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Soc 343-B1 Social Movements Winter 2020
Tuesday and Thursday 3:30pm – 4:50pm T 1 93
Instructor: Dr. Barret Weber Office: T 4-7
Office Hours: Tuesday 2:00pm – 3:00pm Email: [email protected]
COURSE PREREQUISITE:
SOC 100, or consent of instructor COURSE MATERIALS:
Rodgers, Kathleen. 2018. Protest, Activism, & Social Movements. Don Mills: Oxford University Press.
(Required)
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
What must be done? This is arguably the most important question regarding the old Weberian issue of how to carry out (successful) social action. But what does this question mean and where does it lead us when considered in the context of contemporary academic and popular studies related to social
movements? This course critically interrogates many of the ways that on-the-ground movements have been successful, and have failed, responding to power and authority in everyday life, the workplace, and beyond. The course considers the relationship between leaders and followers -- but it also attempts to better understand the frameworks contemporary movements are using to deliver tangible actions that benefit civil society writ large. The course is highly dependent on class participation – as such, the course will be only as successful as we each make it.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
1. Develop an informed understanding of the theories that help to describe how social movements tend to operate;
2. Learn how to read difficult theoretical texts and develop skills to take away insights from close reading;
3. Understand how power and the state impact the development of social movements;
4. Understand why the main political debates that animate social movements are contested
2 COURSE READING AND LECTURE SCHEDULE:
Date Reading schedule
Week 1: Introduction January 5-11
Jan 7: Introductions
Jan 9: Rodgers, Introduction, p.1-20 Week 2: Approach to
studying social movements January 12-18
Jan 14: Rodgers, Chapter 1, p.21-39
Jan 16: Weber, Max. 1946 [1918]. “Politics as Vocation.” Wikisource.
Retrieved (http://fs2.american.edu/dfagel/www/Class Readings/Weber/PoliticsAsAVocation.pdf).
Pre-Course Reflections due Week 3: Politics, Law,
and the State January 19-25
Jan 21: Rodgers, Chapter 2, p.40-60
Jan 23: Mills, C. Wright. 2008. “The Powerless People: The Role of the Intellectual in Society.” Pp. 13–24 in The Politics of Truth: Selected Writings of C. Wright Mills. Oxford University Press.
Week 4: Individuals, Networks, and Organizations January 26-February 1
Jan 28: Rodgers, Chapter 3, p.61-79
Jan 30: McAlevey, Jane F. 2016. “Introduction.” In No Shortcuts:
Organizing for Power in the New Gilded Age. Oxford University Press.
Week 5: Framing, Emotion, and Grievances
February 2- February 8
Feb 4: Rodgers, Chapter 4, p.80-102
Feb: 6: Catch-up day; prepare for midterm
Week 6: Identity and Inequality
February 9-February 15
Feb 11: Rodgers, Chapter 5, p.103-122
Feb 13: In class midterm (covering weeks 1 to 6)
Week 7: Reading Week February 16-February 22
Reading Week (no classes)
Week 8: Strategies and Tactics; Labour
February 23-February 29
Feb 25: Rodgers, Chapter 6, p. 123-144
Feb 27: Discussion day; McAlevey, Jane F. 2016. “The Power to Win Is in the Community, Not the Boardroom.” In No Shortcuts: Organizing for Power in the New Guilded Age. Oxford University Press.
3 Week 9: Repression
March 1-March 7
Mar 3: Rodgers, Chapter 7, p.145-164 Mar 5: Discussion day; reading TBD Week 10: Mass Media
and Digital Media March 8-March 14
Mar 10: Rodgers, Chapter 8, 165-186 Mar 12: Discussion day; reading TBD
Week 11: Political Consumerism March 15-March 21
Mar 17: Rodgers, Chapter 9, 187-207
Mar 19: In class Midterm 2 (covering weeks 8 to 10)
Week 12: Globalization and Social Movements March 22-March 28
Mar 24: Rodgers, Chapter 10, 208-228
Mar 26: Discussion day; Nordhaus, Ted. 2019. “The Empty Radicalism of the Climate Apocalypse.” Issues in Science and Technology 35:69–
78.
Week 13: Canada’s Labour Movement March 29-April 4
Mar 31: Selby, Jim. 2019. “Labour in Need of Revolutionary Vision.”
Labour / Le Travail 83: 233-246
April 2: Discussion day; Camfield, David. 2019. “Settler Colonialism and Labour Studies in Canada.” Labour / Le Travail 83: 147-172.
Week 14: Conclusions April 5-11
April 7: Conclusions and wrap-up. Post-Course Reflections due.
COURSE FORMAT:
Course objectives will be achieved through a combination of formal lectures, guest presentations, assigned readings, and, most importantly, through lessons learned in class discussions.
COURSE ASSESSMENTS:
Task Weight Date
Pre-Course Reflection 5% January 16
Midterm 1 25% Feb 13
Assignments 15% Ongoing
Midterm 2 25% March 19
Final exam 25% During final exam period April
14-25
Post-Course Reflection 5% April 7
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EXPLANATORY NOTE ON COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
All writings should be submitted in 12-point font, standard margins, double-spaced with no title page.
Students must keep copies of everything submitted to the instructor. Papers should include name and student number and the class name and number. Late assignments will be marked down by one- half a letter grade per day (including holidays and weekends). There is no grade curving in this course. Include a Works Cited at the end of your essays so that the reader can look up the details. All works cited must include the author, title, publication information (city, name of pub), and year of publication.
Reflections
The two reflection pieces are intended to have you record the evolution of your opinion on the topic.
Therefore, you should not conduct any research or cite any sources. You will not be graded on the content of your answer, as long as it makes an honest attempt to answer the question you have set for yourself.
Midterms and final exam
The exams will cover all topics prior to the exam. They will be comprised of multiple-choice questions, short answer, and essays. They are designed to assess for understanding of the course readings and debates.
Students will be asked to explain, interpret, apply their learning in the course to demonstrate knowledge.
Assignments
There is an assignment attached to each discussion day beginning after reading week.
Description:
• The number of assignments is not pre-determined but will be assigned on a rolling basis, subject to the needs and pace of the class. There will likely be about one or two in-class group-based assignment per unit, although there may be more, fewer, or other assignments.
• The topic and parameters of each assignment will be announced in class.
• Assignments will primarily take the form of exercises done during class time but may also include exercises to be done outside of class time in preparation for class.
• These assignments may be individual- or group-based. Group-based assignments must be done in groups where each individual must fully participate in the discussion and production of the submitted Assignment. Each individual is responsible for ensuring that they contribute to the success of the group. Each individual is also responsible for actively working to include and enable the contributions of all other members of the group.
• Assignments must be submitted in the format announced in class (usually one written copy for each group to be submitted in hardcopy or on Eclass) by the deadline announced in class (usually at the end of the day's class).
Objective:
• The purpose of these exercises is to provide you with a structured opportunity and dedicated time to actively discuss, work through, and apply concepts and perspectives raised in course material.
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• Engaging with theories, ideas, and issues in this active way should help you develop familiarity and comfort with working with and talking about these, and a capacity to do so in an exploratory, practiced, and explicit way.
• These exercises will provide you with an experience that should help deepen your own understanding of the texts and lectures and of the issues.
• They will be an opportunity to share and develop insights with other students.
• They will help support your preparation for the exams.
Assessment:
Each Assignment will be assessed for the demonstration of effort, interpretive fidelity, critical and creative insight that is consistent and defensible, attention to detail, and clarity, and in the case of group work, evidence of critical group engagement.
Each student is entitled to miss two assignments with no penalty. Your two lowest assignment marks will not count towards your final grade. At the end of the term, the two lowest marks will be dropped from the calculation. (E.g. if you miss three assignments due to illness, two of those 0s would be dropped from the calculation of your Assignments mark. The third 0 will count.)
Note that there is no option to defer or “make up” missed assignments. No reason needs to be given for missing any assignment. No more than 2 assignments will be excused regardless of reason.
GRADING:
Marks for graded course requirements are given in percentages, to which letter grades are also assigned, according to the table below. The percentage mark resulting from all graded components produces the final letter grade for the course. Marks for grades are not curved or scaled.
Letter % Pts Descriptor
A+ 95-100 4.0
Excellent
A 90-94 4.0
A- 85-89 3.7
B+ 80-84 3.3
Good
B 75-79 3.0
B- 70-74 2.7
C+ 66-69 2.3
Satisfactory
C 62-65 2.0
C- 58-61 1.7
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D+ 54-57 1.3 Poor
D 50-53 1.0 Minimal Pass
F 0-49 0.0 Fail
ATTENDANCE, ABSENCES, AND MISSED GRADE COMPONENTS:
Regular attendance is essential for optional performance. Regarding absences that may be excusable and procedures for addressing course components missed as a result, consult the Attendance section of the University Calendar.
Absence from Final Exam
If you miss the final exam, you must formally apply to your Faculty Student Services office to be considered for a deferred final exam within two working days from the date of the missed exam (or as soon as possible, considering the circumstances). I cannot approve or deny requests for deferred final exams. Refer to the Absence from Final Exams information provided in the Attendance section of the University Calendar for full details.
Date of Deferred Final Exam: Students approved for a deferred final exam will write on May 2, 2020 at 9am in BUS 1 10.
Deferral of term work is a privilege and not a right; there is no guarantee that a deferral will be granted.
Misrepresentation of Facts to gain a deferral is a serious breach of the Code of Student Behaviour.
Absence from Term Work
Students are required to contact me within two working days following the missed exam or term work (or as soon as possible, considering the circumstances) to apply for an excused absence. Excused absences are not automatic and are at my discretion.
Policy for Missed Term Exams: If you miss a midterm, you must notify the instructor of the reason within 48 hours. Valid reasons for missing the exam may include illness, jury duty or court subpoena, death in the family, or other emergency approved by the instructor. Failure to notify the instructor within 48 hours will result in an automatic 0 on the missed exam.
Below is a list of acceptable documentation to support an absence:
• For incapacitating medical illness, students can present one of the following:
o “University of Alberta Medical Statement” signed by a doctor (this cannot be required, but must be accepted if provided in lieu of other documents).
o “Request for Excused Absence or Deferral of Term Work” Faculty of Arts form o Statutory Declaration" (to be obtained from the Office of the Registrar).
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• For all other cases, such as domestic afflictions or religious convictions, the student should submit documentation appropriate to the situation. This could include the following:
o For a death in the family – a copy of the death certificate o For a religious conflict – a letter from the church or pastor o For a car accident – a copy of the accident report
o For other serious afflictions – consult the Instructor or Department about appropriate documents Policy for Late Assignments: Late assignments will be marked down one letter increment per day (including weekends) for all assignments. For example, a B paper received one day late would receive a B-
Misrepresentation of Facts to gain a deferral is a serious breach of the Code of Student Behaviour.
Email Policy
Please be advised that your instructor invites emails, however email should used sparingly. When writing emails to your instructor, ensure that you write with extreme care to be sure that you are conveying your message as clearly and respectfully as possible. It is best to ask your question to the instructor in person during office hours or during class time. Also, be sure to check the course outline before emailing instructor;
most questions are already answered therein.
STUDENT RESOURCES:
The best all-purpose website for student services is: https://www.ualberta.ca/current-students.
Accessibility Resources (1-80 SUB)
The University of Alberta is committed to creating work and learning communities that inspire and enable all people to reach their full potential. Accessibility Resources promotes an accessible, inclusive, and universally designed environment. For general information or to register for services visit the Accessibility Resources webpage.
LEARNING AND WORKING ENVIRONMENT:
The Faculty of Arts is committed to ensuring that all students, faculty and staff are able to work and study in an environment that is safe and free from discrimination and harassment. It does not tolerate behaviour that undermines that environment.
The University of Alberta acknowledges that we are located on Treaty 6 territory, and respects the histories, languages, and cultures of the First Nations, Métis, Inuit, and all First Peoples of Canada, whose presence continues to enrich our vibrant community.
8 REQUIRED NOTES:
Academic Integrity
“The University of Alberta is committed to the highest standards of academic integrity and honesty.
Students are expected to be familiar with these standards regarding academic honesty and to uphold the policies of the University in this respect. Students are particularly urged to familiarize themselves with the provisions of the Code of Student Behaviour (online at https://www.ualberta.ca/governance/) and avoid any behaviour which could potentially result in suspicions of cheating, plagiarism, misrepresentation of facts and/or participation in an offence. Academic dishonesty is a serious offence and can result in suspension or expulsion from the University.”
All students should consult the Academic Integrity website. If you have any questions, ask your instructor.
Audio or Video Recording
“Audio or video recording, digital or otherwise, of lectures, labs, seminars or any other teaching
environment by students is allowed only with the prior written consent of the Instructor or as a part of an approved accommodation plan. Student or Instructor content, digital or otherwise, created and/or used within the context of the course is to be used solely for personal study, and is not to be used or distributed for any other purpose without prior written consent from the content author(s).”
Course Outline Policy
"Policy about course outlines can be found in Course Requirements, Evaluation Procedures and Grading of the University Calendar."
Copyright: Dr. Barret Weber, Faculty of Arts, University of Alberta, 2020 ©.
