WesMaps - Wesleyan University Catalog 2019-2020       Summer Session       Winter Session       Home       Archive       Search
CS92PROD
Activism and Theories of Change

CSPL 235
Spring 2020
Section: 01  
Crosslisting: FGSS 236, AFAM 235
Certificates: Civic Engagement, Civic Engagement Minor

In this course we will explore strategies and theories of change that shape social justice movements, with particular reference to recent movements in the United States. We will discuss the benefits and risks of the many available strategies including direct action, grassroots mobilization, impact litigation, legislative campaigns, electoral campaigns, artistic protest, and public education. When do they strengthen one another, and when do they collide? What ethical or moral questions are raised by various types of protest and communications? The instructor will draw on her own experiences as an activist for women's rights, queer rights, and economic justice. We will also consider the strategies of other recent movements such as Occupy, Black Lives Matter and gun safety activism, and we will allow time to discuss events that may occur in real time over the course of the semester. In recognition of the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage in the U.S., we will discuss the American women's suffrage movement with respect to its tactics, conflicts, failures and successes. This course will be relevant to students interested in public policy, feminism, gender and sexuality studies, and other social sciences, and will provide useful insight for future organizers and activists, lawyers, and public policy makers.
Credit: 1 Gen Ed Area Dept: SBS ALLB
Course Format: LectureGrading Mode: Student Option
Level: UGRD Prerequisites: None
Fulfills a Requirement for: (AFAM)(CIVI-MN)(FGSS)(HRAD-MN)(IDEA-MN)(IDEA)
Past Enrollment Probability: 50% - 74%

Last Updated on DEC-09-2024
Contact wesmaps@wesleyan.edu to submit comments or suggestions. Please include a url, course title, faculty name or other page reference in your email ? Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, 06459