SOC 3422 - Sociology of Social Movements

Social movements are an organized effort by a significant number of people to change some major aspect of society. Movements can mobilize around any number of issues, and they employ a large range of tactics that range from lobbying and picketing to armed insurrection and revolution. Under what conditions do social movements emerge and decline? What makes some movements more successful than others? We will address these questions through the application of various theoretical perspectives to several prominent social movements in American history, focusing on the domestic and international conditions that gave rise to these movements and shaped their relative success or failure. The goal of the course is to explain the structural conditions and tactical strategies that render collective action more or less effective in achieving their stated goals.