movement syllabus

Social movements and related forms of collective action -- protests, riots, revolts, and revolutions -- occur when people get together to gain power they otherwise lack to try to change the world. By definition, social movements are extraordinary events, because they occur when people break from their ordinary, everyday lives and sacrifice their personal concerns to realize broad social changes. American history textbooks often describe our nation as one of consensus and harmony, as if the ideas and the values of the founding fathers established a foundation of freedom, democracy and equality that has steadily and seamlessly progressed over the last two centuries.

Yet, Americans are a rather feisty bunch, and American history is rife with conflict, rebellions, and protests. Our race, class, and gender relations have all been formed, developed and changed through social movements. The conditions of our work lives and most major public policy initiatives emerged in the context of collective forms of resistance. Virtually all human rights (including those that have been and those that have not yet been politically realized) were initially addressed and advocated by movement activists. Most of the major institutional structures not only in America but throughout human history are products of collective resistance. Judaism emerged in a revolt against ancient Egypt; Christianity emerged in a revolt against the Roman Empire; Protestantism against the Catholic Church; American democracy against the monarchy; capitalism against the aristocracy; socialism against capitalism. Within this global, historical context, this course will focus on social movements in American society over the last fifty years.

I have several objectives for this course. At the end of this course, I hope and intend that you will:

1. Be familiar with the central sociological questions and the major theoretical perspectives on social movements.

2. Have a deeper sense of the complexities, tensions, and contradictions in American history and society.

3. Have a greater understanding of both the limits and the possibilities for social change in contemporary America.

4. Have a greater ability to use abstract concepts and theories to address and consider practical concerns.

The Price of Dissent: Testimonies to Political Repression in America, Bud Schultz and Ruth Schultz (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2001).

Political Process and the Development of Black Insurgency 1930-1970, Second Edition, Doug McAdam (Chicago: Unviersity of Chicago Press, 1999).

1. Attendance and participation. You are expected to attend class, participate in class discussion, complete all of the assigned readings, and complete all written work on time. You are expected to be committed to your own education, as well as to contribute to a context that challenges and interests others in the class. You will receive a grade between 4 and10 based on my evaluation of your contribution to the class environment.

2. Profile and brief presentation. Once during the semester, you will be asked to produce a one-to-two page profile of one of the activists discussed in the The Price of Dissent. You will be asked to provide a three to four minute presentation to the class on the person you have selected.

3. and 4. Details on the exam and quizzes will be provided in class. Although I am willing to negotiate the format of the exam, I anticipate a take-home exam due April 9^th.

5. Assignments. You will complete five written assignments based on handout sheets that I will provide on a social movement that you select. I will provide you with a list of possible social movements you may wish to investigate, but you are free to consider any social movement. If you choose one that is not on the list, please check it out with me. Most of the assignments involve using concepts and theories from the class and the text to address particular issues and concerns in the selected movement. Thus, you will be involved in a semester long project investigating a social movement, which will then serve as the basis for your research paper. You must work individually on the assignments, but you are encouraged to discuss the assignments with others. Details on the assignments will be provided in class and in handouts. I will accept late papers, but all work handed in late will have a full grade deducted (an A becomes a B), and must be in by the last class period—May 7th. All written should be typed.

6. Research Paper. Details on the research paper will be provided. The assignments are intended to build your understanding of a movement toward the completion of a 9 to 12 page research paper. The research paper is due April 30^th. A class presentation based on your paper is optional. Up to 5 additional points on your paper grade can be earned by doing a presentation.

I envision using class time to discuss the concepts and the readings from the text and to consider the issues in the differing movements that people are working on. My intention is that you learn about the social movement that you are studying, and about the movements that others are working on.

Students who need course adaptations or accommodations because of documented disability, or who have emergency medical needs, or who need special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated should see me as soon as possible.

The schedule on the following pages is somewhat tentative. If there are to be any changes, we will talk about it in class. The dates refer to when we will begin new topics. It is expected that you will have completed the assigned reading by the specified date. All readings are identified by author. The books are abbreviated as follows: Waves of Protest: (WP); The Price of Dissent (PD); Political Process and the Development of Black Insurgency (PP).

Part 1: Introduction to the course and the study of social movements

Part 2: The Civil Rights Movement

Part 3: Theories of Social Movements

Readings: Schultz (PP) pp. 5-25; 34-90 (Fred Thompson; Harry Deboer and Jake

Spring Break!

Part 4: Issues in Contemporary Movements

Part 5: Presentations, Wrap-up and Conclusion

Note: May 7^th (the last day of regular classes is the last day for all papers, rewrites