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Syllabus Group Work 480 : Social Movements : Group Work This work also serves as the basis for the individual paper, with bibliography, that each student will turn in. Preferred Group Size: 3 people Reasoning: Trying to negotiate four people’s schedules is insane. Each student will work with a couple of other students to research a social movement. You will each take a specific facet(s) of the social movement and explore it in depth; this will allow you to explore these facets more deeply than if each student tried to investigate a social movement alone. When it comes to the presentation, each person will present on the topics they have researched. However, while it is divided up this way so that each person can be as responsible for their specific section as they chose, as a group you will still need to present a cohesive presentation. That is, you’ll have to come up a group outline and structure so that that presentation flows. You will have to communicate with each other regularly, etc. Topics that will need to be covered for each movement include: • History/Time line of the movement • Resources created and used (organizations, funding, etc.) • What are the different organizations that exist? When did they develop? Are they still around? What was their aim(s)? • Collective Frames developed • How did the different branches of the movement frame "the problem" and "identities" for those who participated in the movement? • Practices of Resistance (what Tarrow calls "repetoires") • What are the main actions/activities that groups engage(d) in? • State responses to movement • How does the state affect the structure of the movement? How has the state/officials responded to the movement? • Successes/Failures Has the social movement "succeeded" in some ways? Has it "failed"? Notice that to answer this a question you are going to have to think about what constitutes success and failure. So, you will notice that I have presented six things that 3 people should cover, that means each person picks two of these and investigates it. We are choosing groups on February 5th, by February 15th (at the latest) you will need to turn in an outline or list of who is doing which part of the group’s chosen movement. This will allow the group to get on with their work as soon as possible. DO NOT FORGET TO TURN THIS LIST IN TO ME! The Presentation The group should think of the presentation as an opportunity to teach your classmates about the social movement you have studied. Each group member must present on the information that they researched. If one of your group members does not live up to their part of the bargain, that will be evident in the presentation – please do not take over someone else’s research; let people be responsible for their own part. To create a successful presentation, think of what helps you as a learner – visuals? Small group work? Images? Don’t think all you need to do is the traditional "talking-heads" version of presentations. You might want to give out handouts (I think it’s often useful), you could use a short clip from a video, etc. The day of the presentation you must turn in to me a group outline – not three individual outlines – but one, cohesive, group outline that indicates the breadth of what’s being covered and who is covering what. I recommend that you connect with me at least a week before your presentation with such an outline so I can give you feedback. Participating in your group project will account for 10% of your grade. Each participant will evaluate the group’s work, and you will be evaluated on the presentation that the group and individual’s give. If you are having difficulty with the group process, that is, someone is particularly difficult to connect with, or there are some interpersonal issues, please work with me. I can be an useful resource in helping the group work most smoothly. I know that for some people making appointments outside of class is difficult; I will try and set up some time for groups to work together in class. However, this is a four-unit class and therefore outside work is legitimately expected, so please do be attentive to doing this work. Resources Each person should use a minimum of three scholarly resources – that’s a minimum. Scholarly sources are NOT internet sites, encyclopedias, introductory text books, or popular magazines. They are articles or books written and reviewed by academics – many of which are former activists. You may also use additional sources of information such as other scholarly writing, internet sites (which should be reviewed for legitimacy – see attached handout), articles, biographies and autobiographies, newspaper stories, etc. So, as a group you will be using a minimum of nine resources. You may share resources; that is, some books or other sources of information may contain info on a number of these different topics – this is appropriate to share with each other, but strive for as many sources as possible. You may find that sources contradict each other in what they say happened – this is fodder for your report. Why might these authors/groups have different interpretations of what occurred, or the import of what occurred? The Paper The paper is worth 20% of your grade. It is, clearly, an important component of what you do in here. The paper is a way for you to communicate the information you found out about the social movement you explored. However, it is not merely a "report." You should be using your analytical mind, and the terms/ideas you’ve learned in this course, as you write this paper. You can spend 1 page or so setting the stage for the pieces of the movement you explored (that is, providing the years, major organizations, etc. – that is, information that others may have done the primary research on, but which you know about because you need to in order to understand your topic). The rest of the paper should explore the topics you explored and demonstrate how you understand, and interpret, what you’ve investigated. Use the ideas from the various theorists in class (and elsewhere) to make sense of, or critique, the aspects of the movement you were responsible for. The paper will be no fewer than 10 pages and no longer than 20 pages. While it seems for some that 10 pages might be long – if you do the work asked of you, you will have ten pages worth of stuff to write. The point is not to babble, but to say, as concisely as possible, what you have learned, what is important about it, and how it relates to the class material. The type should be 12 point, with double spacing and one inch margins. Each paper should be accompanied by a complete bibliography. . If you do not know how to cite books appropriately, please see your librarian and/or look at the reference format in the back of the academic books you are currently reading. Whatever "official" format you choose, please be consistent throughout your paper. If you are having problems, SEE ME BEFORE YOUR PAPER IS DUE. |
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