Semester Topic: Social Movements and Strategies for Change Instructors: William H. Newell, 185 Peabody Hall, 529-2213 Office hours: 9-12 Monday, 9:30-11 Tuesday Christopher R. Wolfe, 192 Peabody Hall, 529-5670 Office hours: 10-11 T/Th, 9-11 Wednesday Class Schedule: Lecture 9:30-10:20 Thursday Leonard Staff Section A 11:00-12:15 T/Th 20 McKee Wolfe Section B 12:30-1:45 T/Th 20 McKee Wolfe Section C 2:00-3:15 T/Th 20 McKee Newell Media Night 7:30-9:30 pm Tuesday Leonard Staff Introduction:
This interdisciplinary social systems course examines how people go about changing society. Our capacity for change is one of the most interesting and important aspects of human nature. Moreover, many argue that we are in desperate need of social change. And many people are working for change - though often pushing in different directions! Efforts to shape and change society are part of our daily lives. Thus in this course, we will look to the daily news as a source of information about social change and change agents. If we want to change society, it is useful to have an understanding of the forces which have shaped our present society and continue to change it. Thus we will also consider a range of social science theory.
Among the more noteworthy aspects of this course:
´ You will keep a journal in the form of an informed running commentary on the news of the day.
´ You will consider a range of social science theory from disciplines including anthropology, economics, political science, and sociology.
´ You will consider fundamental social science orientations such as idealism and materialism.
´ You will consider a range of ideologies including radical, liberal, and conservative perspectives.
´ You will consider a number of deliberate strategies for change including legislative action, boycotts, community organizing, and non- violence.
´ You will create a plan for action to affect the kinds of social change that are important to you.
The reading assignments for this course present deliberate strategies used by social movements and organizations to create social change. You will also study social science theories that can be used to understand and evaluate those strategies. In addition, you will read a newspaper every day to inform you about current activities of social movements. King library has a number of newspapers and alternative press periodicals to insure that you consider a range of perspectives.
WCP 231 and The Miami Plan for Liberal Education
WCP 231 shares the goals and objectives of the Miami Plan for Liberal Education, and the commitments of the Western College Program to writing and quantitative reasoning across the curriculum.
The commitment to writing is expressed in five writing assignments which employ many kinds of writing including critical commentary in a daily journal, a comparative and an analytical essay, the development of an extended argument based on social science data, and a personal essay requiring synthesis and planning.
The assignment on demographics and social movements was developed in accordance with Western's plan for quantitative reasoning. In particular, the exercise should help you develop the ability to collect and learn from data, and provide quantitative evidence for assertions about the social world. You will also develop some proficiency with sophisticated cartography software, and thus develop new abilities in visualizing quantitative information.
The deliberate comparison of various theories, disciplines, ideologies, and orientations promotes critical thinking and evaluation. The assignment on demographics and social movements will also help you think critically and promote the "skillful use of written and spoken languages, an informed use of mathematics and an ability to employ contemporary information sources," (Miami Plan, p. 10).
Social movement doesn't happen in a vacuum. The movements we will consider have unique cultural and historical roots, and specific relationships to each other and to society. We will work towards developing an understanding of these contexts through guest lectures, films, and readings by participants in as well as commentators on social movements. Thus our understanding of social movements will be enriched by gaining the perspective of participants as well as critical analysis from a variety of theoretical and philosophical positions.
Because this course takes the form of a seminar, engaging with other learners is essential to the ultimate success of the course. In addition to ongoing classroom discussions, you will participate in a group project requiring cooperation and mutual understanding. This project will result in a series of presentations where your and your classmates will learn from one another.
It is our goal to help you develop an understanding of social systems that leads to informed action in support of social movements of their own choosing. This emphasis on reflecting and then acting is a natural result of our exploration of a diverse set of movements and perspectives on the social world. This goal is embodied most clearly in the final assignment which asks you to develop a plan of action in support of a social movement of your choosing based on what you learned in the course.
This course is concerned with global, national, and local social movements. To promote an understanding of world cultures we will consider several anthropological works on the peoples of the world. We will also consider the words and deeds of social movement leaders from around the world including Ghandi and Mao Tse-tung. Issues of "north and south" will receive special attention as we consider alternative approaches to "third world development."
Readings and Assignments: Strategy: The Eco-Warriors Week 1 Aug. 27, 29 T: 1st Day TH: Manes 1 - 83 Week 2 Sept. 5 only T: Mon. switch TH: Manes 84 - 242 Social Theory: A Look at Ideology Week 3*1 Sept. 10, 12 T: Gordon 1 - 10, TH: Eitzen 45 - 55, Stewart 17 - 23 Kerbo 90 - 122, Harper 76- 97 Strategy: Violence and Non-violence Week 4 Sept. 17, 19 T: Mao 8-22, 58-71 TH: Only the news Social Theory: Social Structure and Social Movements Week 5 Sept. 24, 26 T: Harper 12 - 75 TH: Harper 125 - 193 Week 6 Oct. 1, 3 T: Pepper 13 - 36 TH: Harper 194 - 259 Strategy: The Global Environmental Movement Week 7*2 Oct. 8, 10 T: McCormick 1 - 87 TH: McCormick 88-124 Week 8*1 Oct. 15, 17 T: McCormick 125-205 Social Theory: North and South: Alternative Models of Development TH: (Oct. 17) Korten 1 - 31 Week 9 Oct. 22, 24 T: Korten 33 - 90 TH: Korten 91 - 132 Week 10 Oct. 29, 31 T: Korten 133 - 184 TH: Korten 185 - 216 Social Theory: Cultural Issues Week 11 Nov. 5, 7 T: Harris 55-76; 1-32 TH: Harris 35 - 152 Week 12 Nov 12, 14 T: Harris 155- 266 TH: Geertz 142-169, Whorf 152- 173 Strategy: Community Organizing Week 13*3 Nov. 19, 21 T: Miller 568 - 587 TH: Pepper 215 - 225 Week 14*1 Nov 26 only T: Boyte 1 - 61 TH: Thanksgiving Week 15 Dec. 3, 5 T: Boyte 63 - 126 TH: Boyte 127 - 157 Week 16*4 Dec. 10, 12 T: Group Meetings TH: Group Presentations Finals Week*5 Final due in instructors office at the end of exam period.Assignments:
*1) Journal of Clippings and Reactions Due 9/12, 10/17,11/26 20%
At least five times a week, read a newspaper (or alternative periodical) and cut out (or xerox) a news article (as opposed to an op/ed piece) dealing with a social movement. In a spiral-bound notebook, place the article on the left hand page, and on the facing page write a brief reaction informed by the readings and discussions in the course. Articles can deal with anything from Supreme Court decisions on abortion to armed insurrections in Eastern Europe, but they should reflect a variety of ideological perspectives. Your journal will be evaluated on the increasing sophistication of your commentaries.
*2) Social Theory and Ideology Due Wed. 10/9 20%
Approximately 5 page paper, topic to be announced.
*3) International and Cultural Issues Due Wed 11/20 20% Approximately 5 page paper, topic to be announced.
*4) Demographics and Social Movements (group project) Due 12/12 20%
One important way in which the U.S. is changing is in the distribution of our population. Your task for this group project is to determine how changes in U.S. population distribution are likely to affect a social movement of your choosing. We will provide you with state by state data on a set of demographic variables such as population change, past voting behavior, and median income. Your task is to a) find state by state quantitative data about a social movement of your own choosing, b) analyze your data in terms of the demographic data we provide, c) build a case supported by data on the ways in which changes in U.S. population distribution are likely to affect the social movement, and d) present your findings to the class. Whenever possible, make recommendations for action on the basis of your analysis. The best tools for this task are the Atlas Mapmaker, StatView II, and Wingz software packages available in SISCCAL. SISCCAL tutors and the instructors will help you learn how to use these tools to analyze your data. The projects will be evaluated on the basis of the quality of the data you find, the quality of your analysis, and the sophistication of your case and recommendations.
*5) Take home final on social movements and informed action. 20%
Based on what you've learned in the course, develop a plan of action in support of a social movement of your choosing. Specific details of the assignment to be announced.
Required Texts (in order of use):
Manes, Christopher. Green Rage: Radical Environmentalism and the Unmaking of Civilization. Boston: Little, Brown & Co., 1990.
Newell, William and Christopher Wolfe. Social Movements Reader. Oxford, OH: Oxford Copy Shop, 1991.
Harper, Charles L. Exploring Social Change. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice- Hall, 1989.
Tse-tung, Mao. Chairman Mao Tse-tung on People's War. Peking: China Books, 1967.
McCormick, John. Reclaiming Paradise: The Global Environmental Movement. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1989.
Korten, David C. Getting to the 21st Century: Voluntary Action and the Global Agenda. West Hartford, CT: Kumarian Press, 1990.
Harris, Marvin. Cows, Pigs, Wars, & Witches. New York, Random House, 1974.
Boyte, Harry C. Commonwealth: A Return to Citizen Politics. New York: Free Press, 1989.
SOCIAL MOVEMENTS READER (WCP 231: Social Change)
1. "Editor's Introduction" to Ch. 1 "General Perspectives: Radical, Liberal, Conservative" from David M. Gordon, Problems in Political Economy: An Urban Perspective (Lexington, MA: D.C. Heath, 1971), pp. 1-12.
2. James Weaver & Kenneth Jameson, Economic Development: Competing Paradigms (Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1981), pp. 7- 10, 79- 82.
3. Ch. 2 "A Typology of Political Argument" from Stewart, Charles, Craig Smith, and Robert E. Denton, Jr. Persuasion and Social Movements (Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland Press, 1984), pp. 17-36.
4. Ch. 3 "The Duality of Social Life: Order and Conflict" from Eitzen, D. Stanley, In Conflict and Order: Understanding Society 4th ed. (Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 1988), pp. 45-55.
5. "Competing Paradigms in the Study of Social Stratification" from Kerbo, Harold R., Social Stratification and Inequality: Class Conflict in Historical and Comparative Perspective 2nd ed. (New York, McGraw Hill, 1991), pp. 90-123.
6. Ch. 1 "Modern Environmentalism" from Pepper, David, The Roots of Modern Environmentalism (Dover, NH: Croom Helm, 1984), pp. 13-36.
7. "The Major Principles of Cultural Materialism" from Harris, Marvin, Cultural Materialism: The Struggle for a Science of Culture (New York: Random House/Vintage: 1980), pp. 55-76.
8. Ch. 6 "Ritual and Social Change: A Javanese Example" from Geertz, Clifford, The Interpretation of Cultures (New York: Basic Books/Harper Colophon Books, 1973), pp. 142-169.
9. Ch.10. Benjamin Lee Whorf, "The Relation of Habitual Thought and Behavior to Language" from Bohannan, Paul and Mark Galzer (eds.), High Points in Anthropology (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1973), pp. 152- 173.
10. Ch. 22 "Economics and Environment" from Miller, G. Tyler, Jr., Living in the Environment (Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Pub. Co., 1990), pp. 568- 587.
11. Ch. 8 "Is Education the 'Greatest Resource'?" from Pepper, pp. 215- 225.