages, as a new file, and upload to submission folder (with your names of course!). *Do
not submit this entire document – only the last pages with questions, save as a new file with
your name.
-Use your own words in providing your answers. ‘Use your own words’ does not mean ‘provide
your opinion’ - it means show that you fully understand the concept/argument that the author is
making by articulating the answer in your own words, and by making any references needed.
-Read the article, think about the questions, then plan out your answers and write them out
coherently.
Article:Multiculturalism and Social Cohesion: Potentials and Challenges of
Diversityby Jeffrey Reitz
1. Multiculturalism has been a cornerstone of Canadian policy for almost 40 years, but
internationally, particularly since 9/11 and in light of inter-ethnic conflicts in Europe
resulting from immigration, there has been something of a ‘retreat’ from multiculturalism.
Should Canada keep multiculturalism despite problems elsewhere? Or should our
multiculturalism policies be changed, or perhaps even abandoned?
2. Debate over multiculturalism is partly a question of political principle, as discussed by, for
example, Canadian philosophers Will Kymlicka and Charles Taylor. But today, the
debate is mostly about the social impact of diversity. Is there ‘unity in diversity,’ as
advocates say, or does diversity lead to isolation, mistrust and disunity, as critics
suggest?

3. There are many questions for social and psychological analysis based on the evidence.
My co-authored book Multiculturalism and Social Cohesion: Potentials and Challenges of
Diversity examines some of these questions based on evidence from a unique and
comprehensive source: Statistics Canada’s 2002 Ethnic Diversity Survey of over 40,000
Canadians representing all cultural groups across the country.
4. Some of our basic findings are these. First, the maintenance over time of attachments
to an ethnic minority community – strong ethnic identity and involvement in the ethnic
community – have both positive and negative effects on social integration, depending on
different dimensions of social integration.
5. We find positive effects of strong ethnic attachments are found when we look at a
person’s sense of belonging in Canada, and their overall life satisfaction. There are
positive effects of ethnic attachments also on voting, a telling indicator of social
integration.
6. However, we find negativeeffects of strong ethnic attachments on rates of citizenship
acquisition for immigrants, and on acquisition of a sense of Canadian identity. There is
also a clear negative effect of strong ethnic attachments on feelings of trust in others.
7. These positive and negative impacts show that the impact of diversity on social cohesion
is mixed; the answer depends on the dimension of integration. The two opposing views
of the social impact of diversity are not contradictory. Rather, they capture different
aspects of reality.
8. A second finding shows that inequalities experienced by visible minorities are an
important challenge for policy. Visible minorities in Canada experience significant
inequality. Visible minorities have the lowest household incomes and the highest poverty
rates – about double the rates for whites. Of course, the economic status of visible
minorities definitely improves with time in Canada, and the children of visible minority
immigrants have high levels of education and much improved household income levels.
9. However, a third finding is troubling - many visible minority respondents report
experiences of discrimination in Canada, and their concerns appear to intensify with
greater time in Canada. For recentimmigrants, 34 percent of visible minorities reported
experiences of discrimination in the previous 5 years, compared to 19 percent for whites.
Visible minorities also more often report discomfort in social situations, and even fear
becoming the target of an attack. And over time, these concerns become more frequent
for visible minorities, whereas among white immigrants, reports of discrimination decline.
For the children of immigrants, the rate of reported experiences of discrimination
among visible minorities is up to 42 percent – and over 60 percent for blacks – whereas
among whites the rates decline to about 10 percent.
10. Partly as a result of experiences of discrimination and a sense of exclusion, visible
minorities are less socially integrated into Canadian society than their white
counterparts. They are clearly slower to acquire a ‘Canadian’ identity. Most indicators
show more negative trends for racial minorities than for whites. For example, among
recent immigrants racial minorities actually express a stronger sense of belonging in
Canada than do whites; among the children of immigrants it is the reverse. A positive