Social Movements Lab
CHUM 355
Fall 2019
| Section:
01
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| Crosslisting:
ANTH 355, FGSS 355, AMST 357 |
| Certificates: Social, Cultural, and Critical Theory |
| Course Cluster: Social, Cultural, and Critical Theory Certificate, Queer Studies |
What can we learn from social justice activists about the economic, political, and environmental struggles facing us today, including mass incarceration, immigration, economic precarity, and the violence of the state? Where are the critical sites of queer, trans, left, feminist, black, indigenous, disability, and environmental struggle? How do these movements converge, and where do they diverge?
This participatory, interdisciplinary research seminar enables you to embark on an independent, semester-long research project on the social movement or activism of your choice. We'll start with some foundational reading on multidisciplinary social movement research; archival, ethnographic, and participatory methodologies; and histories of social justice struggles in the U.S. The remainder and majority of the seminar is laboratory style, taking shape around your particular projects. Each week, we will collaboratively analyze one or two projects, mapping out and comparing methods, goals, visions, struggles, and contexts of the movements under study. Our goal is to understand a range of social justice activisms in their economic, political, and historical context, with an eye toward integrating activist scholarship and social change.
The activism you research can be contemporary or historical; local, national, or global; and can take any shape: direct action, community organizing, activist philanthropy, art as activism, etc. You do not need previous experience or activist contacts for this course--just passion and the desire to learn collaboratively! |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
SBS CHUM |
| Course Format: Seminar | Grading Mode: Student Option |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (ANTH) |
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Past Enrollment Probability: Not Available |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
Student-selected readings; selections from Chris Dixon, David Graeber, Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, Incite!, Mariame Kaba, Dean Spade, Amber Hollibaugh, Cara Page, and Jeff Juris, others TBD.
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Examinations and Assignments:
This is an intensive, project-based research seminar. In addition to your active and enthusiastic engagement with your colleagues, you¿ll be expected to share your research with the class (bringing in material for us to study together and/or arranging for an activist to Skype into our classroom) and to complete a final project/paper (which can take the form of academic analysis, historical contextualization or comparison, a report useful to and/or requested by the organization with whom you are working, a digital archive, etc.) |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
Interested students please outline your reasons for wishing to take the course. You do not (yet) need to know the specific organization you wish to study, but you should include information on your interests both political and scholarly, and what you hope to learn from the research project. Include any relevant research and/or activist experiences, or previously-taken courses. |
| Instructor(s): Weiss,Margot Times: .M..... 01:20PM-04:10PM; Location: CFH106; |
Permission of Instructor Required
Enrollment capacity: 12 | Permission of instructor approval will be granted by the instructor during pre-registration through the Electronic Portfolio. Click "Add to My Courses" and "To request a POI electronically, click here" to submit your request. |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 0 | 1st Ranked: 0 | 2nd Ranked: 0 | 3rd Ranked: 0 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 0 |
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