32602

SoSe 21: Social Movements: Methods of Study and Theories of Change

Sofia Gieysztor

Comments

Using both contemporary and historical cases, this course will examine the sociology of social movements from two intersecting perspectives. First, we will explore the methods and theoreticalframeworks through which sociologists study and understand social movements, including such things as collective identity, social networks, media, geographic diffusion, resource mobilization, and political opportunity. Second, we will look at the strategiesof various movements as themselves being sociological theories or, as they are called, "theories of change". These include electoral change, revolution, and nonviolence. ----- We will be looking at the history and trajectory of prominent movements including the civil rights movement, the LBTQ movement, the feminist movement, and others. We will be also be examiningdetailed cases and contemporary events, especially Black Lives Matter and Occupy Wall Street, as well as cases and modes of resistance in authoritarian states. ----- The broad learning outcomes of the course include improving student's sociological literacy, their recognition of movement characteristics, and learning the benefits and pitfalls of varioustheories of change from political and social psychological perspectives. Students will also learn how to cross-apply methods of study, how to grasp the trajectories of the fields, and how to use a toolset to critically examine contemporary events with theappropriate lens using a variety of data sources and contexts. close