SOCI 998-- Social Movements
Spring 2016
Monday 2:30-5:30pm
Burnett 102
Dr. Regina Werum
Tel: 472-3829 (messages)
Office: Oldfather 739
Office Hours:
Mo 11am-1pm, Wed 2:30-4pm,or by appt.
Email: [email protected]
COURSE OVERVIEW:
What causes social movements? Under which conditions do they succeed or fail? Why and under
which conditions do individuals participate? How is the rise and decline of social movement "cycles"
related to economic trends, developments in certain social institutions, or cultural and ideological shifts?
How do we define social movements and "countermovements"?
The purpose of this course is to introduce Sociology graduate students to classical and
contemporary theories about social movements, and to help them prepare for qualifying exams and
dissertation research. We will focus on a range of 20th-century movements, mostly in the U.S. and
Western Europe. As examples, we will look at the labor movement and the "new" left/student movement
of the 1960s, the civil rights movement, the women's movement, the LGBTQ movement, environmental
activism, and conservative movements. During the first month, students will become familiar with micro-,
meso- and macro-level theoretical traditions, such as relative deprivation, rational choice, resource
mobilization, and political process theories, plus frameworks that bridge traditional theoretical divides
and address issues related to, e.g., recruitment and participation or the role of the state.
Throughout the course, we will deal with the so-called "theory-method-data-link." In other
words, students will learn how other researchers have pursued their empirical/substantive interests. Our
ability to answer specific research questions is shaped by the specific movement we study, the historical
context in which it occurred, and by inevitable data constraints and methodological choices. In the
process of the course, students will become familiar with various methodological approaches to the study
of social movements (both qualitative and quantitative).
By the end of the semester, students should be familiar with theoretical and methodological issues
surrounding social movement research. They should also have a clear historical understanding of social
movements. In addition to some short papers, each student will write a research proposal due at the end
of the semester, made to resemble a grant proposal. In exceptional circumstances, advanced students may
choose instead to submit a dissertation/thesis proposal or chapter. Students will negotiate parameters of
each paper with me.
REQUIREMENTS:
I expect students to come to class prepared; this includes having read the materials for each class before
we meet. Everyone is expected to complete the required readings; presenters are also expected to
complete the supplemental readings. In addition to participating in class on a regular basis, students will
turn in several written assignments, give in-class presentations, and write a final paper.
Written Assignments: 30% of final grade
This course is designed to provide students with an overview of theoretical and empirical research in the
field. The best way to learn new material and retain it is through critical evaluation--i.e., discussion and
writing. In the best possible scenario, this course will influence your research interests for years to come.
More pragmatically, it should also prepare you for a possible prelim specialty area. For this purpose,
students will turn in a total of three critical syntheses of a week's worth of required readings (mere
summaries do not suffice). Varying in length, these short essays are due at the beginning of each class.
These reflective essays will comprise 25% of your final grade. I will discuss explicit guidelines in class.
a.
Critical Synthesis - Theory paper: 10% of final grade
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The first paper is due by noon on February 15 (WEEK 5). The previous week marked the end of the
theory section. The purpose of the paper is to have you compare/contrast/critique elements of 2 theoretical
frameworks of your choice with regard to their usefulness in explaining social movement dynamics (n.b:
you need to come up with a good question for your paper on your own, or in consultation with me). That
paper should be about 5 pages long and will count for 10% of your final grade. More details in class.
b.
Critical Syntheses - Additional: 20% of final grade
Throughout the rest of the semester, you will do 2 more critical syntheses on topics of your choice. To
help you pace yourself, I require that you submit one paper in Feb/March and one in April. Shoot for 5
pages each; each paper is weighted equally, together comprising 20% of your final grade. Do not let these
short papers interfere with research requirements due at the end of the semester. I do not accept late
assignments.
To practice your prelim/comprehensive exam writing skills, you will reflect on and integrate the readings.
This means: relate them to each other (where feasible), to readings from other weeks or even other classes
(where feasible) and pay close attention to the theoretical frameworks on which they draw. Use this lens
to ascertain how/why arguments complement or contradict each other.
An optimal way to approach all three writing assignments is to start out with a question. You may but do
not have to ask a question that encompasses all readings, nor do you need to write several questions (or
answers) for different readings. One good question and one comprehensive answer will do. Draw on all
relevant materials from this course to answer your question and feel free to draw on related, relevant
materials you have encountered in other seminars. Just make sure you stick to the issue you raised in the
beginning.
In-Class Presentations and Participation: 30% of grade
Your active and constructive participation in seminar throughout the semester contributes 10% to your
final grade. In addition, each student will give two oral presentations during the semester, whenever
possible in pairs. Each presentation is worth 10% of your final grade. We will discuss explicit
presentation guidelines in class and in individual consultations. As part of these presentations, you will
provide your peers with integrated summaries to the week's readings. (More in the spirit of prelim
preparation!) Please make these summaries available by email to every seminar participant BY 1:00 P.M.
the day of class. Your one-page summaries per reading should discuss the research question,
methodology and findings of each required reading and explain how it fits in the theoretical and empirical
literature at large.
Rather than thinking of this as giving a lecture, the purpose of your presentations should be to lead class
discussion that day and to involve your peers in an in-depth debate about the readings and the subject
matter. Working in pairs, you will lead the course for that week. It might make sense to do presentations
the same weeks for which you plan to turn in your critical syntheses.
Research Paper: 40% of final grade
The final paper, which will comprise the remaining 40% of your course grade, should be modeled after a
grant proposal. Depending on the student’s status, this may be a pre-dissertation, dissertation, or even
post-doctoral grant proposal. In selecting your audience/agency for this mock-proposal, you will be able
to choose between different formats. Part of your challenge will be to figure out who your audience and
thus your potential grantors might be. Examples include e.g., NSF, MacArthur, SSRC, Aspen, Fulbright,
or Lilly. More detailed information on different funding agencies and their priorities is forthcoming.
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The main purpose of this assignment is to help you integrate things learned in this seminar while
advancing your own research agenda. Some advanced students may decide instead to write a dissertation
chapter or provide an ongoing research project with the theoretical framework necessary to submit a
paper for publication. In either case, your final product must go beyond providing a literature review and
include a methods/research design component.
The length of these papers will vary depending on their purpose, but you should aim for about 18-20
pages. To help you get an early start on this paper, please discuss your paper ideas with me before the
end of February. An initial 5-page prospectus is due to all class members on Monday, March 7
(WEEK 8) by noon. You will discuss each proposal at the following meeting (March 14, WEEK 9).
Detailed instructions on that meeting to follow. Please provide your peers with constructive written
comments of their own proposals in advance of that meeting.
The due date for the final paper is Friday, April 29 (5pm). I will not accept late papers.
Student Code of Conduct: By attending this class you agree to adhere to the academic honor
code. The UNL Student Code of Conduct applies to all aspects of the course. To familiarize
yourself with it, please visit http://stuafs.unl.edu/ja/code/three.shtml, paying close attention to
section 4.2. For additional information about plagiarism as a form of academic dishonesty
subject to university regulations and the UNL Student Code of Conduct, please visit
http://www.unl.edu/gradstudies/current/integrity#plagiarism.
Americans with Disabilities Act: Students with disabilities are encouraged to contact the instructor for a
confidential discussion of their individual needs for academic accommodation. It is UNL policy to
provide flexible and individualized accommodation to students with documented disabilities that may
affect their ability to fully participate in course activities or to meet course requirements. To receive
accommodation services, students must be registered with the Services for Students with Disabilities
(SSD) office, 132 Canfield Administration, 472-3787 voice or TTY. For further information regarding
UNL policies in this regard, please visit http://www.unl.edu/equity/ or call (402) 472-2322.
Gender-Neutral Bathrooms: The following webpage provide a list of gender-neutral bathrooms on
campus: involved.unl.edu/unl-gender-neutral-bathrooms. The closest one to Hamilton Hall and Oldfather
Hall is in Andrews Hall.
Lactation Rooms: There is a lactation space in 727A Oldfather, and a family room on the ground floor
(North side). Additional information about lactation spaces is available at
http://www.unl.edu/chancellor/policymemoranda/20090901-Lactation-Policy.
I reserve the right to change the syllabus.
READINGS:
In addition to the books listed below, I have assigned a series of articles. They will be available via
electronic reserves (UNL libraries and Blackboard). Should you have problems downloading them, please
let me know. In the meantime, please use an electronic data base to go directly to the source.
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You may purchase the following books from your favorite vendor. All books -- those required and those
from which excerpts are assigned -- will also be on Reserve at Love Library. If all else fails, you may
borrow them from me for a few hours at a time.
Gamson, William. 1990 [1975]. The Strategy of Social Protest. Wadsworth. ISBN 0534120784.
Gitlin, Todd. 2003 [1980]. The Whole World is Watching: Mass Media in the Making and Unmaking of
the New Left. Berkeley: Univ. of California Press. ISBN 0520038894.
Morris, Aldon. 1984. The Origins of the Civil Rights Movement. NY: Free Press. ISBN 002922120X.
Piven, Frances F. and Richard Cloward. 1977. Poor People's Movements. NY: Vintage Books/Random
House. ISBN 0-394-72697-9.
Snow, David, Sarah Soule and Hanspeter Kriesi (eds.). 2007. The Blackwell Companion to Social
Movements. Blackwell Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4051-7561-6. (good for prelim prep!)
WEEKLY SCHEDULE:
Jan 11 beginning of classes
WEEK 1
Jan 11
Introduction
Discussion leader: WERUM
*** PLEASE READ THESE AHEAD OF TIME AND EXPECT A FULL-LENGTH MEETING***
McPhail, Clark. 1989. "Blumer's Theory of Collective Behavior." Sociological Quarterly 30: 3: 401-423.
Useem, Bert. 1998. “Breakdown Theories of Collective Action.” Annual Review of Sociology 24:215238.
Buechler, Steven. 2007. “The Strange Career of Strain and Breakdown Theories of Collective Action.”
Ch. 4, pp. 47-66, in The Blackwell Companion to Social Movements.
***
Jan 18 -- MLK DAY -- NO CLASSES
WEEK 2
Jan 25
Classical Theories
***
Discussion leaders:
Required Readings:
Park, Robert E. 1967. On Social Control and Collective Behavior. Chs. 14 and 15.
Smelser, Neil. 1962. Theory of Collective Behavior. Ch. 1-3.
Turner, Ralph and Lewis Killian. 1972. Collective Behavior. Chs. 13 and 20.
Supplemental Readings:
Gurr, Ted. 1970. "Relative Deprivation and the Impetus to Violence." Ch. 2 in Why Men Rebel.
Turner, Ralph. 1969. "The Public Perception of Protest.” American Sociological Review 34:6: 815-830.
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WEEK 3
Feb 1 Resource Mobilization Theory (RMT)
Discussion leaders:
Required Readings:
Zald, Meyer and Roberta Ash. 1966. "Social Movement Organizations: Growth, Decay, and Change."
Social Forces 44: 3: 327-341.
McCarthy, John and Meyer Zald. 1973. "The Trend of Social Movements in America: Professionalization
and Resource Mobilization." General Learning Press.
Gamson, William. 1990 [1975]. Ch. 4, 6, 7 in The Strategy of Social Protest.
Earl, Jennifer. 2011. “Political Repression: Iron Fists, Velvet Gloves, and Diffuse Control.” Annual
Review of Sociology 37:261-284.
Supplemental Readings:
Tilly, Charles. 1978. “Interests, Organization, and Mobilization,” ch. 3(pp. 52-97) READ THIS OR “The
Opportunity to Act Together” ch. 4 (pp. 98-142) in From Mobilization to Revolution.
Oberschall, Anthony. 1973. "Mobilization, Leaders, and Followers in the Civil Rights Movement." Ch. 6
in Social Conflicts and Social Movements.
WEEK 4
Feb 8 Political Process/Opportunity Theories
Discussion leaders:
Required Readings:
McAdam, Douglas. 1982. Political Process and the Development of Black Insurgency, 1930-1970. Ch. 14, 9.
Tarrow, Sidney. 1995. Power in Movement. Introduction, Ch. 1, 5, 6, 8.
Meyer, David. 2004. “Protest and Political Opportunities.” Annual Review of Sociology 30:125-145.
Van Dyke, Nella, Sarah Soule and Verta Taylor. 2004. “The Targets of Social Movements: Beyond a
Focus on the State.” Research in Social Movements, Conflicts and Change 25: 27-51.
Supplemental Readings:
Freeman, Jo. 1983. "On the Origins of Social Movements." Ch. 1 Freeman (ed.) Social Movements of
the '60s and '70s.
Meyer, David and Suzanne Staggenborg. 1996. “Movements, Countermovements, and the Structure of
Political Opportunities.” American Journal of Sociology 101:6:1628-1660.
WEEK 5
Feb 15 Recent Theoretical Developments
Discussion leaders:
Required Readings:
A.
SM and the State
Quadagno, Jill. 1992. "Social Movements and State Transformation." ASR 57: 5: 616-634.
Amenta, Ed, Neal Caren, Elizabeth Chiarello, and Yang Su. 2010. “The Political Consequences of Social
Movements.” ARS 36:287-307.
B.
Frame Alignment
Gamson, William and David Meyer. 1996. “Framing Political Opportunity.” Pp. 275-290 in Comparative
Perspectives on Social Movements.
Benford, Robert & David Snow. 2000. “Framing Processes and Social Movements: An Overview and
Assessment.” Annual Review of Sociology 26: 611-639.
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C.
Culture and Emotions
Polletta, Francesca & James Jasper. 2001. “Collective Identity and Social Movements,” Annual Review
of Sociology 27: 283-305.
Jasper, James. 2011. “Emotions and Social Movements: 20 Years of Theory and Research.” ARS 37:285303.
WEEK 6
Feb 22
The Labor Movement
Discussion leaders:
*** Theory Paper due today, by noon ***
Required Readings:
Piven, Frances and Richard Cloward. 1977. “The Structuring of Protest,” "The Unemployed Workers'
Movement" and "The Industrial Workers' Movement." Ch. 1, 2 & 3 in Poor People's Movements.
Griffin, Larry et al. 1986. "Capitalist Resistance to the Organization of Labor before the New Deal."
ASR 51:2:147-167.
Mirola, Bill. 2003. “Asking for Bread, Receiving a Stone: The Rise and Fall of Religious Ideologies in
Chicago's Eight-Hour Movement.” Social Problems 50:2:273-293.
Pulido, Alberto. 1991. “Are You an Emissary of Jesus Christ? Justice, the Catholic Church, and the
Chicano Movement.” Explorations in Ethnic Studies 14:1:17-34.
Martin, Andrew. 2005. “Addressing the Selection Bias in Media Coverage of Strikes.” Research in Social
Movements, Conflicts and Change 26:143-178.
Supplemental Readings:
Kerbo, H and R. Shaffer. 1992. "Lower Class Insurgency and the Political Process: The Response of
the U.S. Unemployed, 1890-1940." Social Problems 39:2:139-154.
Jenkins, Craig and Charles Perrow. 1977. “Insurgency of the Powerless: Farm Worker Movements: 19461972.” ASR 42:2: 249-268.
Amenta, Ed, Bruce Carruthers, and Yvonne Zylan. 1992. "A Hero For the Aged?" AJS 98:2:308-339.
WEEK 7
Feb 29
The "New" Left
Discussion leaders:
*****Please talk to me about your final paper topic and funding source before today.*****
Required Readings:
Gitlin, T. 2003/1980. The Whole World is Watching: Mass Media in the Making and Unmaking of the
New Left. (read entire book strategically)
Steidl, Christina. 2013. “Remembering May 4, 1970: Integrating the Commemorative Field at Kent
State.” ASR 78:5:749-772.
Supplemental Readings:
Cunningham, David. 2003. “The Patterning of Repression” FBI Counterintelligence and the New Left.”
Social Forces 82:1:209-240.
Winders, Bill. 1999. “The Roller Coaster of Class Conflict.... 1840-1996.” Social Forces 77:3:833-860.
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WEEK 8
***
Mar 7
The Civil Rights Movement I
Discussion leaders: NONE
5-page prospectus due today at noon, electronically to all class participants. ***
Required Readings:
Morris, Aldon. 1984. The Origins of the Civil Rights Movement. (read entire book strategically)
Supplemental Readings: (if you can get to them)
Haines, H. 1984. "Black Radicalization and the Funding of Civil Rights: 1957-1970." Social
Problems 32:1:31-43.
Valocchi, Steve. 1996. “The Emergence of the Integrationist Ideology in the Civil Rights Movement.”
Social Problems 43:1:116-130.
WEEK 9
Mar 14
discussion of paper proposals
Required Readings:
Everyone's prospectus (see above).
Assignment: Please submit written, detailed comments on each of the proposals you received and
disseminate to your peers and to me your typed set of comments before class. Comments should
address theoretical, methodological, and empirical concerns. Please be constructive in your criticism. Be
the mentor you would like to have yourself.
*** Week of March 21 – SPRING BREAK – NO CLASSES ***
WEEK 10
Mar 28
The Civil Rights Movement II
Discussion leaders:
Required Readings:
Meier, A. and E. Rudwick. 1975. "A House Divided." Ch. 12 in CORE: A Study in the Civil Rights
Movement, 1942-1968.
Snow, D. et al. 1980. "Social Networks and Social Movements: A Microstructural Approach." ASR 45:
5:787-801.
Myers, D. & Beth S. Caniglia. 2004. “All the Rioting that’s Fit to Print” ASR 69:519-543.
Olzak, Susan & Emily Ryo. 2007. “Organizational Diversity, Vitality and Outcomes in the Civil Rights
Movement.” Social Forces 85:4:1561-1591.
Pedriana, Nicholas and Robin Stryker. 2004. “The Strength of a Weak Agency: Enforcement of Title VII
of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the Expansion of State Capacity, 1965-1971.” AJS 110:3:709760.
Supplemental Readings:
Rudwick, E. and A. Meier. 1970. "Organizational Structure & Goal Succession." Social Science
Quarterly 51:1: 9-41.
Barnett, Bernice MacNair. 1993. "Invisible Black Southern Women Leaders in the CRM." Gender and
Society 7:2:162-182.
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WEEK 11
Apr 4
The Women's Movement I
Discussion leaders:
Required Readings:
Faupel, Alison and Regina Werum. 2011. “’Making her Own Way’: The Individualization of First-Wave
Feminism, 1910-1930.” Mobilization 16:2:181-200.
McCammon, Holly. 2003. "’Out of the Parlors and into the Streets’: The Changing Tactical Repertoire of
the U.S. Women's Suffrage Movements.” Social Forces 81:3:787-818.
Rupp, Leila and Verta Taylor. 1987. Ch. 1, 2, 4 (pp. 3-23, 45-84) in Survival in the Doldrums. Oxford
UP.
Echols, Alice. 1989. "Breaking Away from the Left." Ch. 3 (pp. 103-138) in Daring to Be Bad: Radical
Feminism in America, 1967-1975.
Supplemental Readings:
Adam, Barry. 1995 [1987]. "Gay Liberation and Lesbian Feminism." Ch. 5 in The Rise of a Gay and
Lesbian Movement. NY: Twayne/Simon & Schuster.
Faupel, Alison. 2010. “The Pitfalls of Winning: A Comparison of Two First-Wave Feminist
Organizations.” RSMCC 31:69-101.
WEEK 12
Apr 11
The Women's Movement II
Discussion leaders:
Required Readings:
Staggenborg, Suzanne. 1991. “The Emergence of the Movement” (Ch. 2, p. 13-28) and “Confrontation
and Direct Action” (ch. 4, pp. 43-56) in The Pro-Choice Movement: Organization & Activism in
the Abortion Conflict.
Meier, David and Suzanne Staggenborg. 2008. “Opposing Movement Strategies in US Abortion Politics.”
RSMCC 28:207-238.
Luker, Kristin. 1985. “World Views of the Activists.” Ch. 7 in Abortion and the Politics of Motherhood.
Supplemental Readings:
Ferree, M. 1991. "Political Strategies and Feminist Concerns in the U.S. and F.R.G." Research in Social
Movements, Conflict, and Change 13 221-240.
Staggenborg, Suzanne and Verta Taylor. 2005. “Whatever Happened to the Women’s Movement?”
Mobilization 10:1:37-52.
WEEK 13
Apr 18
The LGBTQ Movement
Discussion leaders:
Required Readings:
Werum, R and B. Winders. 2001. "Who’s ‘In’ and Who’s ‘Out’? State Fragmentation and the Struggle
Over Gay Rights, 1974-1999." Social Problems 48:3: 386-410.
Frank, David J. and Elizabeth McEneaney. 1999. “The Individualization of Society and the Liberalization
of State Policies on Same-Sex Sexual Relations, 1984-1999.” Social Forces 77:3:911-944.
McVeigh, Rory, Michael R. Welch, and Thoroddur Bjarnason. 2003. “Hate Crime Reporting as a
Successful Social Movement Outcome.” ASR 68:6:843-867.
Stone, Amy. 2010. “Dominant Tactics in Social Movement Tactical Repertoires: Anti-Gay Ballot
Measures, 1974-2008.” RSMCC 31:141-174.
Bernstein, May and Nancy Naples. 2015. “Altared States: Legal Structuring and Relationship Recognition
in the US, Canada and Australia.” ASR 80:6:1226-1249.
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Supplemental Readings:
Grattet, Ryken et al. 1998. “The Homogenization and Differentiation of Hate Crime Law in the US.”
American Sociological Review 63:2:286-307.
Robinson, Christine and Sue Spivey. 2007. “The Politics of Masculinity and the Ex-Gay Movement.”
Gender & Society 21:5:650-675.
Negro, Giacomo , Perretti, Fabrizio and Glenn Carroll. “Challenger Group, Commercial Organizations,
and Policy Enactment: Local Lesbian/Gay Rights Ordinances in the US from 1972-2008. AJS
119:3:790-832.
WEEK 14
Apr 25
YOUR CHOICE
Environmental Movement
Discussion leaders: WERUM
Required Readings:
Capek, S. 1993. "The 'Environmental Justice' Frame." Social Problems 40:1:5-24.
Kearns, Laurel. 1996. “Saving the Creation: Christian Environmentalism in the US.” Sociology of
Religion 57:1:55-70.
Giugni, Marco. 2007. “Useless Protest? A Time-Series Analysis of the Policy Outcomes of Ecology,
Antinuclear and Peace Movements in the US, 1977-1995.” Mobilization 12:1:53-77.
Bell, Shannon and Yvonne Braun. 2010. “Coal, Identity and the Gendering of Environmental Justice
Activism in Central Appalachia.” Gender & Society 24:6:794-813.
Cable, S. et al. 1988. "Differential Paths to Political Activism: Comparisons of Four Mobilization
Processes after the Three Mile Island Accident." Social Forces 66:4:951-969.
Useem, B. and M. Zald. 1982. "From Pressure Group to Social Movement: Organizational Dilemmas of
the Effort to Promote Nuclear Power." Social Problems 2:144-156.
OR
Conservative Movements
Discussion leaders: WERUM
Required Readings:
McVeigh, Rory and David Cunningham. 2012. “Enduring Consequences of Right-Wing Extremism: Klan
Mobilization and Homicides in Southern Counties.” Social Forces 90:3:843-862.
Cunningham, David. 2007. Paths to Participation: A Profile of the Civil Rights-Era KKK.” RSMCC
27:283-308.
Blee, K. 2002. “A Culture of Violence” Ch. 5 (pp. 156-186) in Inside Organized Racism: Women in the
Hate Movement.
Blee, Kathleen and Kimberley Creasap. 2010. “Conservative and Right-Wing Movements.” ARS 36:269286.
Gross, Neil Thomas Medvetz and Rupert Russell. 2011. “The Contemporary American Conservative
Movement.” ARS 37:325-354.
Friday, April 29 -- PAPER DUE no later than 5pm
Saturday, April 30 -- Last Day of Classes
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