Social Movements

Curriculum guideline

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Course
SOCI 2220
Discontinued
No
Course code
SOCI 2220
Descriptive
Social Movements
Department
Sociology
Faculty
Humanities & Social Sciences
Credits
3.00
Start date
End term
202220
PLAR
No
Semester length
15
Max class size
35
Contact hours
4 hours per week / semester
Method(s) of instruction
Lecture
Learning activities

The course will employ a variety of instructional methods, including lectures, small group discussions, audio-visual presentations, and guest speakers.

 

Course description
Understanding the processes of social change in any society requires an examination of the role of social movements. Social movements can be broadly defined as groups in civil society organizing to bring about social change. It is often commented that such movements are distinctly modern phenomena, made possible by social, economic, and political changes occurring in the contemporary era. In the first part of the course, we will undertake a brief survey of the historical roots of the rise of social movements in the Western world, and then undertake an examination of classical and contemporary social movement theory. Following this, drawing on social movement theories, we will examine some social movements that have had an impact in North America and other parts of the world since the 1960s.
Course content
  1. Introduction
    • Social Change and Social Movements
    • The origins of social movements and sociology
    • Conservative, reformist and revolutionary responses to social and political transformations
  2. Social Movement Theories
    • Theories of collective behaviour
    • Resource Mobilization theory
    • Framing theory
    • New Social Movements theory
    • The role of social media in social movement organization and activism
    • Countermovements: Reactions and resistance to social movement success
  3. Labour Movements
    • Labour activism in Canada and the U.S.
    • Recent challenges to the labour movement and unions
    • Anti-poverty movements
  4. Civil Rights Movements
    • Civil rights movements in Canada and the U.S.
    • Civil rights movements in non-Western societies
  5. Aboriginal Social Movements
    • Critical events in the emergence and growth of Aboriginal activism in Canada
    • The rise of Aboriginal social movement organizations in Canada
    • Types of Aboriginal activism: Formal institutional, grass roots, direct actions
    • The rise of Indigenous rights movements globally
  6. Women’s Movements
    • Historical shifts in the aims and achievements of women’s movements in Western societies
    • Formal and grass-roots women’s rights organizations and actions
    • Women's movements in non-Western societies
    • Countermovements: Reactions to the successes of women’s movements
  7. Men’s Movements
    • Pro-feminist and anti-feminist men’s movements
    • Fathers’ rights groups in North America
  8. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender [LGBT] Movements
    • Origins of the LGBT Movements in Canada
    • Struggles for Equal Rights in Canada and abroad
    • Same-sex marriage in Canada and the United States
    • AIDS activism
  9. Environmental Movements
    • Conditions for the emergence of the environmental movement
    • The rise of large environmental organizations
    • Grass-roots environmental movements
    • Types of environmental movement activism: Formal institutional, grass roots, direct actions
    • Environmental countermovements
  10. Anti-Corporate Globalization Movements
    • Anti-corporate movements as New Social Movements
    • Transnational activism
  11. Conclusion
    • The End of History? The Future of Social Movements.
Learning outcomes

During this course, students will develop the ability to examine and critically analyze:

  • the social, economic and political changes that provided the conditions for the rise of social movements;
  • the centrality of social movements to the constitution of modern Western societies;
  • classical and contemporary theoretical perspectives on how social movements form, and the conditions under which they grow and gain influence;
  • how social movements interact with governments, corporations, and other social institutions;
  • social movement activities in non-western societies;
  • a range of social issues and movements.
Means of assessment

Evaluation will take place in accordance with ÌÇÐÄvlog´«Ã½Policy.  Evaluation will be based on course objectives and may include quizzes, exams, critical essays, literature reviews, term/research projects, media analyses, oral presentations, or multi-media presentations.  The specific evaluation criteria will be provided by the instructor at the beginning of the course.

An example of one evaluation scheme:

First in-class exam   20%
Reading analysis   10%
Research topic and proposal     10%
Research essay   25%
Participation   10%
Final exam   25%
Total 100%

 

 

 

Textbook materials

Examples of textbooks that may be used for this course include:

Staggenborg, Suzanne. (2012). Social Movements (2nd Edition). Don Mills, Ontario: Oxford University Press.

Goodwin, Jeff, & Jasper, James. (Eds.). (2009). The Social Movements Reader: Cases and Concepts (2nd Edition). Sussex, United Kingdom: Wiley-Blackwell.

Prerequisites

One of SOCI 1125, SOCI 1145 or SOCI 1155

Corequisites

None

Equivalencies

None

Which prerequisite

None