Inner city studies (Winnipeg)

rgalston · #1 Posted **Jun 14, 2007, 8:17 PM**

"New degree program in urban and Inner-City studies

Thu Jun 14 08:35:00 CDT 2007

University of Winnipeg politics chair Prof. Jim Silver and Institute of Urban Studies Director Jino Distasio announce this afternoon the launch of an innovative new Bachelor of Arts Degree Program in Urban and Inner-City Studies starting in September.
Urban and Inner-City Studies is an interdisciplinary major concerned with the examination of the city as a dynamic environment, U of W said.

It combines a traditional urban studies focus with inner-city issues, aboriginal, immigrant and women’s experiences, and urban change."

Why take urban studies and go on to work in a variety of fields, when you can focus on inner city studies and only be able to get a job working for some Selkirk Avenue agency?

A notice of this new program was put up at my work, and a co-worker of mine was looking it over, saying something to the effect of "I think Aboriginal people are tired of being studied all the time. In twenty years, there's been nothing but studies, and the only things that've changed since then is the increase of gangs, crack, and teenage girls working as prostitutes--which all really just come from the same problem in the first place, which is the problem of dysfunctional families."

Pootkao · #2 Posted **Jun 15, 2007, 5:38 AM**

sounds like somebody at your work needs to take some classes...

rgalston · #3 Posted **Jun 15, 2007, 1:04 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pootkao

sounds like somebody at your work needs to take some classes...

He does, at the U of M's satellite campus on Selkirk Avenue.

He also is Native himself and lives in a Main Street hotel, so...

flatlander · #4 Posted **Jun 16, 2007, 6:08 AM**

Hasn't the U of W always had a program in Urban Studies?

rgalston · #5 Posted **Jun 18, 2007, 5:08 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by flatlander

Hasn't the U of W always had a program in Urban Studies?

It has, but 'urban studies' and 'inner city studies' are apparently two separate things. The term "inner city" in Winnipeg is more socially defined (poor, non-white, riddled with problems that need of exclusively socialist solutions) and geographically ambiguous (anywhere in the old City of Winnipeg where the poor, non-white live. ie- Redwood and Arlington is "inner city", while Westminster and Arlington--closer to Portage and Main--is not) than the term "urban", which is more broad.

trueviking · #6 Posted **Jun 18, 2007, 2:25 PM**

jim silver is an ass.....i issue a salman rushdiesque fatwa on him for his equivalent of the 'satanic verses"

rgalston · #7 Posted **Jun 18, 2007, 3:34 PM**

^"Socialist Silver", as he was known around campus.

fengshui · #8 Posted **Jun 18, 2007, 8:38 PM**

Carl Ridd and Jim Silver were the one-two punch from U of W in trying to hold back anything remotely pro-development in this city.

newflyer · #9 Posted **Jun 20, 2007, 12:01 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by trueviking

jim silver is an ass.....i issue a salman rushdiesque fatwa on him for his equivalent of the 'satanic verses"

You couldn't be more right!!!

Jim Silver is as backwards as a person can be.

thegestetner · #10 Posted **Jun 30, 2007, 2:33 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by newflyer

You couldn't be more right!!!

Jim Silver is as backwards as a person can be.

I spent a good half-hour talking to the guy about issues in the inner city here, and he seems to have his screwed on much better than the vast majority of thinkers/policymakers in the Peg. He pegged a good bit of the social woes that Aboriginal woes on "covert racism" - which, truth be told, does make him sound like a bit of a nutjob. But there's truth to it.

His famous quip in his politics classes is "I love paying taxes, and I wish I could pay more." Gotta love blanket generalizations about what taxes are actually used for.