"Social/Political Activism", Miami University, Department of Sociology (Spring 2019) (original) (raw)

A great deal of social change is occurring through the action of social movements, activists, and the organized efforts of non-governmental organizations. From networks of eco-activists blocking pipelines, Black Lives Matter activists tying up traffic in response to the patterned killing of African Americans by police, and the rapid rise of far right/‘Alt-Right’ violence, social and political activism has migrated from peripheral to central in the minds of many citizens and governmental institutions. This course examines socio-political change from all manners of the political spectrum—from the electoral to the revolutionary. The course aims to familiarize students with the theoretical models for understanding collective behavior and political identity (i.e. Social Movement Theory), as well as utilize historical case studies to explore specific ideologies and concepts. The course will explore how and why individuals act collectively to put forward socio-political demands, and examine the lifecycles of these efforts. The aim of the course is to allow students to understand the actions, rhetoric, strategies, and tactics of a variety of non-state socio-political movements and the resulting responses from state authorities. Students will focus on how one can study such activism from an inter-disciplinary perspective drawing from Sociology, Peace Studies, Social Movement Studies, Criminology, Communication, Anthropology, and Psychology. Student Learning Outcomes 1. Familiarize students with the sociological study of social movements and social change through a focus on theories of collective behavior, identity construction and resource mobilization. 2. Explore and practice qualitative and quantitative methods for conducting field research focused on social movements, individual activists, and other agents of socio-political change. 3. Familiarize students with a variety of social movement organizations, prominent individuals, and conflicts as well as provide a comparative framework for evaluating their means and ends. 4. Develop a working taxonomy and vocabulary to discuss social movement tactics, strategies, methods of organization, communication and ideology. 5. Provide students a supportive atmosphere to practice and carryout primary source research including the process of design, data collection/fieldwork, analysis, peer review, public presentation and publication.