Social movements are collective efforts to change society.   Some of the important movements in American history and American society today include:  the movement for independence from Great Britain, the abolitionist movement, the women's suffrage movement, the civil rights movement, the feminist movement, several anti-war movements, the gay liberation movement, the right-to-life movement, the anti-communist movement, the environmental movement.  On a global scale, movements include various socialist and communist movements, fascist and Nazi movements, human rights movements, independence movements in many countries and regions, religious movements, the Zionist movement, fundamentalist Islamic movements, and so on. 
    Movements use a wide variety of tactics including leafleting, giving speeches, picketing, marching, striking, sitting-in, throwing stones, revolutionary uprisings, guerilla warfare, bombings and assassinations.  For each movement, there is generally a backlash or counter-movement.  Often governments attempt to repress social movements.  Sometimes these struggles between movements and authorities involve long periods of nonviolent or violent conflict.  The current "war on terror" is now recognized as a "struggle against violent extremism," i.e., as a conflict with a social movement.  Terrorism and terrorist movements will be a major focus in this course. 
    We will begin with an overview of sociological and psychological theories that provide some general ideas about social movements.  We will then examine studies of specific social movements, using the theories as guidelines.  Questions we will ask about each social movements include:   

1. When and Why Do Social Movements Occur?
2. Who Joins or Supports (or Leads) Movements?
3. Who Remains in Movements, and Who Drops Out?
4. What Do Movement Participants Think and Feel?
5. How Are Movements Organized?
6. What Do Movements Do?
7. How Do the State and Mass Media Influence Movements?
8. Why Do Movements Decline?
9. What Changes Do Movements Bring About?

     All assignments for this course will be listed in the SAKAI course management system.  You should click on the Assignments and Resources link along the left of our SAKAI course page, then click on the folder for each week.   A new page of reading assignments, sometimes including powerpoint presentations and videos, will be posted each week no later than Thursday.  Preliminary versions may be posted earlier for your convenience, but may be updated as late as Thursday to allow for including things that come up in class on Wednesday night.  We will also follow current events in the news as relevant events occur.  Some reading materials will be posted on the Internet and will be linked from the weekly assignment page.  Others will be posted in the weekly SAKAI resources folder.  Writing assignments will also be announced on the weekly assignment page.
     There will be a quiz each week covering both assigned reading and material covered in class.  This will include items on movies shown in class which will not necessarily be available for viewing on the Internet. The quizzes will be in the quizzes folder on our SAKAI course page and you may take them anywhere.  The quizzes will open  no later than Friday of each week.  There will be two versions of each quiz, an "early bird" which will close Monday at 5 pm and a "last chance" which will close Wednesday at 5 pm.  The two versions will include many of the same items, but they will not necessarily be identical.  You should do the reading before taking the quiz. You will receive the highest percentage score you obtain on either version of each week's quiz.  You should plan on taking each quiz at least one day before it closes.  If you wait until after that you are assuming the risk that technical difficulties may occur.  If you miss the "early bird" you will get your score on the "last chance."   If you have a last minute problem with the "last chance" quiz you should come by my office by 5:30 on Wednesday.
    There is no textbook for this class, all readings will be posted online. 
   Attendance is required.  Up to two classes can be missed without lowering the grade below 100% (those attending all classes will receive extra points above 100%).  These missed classes are intended to be used for good excuses, e.g., illness, death in the family, car breakdown, problems at work.  Classes missed for good excuses are not in addition to the two allowed absences.  Please save all excuses, doctors' notes, etc. and bring them to me only if you exceed the two allowed absences.  At that point I may give you an additional assignment to cover the material you missed.
      Grading will be based on midterm and final examinations, writing assignments, class attendance and participation and on the weekly SAKAI quizzes.