Critical Social Inquiry 0233 - Social Movements: Theory, Practice, Strategy

What is a social movement? Under which conditions do they emerge, and what accounts for their success or decline? This course will provide a broad overview of social movements from the past several decades, including movements of labor, civil rights and black liberation, queer liberation, global justice, plaza occupations, and the environment. In addition to studying specific movements, throughout the course we will collectively develop a strategy guide for organizing a social movement based on historical examples. As a final project, students will use this guide to create an outline for organizing a social movement campaign on an issue of their choosing. Keywords: Activism, protest, organizing, politics, government

Students in this course should expect to spend 8-10 hours weekly on work and preparation outside of class time.