Spring 2023  |  SOC 3322W Section 001: Social Movements, Protests, and Change (65705)

Instructor(s)
Class Component:
Lecture
Credits:
3 Credits
Grading Basis:
A-F or Audit
Instructor Consent:
No Special Consent Required
Instruction Mode:
In Person
Class Attributes:
UMNTC Liberal Education Requirement
Times and Locations:
Regular Academic Session
 
01/17/2023 - 05/01/2023
Tue, Thu 01:00PM - 02:15PM
UMTC, West Bank
Blegen Hall 235
Enrollment Status:
Open (37 of 60 seats filled)
Also Offered:
Course Catalog Description:
Focusing on the origins, dynamics, and consequences of social movements, this course explores debates about the dilemmas and challenges facing movement organizations, the relationship between social movements and various institutions, and the role of social movements and protest in bringing about change. The course is organized around general theoretical issues concerning why people join movements, why they leave or remain in movements, how movements are organized, the strategies and tactics they use, and their long-term and short-run impact. prereq: 1001 recommended; soc majors/minors must register A-F
Class Notes:
Click this link for more detailed course information: http://classinfo.umn.edu/?gerte004+SOC3322W+Spring2023
Class Description:

This course is an introduction to social movements from a sociological perspective. Social movements are collective, organized, and sustained vehicles for challenging authorities, power-holders and cultural institutions. Social movements are also one side of a broader category of "contentious politics" through which people demand and work for change in the social order. They come in many different forms, and they work on many different issues, yet they are always one key arenas for the articulation of social, political and personal alternatives to the status quo. In this class, we examine the origins, dynamics, and consequences of many different social movements. Along the way, we study why individuals join or leave movements, how movements are organized, and how movement organizations interact with broader environments. Although we draw upon a variety of case studies and theories, the emphasis will be on applying what we learn to understand the movements and movement organizations that you care about, and thereby - hopefully - to better understand the turbulent modern world in which we live.

Who Should Take This Class?:
Sociology students and others who are interested in the topic are welcome. Sociology 1001 or equivalent is highly recommended as a prerequisite. This course meets the requirements of the Council of Liberal Education's Civic Life and Ethics theme, and we address ethical issues throughout the course. In this way, we foster skills for effective citizenship and lifelong learning. For example, we discuss tensions between individual interest and community responsibility in thinking about why people protest. In our discussion of movement strategies and tactics, we also address moral issues concerning civil disobedience and the conditions, if any, under which it is justifiable to break the law. The course speaks to the broader goals of liberal education in a general sense, for example as we consider the role of movement participants as historical actors who are shaped by the world around them, even as they seek to change it.
Learning Objectives:
To understand social movements, including their internal dynamics and external contexts.
To understand, think with, and apply social scientific theories and concepts relating to social movements.
To master research techniques and write persuasive, careful prose.
Grading:
60% application papers (2 shorter, 1 longer paper combining elements of the first two
20% response paragraphs
20% attendance and participation
Exam Format:
No exams. This is a writing intensive class, focused on using and applying concepts and theories to social movements.
Class Format:
35% Lecture
5% Film/Video
35% Discussion
20% Small Group Activities
5% Student Presentations
Workload:
30-60 Pages Reading Per Week
25 Pages Writing Per Term
2 development papers, leading to 1 final paper. in-class work and writing exercises
Textbooks:
https://bookstores.umn.edu/course-lookup/65705/1233
Syllabus:
http://classinfo.umn.edu/syllabi/gerte004_SOC3322W_Spring2023.pdf
Instructor Supplied Information Last Updated:
2 November 2022

ClassInfo Links - Spring 2023 Sociology Classes

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