Syllabus
Each class meeting will consist of a combination of lecture and discussion; students will be assigned a series of readings to be discussed each week in class. These include: 1: Introduction and overview, what is a social movement? 2: America without the Blacks? The foundations of social movement theory – Ellison 3: How to make effective social change – Dobson 4: What happens when societies refuse change – Younge 5: Social movement theory – Tilly 6: Citizenship and social movements – Twain 7: Movement manifestos – Occupy Wall Street, Tongzhi, and others. 8: The success of the Greenbelt movement – Maathai 9: The success of Dominionism – Clarkson 10: Review, what is a social movement? What do they do? Why are they necessary?
Annotation
This course explores social psychology through the lens of social reconstruction. The theoretical construct is that of Charles Tilly, the focus on the emergence of individuality through the ‘enactment’ of social change.
The readings apply Tilly's social movement theory to a variety of historical movements and specific social ills. If successful, a student will complete this course with improved skills in English, as well as both a theoretical understanding of social reconstruction and a practical grasp of how societies regularly are, or can be, reformed.