social movements and social change

Many political rights and social norms that we now take for granted were once considered radical ideas by the individuals and groups that first proposed them. This shows us that social change is possible, under the right conditions. And while there are many ways in which social change is achieved, it is often won – at least in part – through collective action: ordinary men and women coming together to collectively challenge powerful elites and institutions. In this course, students will learn about some of the most important social movements of the past century, including the civil rights movement, the women’s movement, the labor movement, the Religious Right, the environmental movement, the same sex marriage movement, the Tea Party, Occupy Wall Street and more. We will ask why people participate in social movements, and why they choose to engage in public and sometimes disruptive protests rather than expressing their voices through individual channels like the voting booth. We will ask how movements maintain commitment in the face of challenges. And we will ask why their efforts sometimes succeed and sometimes fail. The goals of this course are to understand several specific movements better, while also gaining familiarity with a number of general concepts and theories that help us to understand the wide variety of social movements that have existed (and will continue to emerge). Although the course focuses primarily on the United States, students will be encouraged to draw connections to similar (or different) movements around the world through in-class discussions and a final research project. 

Syllabus available upon request.

political sociology

When explaining what makes the United States exceptional, Americans tend to highlight their belief in democracy and the equality of opportunity for all citizens. Yet during the past several decades, the country has experienced high and growing rates of social, political and economic inequality. In this course, we will examine the complex political dynamics and public policy decisions that have made this paradoxical outcome possible, and the profound impact of these decisions on political and social life. Drawing on both classical studies and new research within the field, the course will provide students with the conceptual and theoretical tools necessary to understand the politics of inequality. Although the emphasis will be on the US, we will draw connections to other national settings as well as to global trends. The first part of the course sets the stage by presenting students with a snapshot of contemporary American inequality and changes in the distribution of income, wealth and opportunity over the past century. We will then examine how these trends shape (and are shaped by) the distribution of power in society, and learn how economic power becomes entangled with political power in complicated ways. In the second part of the course, we will examine inequalities in political participation and engagement, in elite political influence, and in the politics of social policy making. Finally, we will consider potential solutions to these problems through a discussion of proposed democratic reforms and grassroots efforts to confront inequality. 

Syllabus available upon request.

introduction to sociology

Syllabus available upon request.