Summer A Term Pol S Evening Course Open to All Students - POL S 447

Are you are looking for a summer course that meets late in the day? Enroll in Pol S 447, a comparative politics seminar on Resistance Movements and Social Change.
This A Term course meets M-Th from 440-710pm in SAV 155. The SLN is 14318.

Here is the course description:
In this seminar, we will consider how resistance movements around the world contest, challenge and change hierarchical power relationships.  In contrast to other forms of political activity, for example, those that aim to build consensus, resistance movements are contentious.  Furthermore, resistance movements exhibit "bottom-up" modes of political mobilization, as opposed to "top-down" modes that involve political elites.  While learning about the conditions which are more conducive for mobilization and social change, we will also consider structures that limit the possibilities of contention.  Special attention will be given to different forms of power that shape, limit and enable contentious politics, including discursive, legal, and economic power.  Students will learn to think critically about different forms of political contention around the world in issues such as labor, gender, race/ethnicity, right to the city, and environment. In addition to theoretical discussions, comparative theoretical analysis will be emphasized by examining case studies beyond the U.S., such as the Arab Spring, the Gezi Protests in Turkey, landless peasant movements and worker mobilizations in Latin America.

Students will be asked to write weekly short papers (80%) and regularly participate in class discussions (20%).