SOCIAL MOVEMENTS STUDIES

The course aims at the following learning objectives
a) knowledge and understanding of the central issues in social movements studies
b) to apply this knowledge to present society and politics
c) to promote the ability of making judgment by classroom discussions and the analysis of case studies;
d) to promote communication abilities, such as how to communicate in English
e) to promote learning abilities so as to develop and consolidate competence in the field of social movements studies, elaborating a critical judgment in oral and written form.

Through the course, students will :
a) Adquire knowledge and understanding of the central issues in social movements studies
b) Improve their ability to apply this knowledge to present society and politics, improve their ability to critically read social and political phenomena
c) Improve their ability of making judgment by classroom discussions and the analysis of case studies;
d) Improve their communication abilities, such as how to communicate in English

Language skills, according to the admission requirements

The course aims to provide an introduction to the sociological analysis of contemporary social movements.
To this aim, after an introduction to sociology (where the main concepts, paradigms and theoretical approaches of the discipline will be illustrated), the course will focus on the main sociological approaches to the study of social movements. We will discuss for instance the difference between Resource mobilization theory, New social movements, and Global social movements approaches. Special attention will be given to the application of different perspectives to the analysis of concrete case-studies, as well as to the relation between social movements and social change.

Basic readings are:
- chapters 1 to 5 of "Social Movements. An Introduction", by Donatella Della Porta and Mario Diani
- the full book "Social Movements, 1768-2018" by Charles Tilly, Charles, Ernesto Castañeda, and Lesley J. Wood

Attending students will receive suggestion for other readings which will replace the book by Tilly et al., via moodle

The evaluation will be based on a 2h written exam, aimed at assessing theoretical and applied knowledge in the field of social movements studies, communication abilities and autonomy of judgement. Students will be asked to analyse one of the case-studies illustrated in the II part of the book by Tilly et al making use of the theories presented in the Handbook by Della Porta &Diani
The exam will consist of 3 open questions (answer of max 1 page)

The assessment concerns:
- the understanding of the main concepts addressed during the course;
- clarity in writing and presenting case studies and theoretical concepts;
- ability to analyse and critically engage with social and political phenomena addressed during the course.

Students who sign-up as "on-track" will have the opportunity to submit 3 intermediate written essays that will be evaluated during the course. If the get a positive evaluation they will be exempted from the final exam. See moodle for more info.

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The course consists of lectures and seminars in which the main concepts will be introduced and applied to relevant social and political phenomena, also by means of visual documents (ppt presentation, videos, pictures). Students are invited to contribute with critical questions and comments to the classroom discussion.
Attending students will have the opportunity to submit intermediate assignments and make presentations in class based on the readings.