University of Windsor, Ontario: Open Journal Systems
Not a member yet
3084 research outputs found
Sort by
Painful Virtue, Marginalisation, and Resistance
No full textThis paper argues a potentially controversial thesis in virtue ethics, i.e., in situations of oppression and marginalisation, it is better to be a person of atypical virtue, one who has struggled to resist oppressive circumstances, than it is to be a traditionally defined virtuous agent. As such, those who have been through a tragic dilemma (or several) are more important for successful resistance movements than their traditionally defined counterparts. This paper does not romanticise oppressive situations or their influence on some individuals developing virtuous actions and behaviours. Instead, it acknowledges that these are tragic circumstances that permanently affect some individuals for the rest of their lives. However, the argument here is that these individuals can utilise their experiences as reasons to continue resisting until a time comes where future generations will not need to experience such tragic circumstances. To demonstrate the applicability of this argument, this paper will consider the struggles of queer individuals in a Canadian context. This is achieved by demonstrating how those individuals who led the fight for queer rights used their experiences of marginalisation in early resistance movements. It then shifts focus to address current issues in Canadian queer lives
Toward an Interdependent Conception of the Self: Implications for Canadian Policy Reform
No full textThis paper explores three ways of conceptualising the self and the implications of these various conceptions on mental health and the treatment of mental illness. First, I explicate the egocentric view, which is predominantly assumed by Canadian doctors, psychiatrists, and psychologists. Second, I consider an ecocentric approach adopted by some traditional Inuit people. Third, I describe a sociocentric conception, typically upheld by Syrians. I argue that, in order to treat mental disorders in Syrian refugees in Canada more appropriately and effectively, Canadian healthcare providers must avoid imposing the egocentric view and seek to understand their patients’ mental health in terms of a sociocentric conception of the self. I make policy recommendations that emerge from an understanding of the sociocentric conception which, if implemented, would help prevent, ameliorate, and remedy mental health difficulties for Syrian refugees
The Other Academic Dishonesty: Why Grade Inflation is Ethically Wrong
No full textWhile there is general agreement among educators that grade inflation is wrong, there are few discussions in the existing literature of the way in which it is wrong or what makes it wrong, and fewer attempts to approach its wrongness through moral philosophy. I argue that grade inflation—understood as an evaluation of a student’s work or performance that reports its quality as higher than it is—counts as ethically wrong on the three most widely accepted normative ethical theories, and that as such it should be considered ethically wrong simpliciter. I consider three objections to my argument and show them to be mistaken, and conclude by suggesting one way for educators to resist inflating grades in contexts that encourage such inflation
Climate Inaction as Discrimination Against Young People
No full textAs many young people are now making clear, they are being subjected to extraordinary risks of harms because of government inaction on climate change. In a previous paper, I argued that those who accept climate science have an obligation to join forces with others in pressing for adequate policies. Given what is at stake, it is quite wrong for individuals go about their everyday lives while ignoring the problem. This is not a vague obligation to future generations, nor is it an obligation that is opaque to common-sense morality. This paper is a commentary on Greta Thunberg’s brief but powerful speeches. I start with an exploration of the climate crisis as she depicts it. Next, I interpret her as arguing that complacency in the face of the risks that we are imposing on younger people is a form of systemic or structural discrimination comparable to racism and sexism. Our inaction on climate change does not treat young lives as if they mattered and equally. I conclude with some reflections on her explanation of why we have so far failed to act in ways that take climate change seriously
Examining the Ethical Basis for Personal Support Workers in Ontario
No full textThis paper argues that Personal Support Workers (PSWs), the staff people who care for residents in long-term care facilities and nursing homes and who have been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, need to negotiate a new social contract with government based on equitable terms to recognize the essential nature of their work, thereby helping to ensure public accountability and trust
Inclusive Teaching: Strategies for Promoting Equity in the College Classroom
No full textThis article is a book review of Inclusive Teaching: Strategies for Promoting Equity in the College Classroom by Kelly A. Hogan and Viji Sathay
The The Impact of COVID-19 on Instruction for and the Implementation of Quebec’s Sexual Health Curriculum: Teacher Perspectives
No full textIn March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated school closures across Quebec. Educators shifted to online learning and complied with COVID-19 safety measures for in-person teaching, impacting the implementation of Quebec’s Sexuality Education program. Drawing on responses from a sample of 165 in-service teachers working in English school boards across Quebec, this study discusses the challenges that characterized teaching sexual health education (SHE) during the COVID-19 pandemic. The data analyzed in this study consist of teachers’ responses to one qualitative question: How has the COVID-19 situation affected your teaching and incorporation of Quebec’s comprehensive sexual health education curriculum in your classroom? The results indicate that educators taught less SHE during the COVID-19 pandemic due to a lack of time and other core curriculum subjects taking precedence. Other challenges were present, including a lack of clarity from school administrators on how SHE should be implemented, reduced ability to supplement SHE classes with guest speakers, difficulty facilitating discussions due to students’ home environments, and decreased student engagement. Despite these barriers, teachers felt that teaching SHE during the COVID-19 pandemic was important and expressed the need for more pedagogical development and training opportunities to improve SHE both online and in person
Right to Read Implies Opportunity to Read : A Contribution to Ongoing Dialogue Concerning the Ontario Human Rights Commission Right to Read Report
No full textThis paper extends discussion of the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) (2022a, 2022b) report entitled Right to Read, which recommended significant changes to both reading instruction and special education programs aimed at providing equitable opportunities for all children to develop strong reading skills. In a critique of the OHRC report (Cummins, 2022), I endorsed the report’s call for the establishment of an identification and intervention infrastructure to support students who are struggling to develop reading skills. However, I also critiqued the report’s misrepresentation of the strong reading achievements of Ontario students and the scapegoating of “balanced literacy.” Klein (2022) disputed this characterization of the OHRC report, highlighting the important contributions of the report to special education policies. In continuing this dialogue, I argue that the OHRC report has omitted consideration of significant dimensions of literacy acquisition and development that are directly relevant to preventing reading difficulties among Ontario children. Specifically, I argue that beyond the systematic teaching of phonics and other foundational literacy skills, which the OHRC report emphasizes almost exclusively, literacy policies should ensure that all children experience extensive opportunities for literacy socialization, which must involve active engagement with print, in both the preschool and early elementary years
Ne savons-nous vraiment pas quels sont les arguments analytiques de Toulmin?
No full textThe aim of this paper is to challenge the idea that Toulmin’s main focus in The Uses of Argument is to critique formal deductive logic. I first try to challenge the argument that, on the basis of what Toulmin says about analytic arguments, it is impossible to determine exactly what they are. I will then attempt to determine the basic contours of analytic arguments. Finally, I will conclude that the concept of an analytic argument involves epistemological assumptions to which formal logicians are in no way committed by the nature of their discipline. Le but de cet article est de remettre en question l\u27idée que l\u27objectif principal de Toulmin dans The Uses of Argument est une critique de la logique déductive formelle. J\u27essaie d\u27abord de contester l\u27argument selon lequel, sur la base de ce que dit Toulmin à propos des arguments analytiques, il est impossible de déterminer exactement ce qu\u27ils sont. Je tenterai ensuite de déterminer les contours fondamentaux des arguments analytiques. Enfin, je conclurai que le concept d\u27argument analytique implique des suppositions épistémologiques auxquelles les logiciens formels ne sont nullement engagés par la nature de leur discipline