Political Science 394DIH - Protest & Dissent hons

The understanding of protest and dissent is a staggeringly broad, diverse, and multi-disciplinary pursuit. No one approach, or field of study, is entirely adequate. Our class will privilege political theory, but we'll be talking about social and political protest quite broadly, working with and developing case studies drawn from history and current events. We will focus on individual and collective actions motivated by principle and grounded in practical concerns. In so doing we will encounter a variety of responses to power, privilege, inequality, oppression and injustice. We will give special attention to: ethical considerations in deciding whether protest is warranted; violent movements (including terrorism and war); legal and illegal protests (civil disobedience); nonviolent direct action; corporations and labor action; environmental and climate action; globalization; technology; and finally a discussion of art, music and humor as creative elements of protest. As a final project students will be asked to research and analyze an action or movement of their (approved) choice, to result in an online presentation and formal paper. Satisfies the Integrative Experience requirement for BA-PolSci majors.

This course is open to Senior, Junior, and Sophmore Commonwealth College students only.