PIR-30128 - Module Specification
School of Social, Political and Global Studies
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Programme/Approved Electives for 2023/24

Available as a Free Standing Elective

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

N/A

Barred Combinations

N/A

Description for 2023/24

This module is about social movements and their role as vehicles of political protest and political and social change. Social movements are a universal phenomenon in modern societies and they have provoked controversy because they are generally critical of important features of the political or social system. Their critics might see them as extremists or hopelessly utopian while their supporters see in them the hope of more democracy or a better kind of society. The academic analysis of social movements does not escape these controversies, so one task that we will face in assessing different approaches to the study of social movements will be to disentangle the different views of the social world that underlie conflicting theories of protest and social movements.
You will be expected to be able to comment on the strengths and weaknesses of explanatory theories of social movements, to place movements in a wider context and to assess the power relations and social forces that shape the political environment of social movements. The cases that we examine include: recent protests in Britain and other Western countries and protests within authoritarian regimes. The themes that we cover include the place of protest in democracy, the justifiability of breaking the law in protests, perspectives on why people protest, the kinds of protest action that social movement groups choose to pursue, the influence of the state and policing on protest, how radical activists organise and create alternative communities, and the different theoretical approaches to social movements.

To introduce students to the main debates on the origins and significance of social movements and radical forms of political protest.

Intended Learning Outcomes

demonstrate a detailed knowledge of debates and theories at the forefront of the current study of social movements and protest: 1,2
demonstrate a specialised knowledge of the key characteristics and events of a particular protest or social movement: 1,2
apply theoretical concepts about protest and social movements to more than one case: 1,2
engage effectively in debate and respond to questions: 1,2
compare and contrast the strengths and weaknesses of varying perspectives on social movements and protest with a view to assessing their explanatory potential: 1,2

Study hours

20 hours contact time in ten two-hour seminars
40 hours seminar preparation
10 hours preparation for oral examination
40 hours research and writing of essay
40 hours research and preparation for examination

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment