In this course we will develop a framework for thinking about social movements, political ideologies and political power in the U.S.A.  A broad reading of social and political movements will serve as a foundation for a more careful study of coalitions in left-wing social movements. In the first section of the class, we will study the broad range of political movements, ideologies and practices that stretch from the left to the right on the American political spectrum. We will then concentrate on the conditions that both help and hinder alliance formation between labor and progressive social movements, including the civil, feminist, environmental and peace movements.  The course will conclude with our assessment of the political opportunities facing an emerging movement for global economic justice.

• Garner, Roberta. 1996.  Contemporary Movements and Ideologies.  New York: McGraw-Hill.
• Rose, Fred. 2000. Coalitions Across the Class Divide: Lessons from the Labor, Peace, and Environmental Movements. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.
• Levy, Peter. 1994. The New Left and Labor in the 1960s.  Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press.
• Course Web Readings.

The amount of reading in this course is moderately heavy and I would like you to keep pace. My lectures will stay close to the reading, making it much easier for you to identify key concepts and problems.  In addition, most of the course time will consist of a mixture of lecture and discussion.  For this reason, I consider participation a crucial measure of your involvement in the course.  Participation/ attendance will be worth 40% of your total grade. I will consider 1 absence a freebie, but after that 2% will be subtracted from your course grade for each absence.  Next, a midterm exam will account for 30% of your total grade.  The exam will be given in the middle of the third week of the term.  Lastly, I would like for you to complete a final course project that deals with the topic of coalition building between labor and progressive social movements.  This may look like a final research paper, a journal documenting your understanding of the readings, a study of contemporary alliances against free trade, etc.  This project is worth 30% of your total grade.

If you find that this does not meet your needs for this class and would like your grade to reflect some other course-related work, please present your strategy to me no later than the 4th day of class.
 

I)  Introduction to Social Movements: Motors of Social Power, Conflict and Change.
A) WEEK 1:  Chs. 1-7 of Contemporary Movements.

II)  Struggles of the Moderns

A) WEEK 2:  Liberals, Conservatives and the Edge
· Ch. 9-13  of Contemporary Movements.
· Web Readings

B) WEEK 3:  Class, Capitalism, and Socialism: The Problems and Possibilities
· Nichols, “Teamsters, Not Turtles,” from In These Times.
· Ch. 8 of Contemporary Movements.
· Rose, Coalitions Across the Class Divide, Part I, p. 1-32.

Midterm Exam

· Levy, The New Left and Labor, the whole book.
· Web Readings

C) WEEK 4: Globalization, Alliance-building and Movement Dynamics, What did we learn?
· Rose, Coalitions Across the Class Divide, Finish the book.
· Ch. 14 of Contemporary Movements.
· Web Readings

Final Project Due Friday July 20