| CODE | PPG2009 | |||||||||
| TITLE | Activism and Social Movements | |||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 02 - Years 2, 3 in Modular Undergraduate Course | |||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 6 | |||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 6 | |||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Policy, Politics and Governance | |||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit explores activism and social movements as dynamic forces in contemporary societies, focusing on their emergence, evolution, and impact within contexts of political strife, mobilization, and advocacy. It introduces students to major classical and contemporary theories of social movements, offering critical insights into the interplay between power, resistance, and civil society organizations. Through comparative analysis, the study unit examines the strategies, tactics, and outcomes of social movements across different political and cultural contexts. Special attention is given to the role of tools like social media to understand the global and local dimensions of activism and collective action. Study-Unit Aims: - To examine key theories and frameworks in the study of activism and social movements, both classical and contemporary; - To critically assess the role of social movements and campaigns in shaping political and social change, focusing on different contexts and historical moments; - To conduct comparative analysis of activism across countries and movements, fostering a deeper understanding of diverse mobilisation strategies, tactics and issues; - To evalaute case studies on activism and social movements, analysing their strategies, successes, and limitations. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Identify and evaluate the principal theories and frameworks of social movements and activism; - Apply theoretical insights to analyse real-world historical and contemporary case studies of activism and political campaigns; - Critically assess the role of media, technology, and cultural contexts in shaping activism. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Research, structure, and write detailed case studies of social movements and campaigns; - Provide informed commentary on the strategies and impact of activism; - Evaluate the effectiveness of different forms of mobilisation and campaigning in achieving political or social objectives; - Use comparative analysis to assess the local and global dimensions of activism and social movements. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - Briguglio, Lino et al. (2023), Handbook of Civil Society and Social Movements in Small States. Routledge.- Della Porta, Donatella and Alice Mattoni (2014), Spreading Protest: Social Movements in Times of Crisis. ECPR Press. - Edwards, Gemma. (2014), Social Movements and Protest. Cambridge University Press. - Johnston, Hank. (2014), What is a social movement. Polity. - Martin, Greg. 2015. Understanding Social Movements. Routledge. Supplementary Readings: - Caygill, Howard (2013). On Resistance: A Philosophy of Defiance. Bloomsbury. - Della Porta, Donatella and Mario Diani (2006), Social Movements: An Introduction. Blackwell. - Enos, R.D. and Hersh, E.D. (2015), "Party Activists as Campaign Advertisers: The Ground Campaign as a Principal-Agent Problem", American Political Science Review, https://scholar.harvard.edu/files/renos/files/enoshershpa.pdf. - Gago, Ver贸nica (2020), Feminist International: How to Change Everything. Verso. - Graeber, David (2009). Direct Action: An Ethnography. AK Press. - Graeber, David (2013). The Democracy Project: A History, a Crisis, a Movement. Spiegel & Grau. - Goswami, M.P. (2018), "Social Media and Hashtag Activism", Liberty Dignity and Change in Journalism, pp.252-262. Kanishka Publisher,. - Giugni, Marco & Maria T. Grasso (2019). Street Citizens: Protest Politics and Social Movement Activism in the Age of Globalization. Cambridge UP. - Holburn, V. (2020), How to Be an Activist: A practical guide to organising, campaigning and making change happen. Robinson. - Kenski, K. and Jamieson, K. H. (eds.) (2019), The Oxford Handbook of Political Communication (Oxford Handbooks), OUP. - Segalov, M. (2018), Resist!: How to Be an Activist in the Age of Defiance, Laurence King Publishing. - Suhay, E. et al. (eds.) (2020), The Oxford Handbook of Electoral Persuasion. Oxford UP. - Valocchi, Stephen (2009). Social Movements and Activism in the USA. Routledge. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture and Seminar | |||||||||
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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