Social Studies 98le: Social Movements and Social Change

Semester: Fall

Offered: 2009

Under what circumstances do people pursue social change collectively instead of facing their problems in isolation?  How do social movements arise?  And what are their consequences?  Throughout this course we will be attentive to the variety of research agendas on the topic of social movements and social change, and the various kinds of data that are brought to bear on these questions.  We will approach the topic broadly, making connections between a variety of research programs on social movements, revolutions, and collective action.  At the same time, we will be attentive to the multiple levels and dimensions of social change: micro versus macro, structural versus ideological, state-level versus personal transformations.  We will ask both why people take part in collective action, and the consequences of such participation.  We will ground our exploration in a series of case studies—from the labor movement to the civil rights movement, from student movements to revolutionary movements—and we will unpack how these cases can be used to advance theories of social movements and social change. 

Methodological discussions will be integrated into the substantive course material.  As we review existing research, we will be attentive to how the data collected and one’s findings are shaped by the use of particular research methods.  We will also explore how particular methods are suitable to particular questions.  Finally, how can we interpret the data collected using different methods?  What meaning can we attribute to data gathered ethnographically or through interviews, for example?  These methodological discussions will lay the foundation for students to design and execute their own original research projects that seek to elucidate some aspect of social movements and social change.  Students will have the opportunity to engage in each step of the research process, from question formulation and data collection to analysis and write-up.  Along the way we will have workshops on formulating research questions, on the process of conducting research, and on each student’s project.