The sociological field of collective behavior/social movements is large and diverse. Debates have continued for decades about whether a field covering such a wide range of topics should actually be considered two fields instead of one. Collective behavior is behavior in which the usual social conventions and norms no longer guide social action and people bypass established institutional patterns to form new norms spontaneously. Collective behavior refers to the actions of groups, not of individuals. Collective behavior analysts typically examine behavior ranging from fads and rumors to crowd behavior, panics, and disasters. Social movement behavior refers to behaviors associated with somewhat formal organizations established to achieve a goal that members deem important. Those who examine social movements study movements dealing with personal transformation, such as the Hare Krishnas, and with social change, such as the civil rights and the women's movements.
Instead of trying to cover the diversity of the collective behavior/social movements field (which could only be done superficially in one semester), I selectively narrow the coverage in exchange for depth of understanding. Consequently, this course in collective behavior/social movements provides an introduction to the field of collective behavior before beginning a more detailed and complex examination of the field of social movements. The selection factor I use for narrowing the coverage is social change. That is, we will study collective behavior and social movements as they relate to large-scale social change. Thus, we will focus on those collective behaviors that occur within the parameters of social movement activities geared toward social change, at either the local community level or the national level.
Required Materials
The three paperback books listed below are available at local bookstores. Three copies of the five required readings have been placed on reserve at the library under this course listing. You will be permitted to copy them if you choose. It would be prudent to begin copying the articles now so as to avoid the exam-time crunch.
Final course grades will be determined on the basis of your performances on two examinations, four In-Class Writings, and a group presentation.
The examinations will consist of multiple-choice questions requiring you to integrate course materials. Each exam is worth 50 points. The second exam is not comprehensive.
The four In-Class Writings (ICW) are brief, unannounced essay quizzes, each worth 10 points. For each ICW, you will be provided with a question or topic from the lectures and asked to write an essay in about twenty minutes. There will be no make-ups for the ICWs.
For the group presentation, you will work in groups of five to prepare a 15 minute oral presentation on a social movement covered in the assigned book by Goldberg, Grassroots Resistance: Social Movements in Twentieth Century America. All group members must take part in the presentation. The group presentation is worth 20 points. A more detailed description of the group presentation is attached to this syllabus.
Total possible points for the course sum to 160. Final grades will be assigned according to the normal scale: those with 90 percent of the total points will receive an A, 80 percent B, etc. There will be no grade curving and no extra-credit opportunities. If you are on the borderline when I calculate final grades, I will look for a reason to bump you to the higher grade -- for example, good attendance, decent participation in class (i.e., not BS), improvement in work performance over the semester. If at any point in the semester you feel that you're in trouble, please talk with me. If you cannot meet during my scheduled office hours, see me in class to arrange an appointment. I want to be available to you, and I'll accommodate your schedule as much as I can.
We aim for the following course objectives. Please note your progress on each one throughout the semester: it will make you feel good to realize that you're learning.
PART I: COLLECTIVE BEHAVIOR
Jan. 15 to Feb. 3
Readings:
Reserve Room Reading #1, from Ralph H. Turner and Lewis M.
Killian's Collective Behavior, 3rd edition, Englewood Cliffs, NJ:
Prentice-Hall, 1987; pp.1-219.
Reserve Room Reading #2,
Lecture Topics:
What is collective behavior?
Collective behavior processes
Fads
Disasters
ca.1/29 ICW#1
PART II: SOCIAL CHANGE
Feb. 3-17
Readings:
None.
Lecture Topics:
What is social change?
Social change via autonomous trends, demographic shifts,
intentional planned changes by officials, the diffusion of
innovation, and social movements
Contemporary sociological theory and social change
Social change, power, and social control
Social change and social movements
ca.2/17 ICW#2
PART III: SOCIAL MOVEMENTS
Feb. 19-24
OVERVIEW OF SOCIAL MOVEMENTS
Feb. 26 to Mar. 3
REVOLUTIONS
Readings:
Reserve Room Reading #3, from Jack A. Goldstone's
Revolutions: Theoretical, Comparative, and Historical Studies,
NY: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1986, pp. 139-159 on the
Nicaraguan revolution.
Lecture Topic:
Revolutions
Mar. 3 EXAM #1
Mar. 5-19
NATIONAL MOVEMENTS
Readings:
Doug McAdam's Political Process and the Development of Black
Insurgency, 1930-1970, Chicago: University of Chicago Press,
1982.
Lecture Topics:
National movements
The environmental movement
The civil rights movement
Mar. 24-26 SPRING BREAK
Mar. 31-Apr.14
GRASSROOTS MOVEMENTS
Readings:
Robert A. Goldberg's Grassroots Resistance, Belmont, CA:
Wadsworth, 1991.
Lecture Topics:
Grassroots movements
4/9 & 4/14 GROUP PRESENTATIONS
Apr. 16-21
Readings:
Walsh, Warland, and Smith's Don't Burn It Here.
ca.4/21 ICW#3
Apr.23-28
Readings:
Reserve Room Reading #4
Reserve Room Reading #5
ca.4/29 ICW#4
Lecture Topics:
Community power and the power of community
Power and democracy
Free spaces
Environmental justice
SOCIOLOGY 345
Collective Behavior and Social Movements
Group Presentation
(20 points)
For the Group Presentation, you will be assigned to work with four other students on a chapter from the book, Robert A. Goldberg's Grassroots Resistance: Social Movements in Twentieth Century America. The chapters cover important grassroots movements in the U.S. that were active in this century. Group members will meet on their own schedules outside of class to prepare an oral presentation to the class on their assigned movement. All members must take some part in the oral presentation. The presentation should take about 15 minutes. I will schedule the group presentation. Please provide me with a typed outline of your presentation prior to the class period in which you present. The Group Presentation is worth 20 points.
Specific Tasks