Overview
here are the instructions:
Knowledge Mobilization Assignment (Due Wed. Oct. 2 by 11:55pm) 15%
One of the key public goods produced by academics is peer-reviewed academic
research. Articles in reputable journals and books published by university presses ask
important research questions, develop, and apply social science theories, and make use
of sophisticated quantitative and qualitative methods to generate results that add to
our collective knowledge about the political, social, and economic world.
The purpose of this assignment is to introduce you to knowledge mobilization, which is
an important skillset to have, whether you plan to do graduate school or seek
employment in the public or private sectors in the future.
Knowledge mobilization can take many forms (e.g. plain language summaries, podcasts,
infographics, op eds, and videos). According to SSHRC, “Knowledge mobilization is an
umbrella term encompassing a wide range of activities relating to the production and
use of research results, including knowledge synthesis, dissemination, transfer,
exchange, and co-creation or co-production by researchers and knowledge users”
Your task, in this assignment, is to take ONE of readings below and translate its findings
into accessible knowledge that policymakers, journalists and citizens can understand
and use to tackle a real-world problem. You will need to identify an important
Canadian political issue or problem and use the article to help policymakers,
journalists and/or citizens analyze and solve that problem. The problem could be
something directly or indirectly related to the article’s focus and so you may be simply
extending the analysis offered in the paper (e.g. can findings about federal politicians be
applied to provincial or municipal ones?); or it could be a problem that is distantly
related or completely different from the one in the article: you might take ideas from
one (policy/political) domain to solve a problem in a different domain (e.g. are there
lessons to be learned about gender policies or political practices that might be applied
to racial diversity?).
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To complete this assignment, you must choose and focus on only ONE of the following
peer-reviewed academic articles:
and Support for Executive Aggrandizement.” Canadian Journal of Political
Science 55 (2): 342-372.
Executive.” Canadian Journal of Political Science 56 (4): 811–831.
doi:10.1017/S0008423923000598.
Measuring Infotainment in English-Language Newspaper Coverage of the 2019
Canadian Federal Election.” Canadian Journal of Political Science 56 (4): 871–895.
doi:10.1017/S0008423923000586.
What Determines the Topics That Members of Parliament Prioritize in
Communications with Their Constituents?” Canadian Journal of Political Science
56 (4): 848-870. doi:10.1017/S0008423923000641.
Canadian Party System” Canadian Journal of Political Science, 57 (1): 65–82.
doi:10.1017/S0008423923000501.
You must choose ONE of the following four knowledge mobilization options to complete
the assignment:
1. Write a 500-750 word (2-3 pages, double spaced) op-ed, which is an opinion
piece published in a newspaper and written by experts to convince readers to
adopt a position on some issue. Authors use op eds to draw attention and
provide solutions to real world events or problems.
o BEFORE you begin working on this assignment, check out the comment
pages in the Globe and Mail, the National Post, and the Toronto Star for
examples of op eds. You should also check out the online articles in
“Policy Options.”
o As much as possible, your “op ed” should link (using embedded links) to
supporting sources and articles, including the academic paper you chose
from the above list.
o Here are three examples of op eds that draw upon academic research:
§ https://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/may-2021/the-covid-
19-crisis-is-about-physical-infrastructure-too/
§ https://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/opinion/contri...
05/08/will-premier-doug-fords-apology-stop-his-governments-
popularity-slide.html .
§ https://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2014/03...
eau_shouldnt_expect_big_boost_from_star_candidates.html
o For some good tips on how to write an effective op ed, click here:
https://policyoptions.irpp.org/article-submission/
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o The grading rubric for the op ed assignment can be found in OWL under
the “resources” tab.
2. Record a podcast of at least two episodes (3-4 minutes long for each one) that
summarizes the article and speaks to its relevance to government actors (1st
episode) and NGOs/citizens (2nd episode). Please see the podcast rubric under
“resources” in OWL for more information. Here are some useful, general tips on
podcasts from NPR: https://training.npr.org/audio/so-you-want-to-start-a-
podcast-read-this-first/
3. Create four original hand-drawn political cartoons, which frequently appear in
newspapers as commentary on current events, to show how the reading is
relevant to policymakers (2 cartoons) and citizens (2 cartoons). The rubric for
grading these cartoons can be found under the “resources” tab in OWL. Some
tips for how to design and draw a political cartoon can be found here:
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/state-election/how-to-draw-
political-cartoons-with-mark-knight/news-
story/63643afd9b49967fac9090f8e4bc4681
4. Come up with your own idea (Please note that you MUST speak to Dr. Alcantara
and get his approval beforehand and as soon as possible otherwise your
assignment will not be accepted).
Whichever assignment you chose, you must submit it to the appropriate assignment
folder in OWL. No paper or email copies will be accepted.