ENVSOCTY 1HB3 C02 一 Population, Cities and Development
2025 Fall Term
Assignment #1 & #2 - Instructions
Introduction: Policy Brief (Presentation)
Both Assignment #1 and #2 are the same; you will be completing the same assignment, focused on two different topics, allowing you to learn from your experience on the first one to improve any shortcomings for the second one. We are also giving you a choice of which topics you wish to focus your two policy briefs on (see Topic & Due Date Selection on pages 2 and 3 of this document). Please read the following instructions carefully.
Assignment Scenario
For both assignments imagine that you have been newly hired as a junior policy analyst for a national agency (i.e., a government department for a specific country). Your boss has tasked you with giving them a policy brief (effectively a summary of policy options for a given issue) so that they can make a coherent argument at an upcoming meeting on the issue. The nature of the policy brief deliverable in this case is a presentation; imagine you are presenting your findings to your boss. For more information about what a policy brief entails (i.e., what they are, what they include, how to structure them, etc.), please consult Appendix 1: What is a Policy Brief? found at the end of this document.
Assignment Objectives
The objectives of these assignments are as follows:
1. Gain a general understanding of the nature and causes of an issue, and the policy options in addressing the problem.
2. Develop your research skills.
3. Develop your critical analytical skills in assessing the merits of two (or more) policy solutions.
4. Develop your oral communication and presentation skills.
Assignment Tasks
Completion of each assignment involves the same three steps.
1. Topic and Due Date Selection:
For each assignment, as the above scenario suggests, you are to develop a policy brief on your chosen topic. Therefore, you must start by choosing a topic (A-D) from the two lists on page 3 of this document, based on your individual interests. As you will see, each topic has a specific due date associated with it; these due dates cannot be changed (i.e. if you would like to choose Topic 1C, then your assignment due date is Monday, October 20th and you cannot request a different date). Similarly, if you would like your due date to be Sunday, October 5th, then your assignment Topic is 1A and this topic cannot be changed.
However, you have some flexibility between Assignment #1 and Assignment #2 in that you are not required to choose the same topic (A-D) for both assignments. For example, if you choose Topic 1B for the first assignment, you can still choose any topic for second assignment (i.e. you do not necessarily need to choose Topic 2B).
The deadline for choosing your assignment topics (and associated due dates) is Sunday, September 21st by 11:59 PM for both assignments. There is a limited number of spaces available for each topic, on a first-come, first-served basis, so it is in your best interest to sign up for your preferred topics sooner rather than later. Students who fail to meet this deadline will have their topics chosen for them.
To choose your topics for both Assignments, go to our course Avenue to Learn homepage and click on Communication > Groups > Assignment #1 Topics and read through the option available to you (Topics A- D); then click on this topic and select “enroll” . Repeat this process for Assignment #2 topic selection.
Assignment #1 Topics and Due Dates:
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Topic
Number
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Topic
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Due Date
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1A
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Sustainable Development Goal #2 (end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutri\on and promote
sustainable agriculture) in Hai\
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Sunday, October 5th by 11:59 PM
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1B
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Obesity in the United States
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Sunday, October 12th by 11:59 PM
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1C
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Popula\on decline and aging in Japan
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Monday, October 20th by 9:00 AM*
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1D
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Refugee migra\on in Colombia
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Sunday, October 26th by 11:59 PM
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*Note: the due date for Topic 1C has been shifted to accommodate Reading Week.
Assignment #2 Topics and Due Dates:
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Topic
Number
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Topic
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Due Date
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2A
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Traffic conges\on in Southern Ontario
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Sunday, November 16th, by 11:59 PM
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2B
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Climate adapta\on in Pakistan
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Sunday, November 23rd by 11:59 PM
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2C
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United States trade tariffs in China
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Sunday, November 30th by 11:59 PM
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2D
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Sweatshop manufacturing in Cambodia
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Thursday, December 4th at 11:59 PM**
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**Note: the due date for Topic 2D has been shifted to accommodate the last day of classes.
For each topic, a specific country (or region) has been identified and this is the country (or region) you are to imagine that you are employed by (i.e., you are the junior policy analyst for the senior government minister responsible for that issue in that country or region). As such, you need to be thinking about the issue, and the relevant policy options, from that perspective. This does not mean you need to think exclusively about the issue from that perspective, but you need to keep your audience (the senior government minister from that country) in mind.
2. Research
With your topic in mind, conduct research on the issue, in both general terms and as it relates to your specific country. Next, conduct research on the types of policies that have been developed to address your issue, again in both general terms and as they relate to your specific country.
As research is an important part of this assignment, you are required to consult at least three academic sources (i.e., peer-reviewed books, peer-reviewed journal articles, government-issued reports, non-governmental reports, etc.). When you conduct research, it is important to keep track of the sources you are using, and to provide appropriate citations (references) to those sources in your final product.
See Appendix 2: Research & Referencing at the end of this document for details on how to cite references properly.
3. Deliverable: Recorded Presentation
Develop a 7–8-minute (recorded) presentation that includes the following:
• Introduction / Executive Summary: provide a brief overview of the topic
• Background / Summary: more detailed discussion of the issue and several of the policy solutions that have been implemented in the past or elsewhere (i.e. in other countries)
• Analysis: critically analyze at least two policy options
• Conclusion / Recommendation: based on your analysis, recommend a policy solution for the future.
Please note: Students who do not adhere to the 7–8-minute time limit will not receive full marks on this section of the rubric. Please see Appendix 4: Policy Brief Assignment Evaluation (Rubric) found at the end of this document for more details.
For more details about what should be included in a policy brief, see Appendix 1: What is a Policy Brief? found at the end of this document.