SOCI 2220

Understanding the processes of social change in any society requires an examination of the role of social movements. Social movements can be broadly defined as groups in civil society organizing to bring about social change. It is often commented that such movements are distinctly modern phenomena, made possible by social, economic, and political changes occurring in the contemporary era. In the first part of the course, we will undertake a brief survey of the historical roots of the rise of social movements in the Western world, and then undertake an examination of classical and contemporary social movement theory. Following this, drawing on social movement theories, we will examine some social movements that have had an impact in North America and other parts of the world since the 1960s.