Course Syllabus

Course Information
Course Number/Section SOC 4355
Course Title Social Movements
Term Fall 2006
Days & Times Tuesday 1:00-3:45pm

Professor Contact Information

Professor Melinda D Kane, Ph.D.
Office Phone 972-883-4766
Email Address melinda.kane@utdallas.edu
Office Location GR 2.204
Office Hours M 1:00-2:00 pm, T 11:00 am-noon, and by appt.

Course Pre-requisites, Co-requisites, and/or Other Restrictions

There are no pre-requisites for this course

Course Description
Research on social movements has increased significantly in the last 40 years, starting up after the burst
of protest in the sixties. Conducted primarily by sociologists and to a lesser degree by political scientists,
the goal of this research is to understand social movements generally rather than detailing the specifics of
particular movements, as historians might. Our course will reflect this theoretical focus and concentrate
on four key questions: 1) Why do movements emerge? 2) What motivates people to join movements? 3)
How do movements develop and maintain themselves? 4) What impact, if any, do movements have?

We will address these questions through the study of a wide variety of U.S. social movements including
civil rights, women’s rights, labor, gay rights, pro-life, and religious movements. Because scholars have
paid more attention to social movements on the left, particularly the civil rights movement and the
modern women’s movement, our readings do as well. However, I tried to include several articles on
conservative movements and other less studied movements. Again, we will not focus on the historical
details of each movement, but will instead use these movements to illustrate theories and concepts of
interest to social scientists.

Student Learning Objectives/Outcomes

Learning Objectives Measures of Achievement

By the end of the semester, students in SOC 4355 should be

able to:
*describe the ways in which disadvantaged groups (i.e., *In-class quizzes; film analysis;
women, ethnic minorities, gays and lesbians, and the poor essay and short answer exam
and working class) have challenged inequality questions; class discussion
* explain and evaluate the key theories and concepts in the *In-class quizzes; essay and short
social movement literature answer exam questions; class
discussion
*analyze the conditions under which grass roots *Film analysis; essay and short
mobilization is able to alter social structures and answer exam questions; class
institutions discussion;
*illustrate a theoretical concept through a research paper on *A 4-5 page research paper
a social movement of your choice

Course Syllabus Page 1

Required Textbooks and Materials
Required Texts
There are three sets of required readings for this course: a book, a course packet, and a series of articles
available on Electronic Reserve. (I put articles available electronically on Electronic Reserve, rather than
in the course packet, to keep the packet price as low as possible.) The required book and course packet are
available for purchase at both the university bookstore and at Off Campus Books (581 West Campbell
Road, Suite 101) (If a store is out of course packets, please ask a sales associate—they will make more.)

McAdam, Doug. 1988. Freedom Summer. New York: Oxford University Press.

Course packet

Readings on Electronic Reserve

The book and most of the course packet readings are also available at the university library. FYI: some of
the course packet readings are book chapters. To locate those, you will need both the chapter and book
titles, which can be found in the course schedule below.

Assignments & Academic Calendar

Assignments
QUIZZES: Class attendance and participation are extremely important. Absences not only cause you to
miss the material presented and discussed in class, but also cause the entire class to miss out on your
contribution. Students also do better in my courses if they attend regularly. To encourage regular
attendance and participation, small quizzes will be given every week. I will not announce the exact time
that the quiz will be given in each class session; it will be a “surprise.” A total of twelve quizzes will be
given and each student's two lowest scores will be dropped for a total of ten quiz grades. [There are
actually fourteen weeks during the semester. We end up with a total of 12 quizzes because there will not
be a quiz on the first day of class and we will skip another week sometime during the semester.] Since
two quizzes will be dropped, quizzes will not be distributed to students who arrive after the quiz has
been collected and no make-ups will be given, no matter why the quiz was missed. In addition, quizzes
will not be counted for students who leave anytime after taking the quiz. The quizzes will be simple
questions based on the readings due that day. (See the course schedule below for the daily reading
assignments.) If a student has carefully read and thought about the assignments for that day, s/he will
have no difficulty answering the questions.

EXAMS: Two examinations will be given during the semester (see dates below). Both exams will cover
class material and assigned readings (including reading material that is not explicitly discussed in class).
The first exam will cover the course material from August 22nd through October 3rd. The final exam is
cumulative and will include the material after October 10th and anything else covered in the course.
Both exams will be a combination short answer and essay questions. To help you prepare for the exam, I
will distribute a list of potential questions about a week ahead of time. The in-class exam will be a sub-
set of questions drawn directly from that list. Please bring two blue books to class by September 12th.

SHORT PAPER: Finally, each student will write a 4-5 page research paper on a social movement of
his/her choice. [See the attached guidelines at the end of the syllabus for more information about the
paper assignment.]

Course Syllabus Page 2

Calendar
[“ER” refers to journal articles available on electronic reserve; “McAdam” refers to
Freedom Summer, and “Course Packet” refers to readings available in the course packet.]

Date Topic Reading

Aug 22 Introduction to the Video: Mean Things Happening
Course &
What is a Social
Movement?
WHY DO MOVEMENTS EMERGE?
Strain Theory & ER:
Aug 29 Workshop Day: Useem, Disorganization and the New Mexico Prison Riot of 1980,
How to Read and (skip page 678 & most of 679; start again with sentence “The data
Analyze an Academic on the New Mexico Prison riot are drawn…)”
Article Total pages: 10
Course Packet:
Sept 5 Resource McAdam, Institution Building in the African American Community,
Mobilization 1931-1954, in Political Process and the Development of Black
Insurgency, pp 94-106
ER:
Morris, Black Southern Sit-In Movement, 24 pages
Video: Ain’t Scared of Your Jails
Total pages: 37
Course Packet:
Sept 12 Political Process/ Costain, The Opening of Political Opportunity for Women, in Inviting
Political Opportunity Women’s Rebellion, pp 26-43
Jenkins & Perrow, Farmworkers’ Movements in Changing Political
Contexts, in The Social Movements Reader: Cases and Concepts,
pp 268-282
Total Pages: 33
WHAT MOTIVATES INDIVIDUALS TO
PARTICIPATE IN MOVEMENTS?
Sept 19 The Case of 60s McAdam: Chps 1 & 2
Activism & A Total Pages: 55
Workshop Day: Getting
Started on Your Paper ****Paper Topic and One Reference Due****
Course Packet:
Sept 26 Frames Haines, Reframing the Death Penalty, pp 83-96
ER:
Reese & Newcombe, Income Rights, Mothers’ Rights, or Workers’
Rights? 25 pages
Total Pages: 39

Course Syllabus Page 3

 Course Packet:
Oct 3 Threat & Commitment Luker, Emergence of the Pro-Life Movement, in Abortion & the
& Politics of Motherhood, pp 126-157
Workshop Day:
Writing Good Exam
ER:
Hirsch, Sacrifice for the Cause, 12 pages
Answers
Total Pages: 44
Oct 10 ***********First Exam************
HOW DO MOVEMENTS DEVELOP AND
MAINTAIN THEMSELEVS?
ER:
Oct 17 Tactical Innovation McAdam, Tactical Innovation and the Pace of Insurgency, 20 pages
Course Packet:
Johnson, The Strategic Determinants of a Countermovement, in Waves
of Protest, pp 241-265
Total Pages: 45
**********Paper Description Due**********
Course Packet:
Oct 24 Tactical Choices & Gamson, The Success of the Unruly, Chp 6 in The Strategy of Social
Media Portrayal Protest, pp 72-88
Molotch, Media & Movements, in The Dynamics of Social
Movements, pp 71-93
Video: A Days Work, A Days Pay
Total Pages: 39
ER:
Oct 31 Opposition Jasper & Poulsen, Fighting Back, 18 pages
Fetner, Working Anita Bryant, 18 pages
Total Pages: 36
ER:
Nov 7 Cooptation/Repression Morgen, The Dynamics of Cooptation in a Feminist Health Clinic, 10
& Decline pages
Bates, The Decline of a New Christian Right Social Movement
Organization, 22 pages
Total Pages: 32
WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES OF
SOCIAL MOVEMENTS?
ER:
Nov 14 Policy Success McCammon et al., How Movements Win: Gendered Opportunity
Structures and U.S. Women’s Suffrage Movements, 1866-1919, 22
pages
Video: segment from Iron Jawed Angels
Total Pages: 22
***************Paper Due*****************

Course Syllabus Page 4

 Individual McAdam: Chps 4-6
Nov 21 Consequences, Cultural
Change, and Influence
Video: Mississippi: Ain’t this America?
on Other Movements Total Pages: xx
Tuesday
Nov 28
1:00-3:45 ****************Final Exam **************

Grading Policy
Student Evaluation
Semester grades will be based on the student's performance on:

Quizzes (1.5% each) 15%

Two exams (30% each) 60%
Paper assignments 25%
Total 100%

Calculating Semester Grades

To calculate your semester grade, just multiply each grade you earned during the semester by the weight
given to that particular assignment and add those weighted scores together. For example, if a student has
a quiz average of 82, earns a 79 on the first exam, a 90 on the cumulative final, and an 85 on the paper,
her course grade would be calculated like this:

Quizzes 82 * .15 = 12.30

Exam one 79 * .30 = 23.70
Final 90 * .30 = 27.00
Paper 85 * .25 = 21.25
Course Grade = 84.25 B

Grading Scale:

The grading scale for the course is as follows:

A= 93-100% = 4.0 B- = 80-82% = 2.67 D+ = 67-69% = 1.33

A- = 90-92% = 3.67 C+ = 77-79% = 2.33 D= 63-66% = 1.0
B+ = 87-89% = 3.33 C= 73-76% = 2.0 D- = 60-62% = 0.67
B= 83-86% = 3.0 C- = 70-72% = 1.67 F= 59% or less = 0.0

Important Dates:
Paper topic and two references due September 19th
Exam 1 October 10th
Paper description due October 17th
Paper due November 14th
Final exam November 28th

Course Syllabus Page 5

Course Policies
Course Organization
As an upper division course, I plan to organize the class more like a seminar so that each class session is a
combination of both lecture and discussion. My ability to incorporate discussion, as well as my ability to
make the class period interesting and relevant to your lives, is largely based upon your level of
preparation and the degree to which you are willing to participate in class. Therefore, I expect students to
come to each class having carefully read and thought about the material assigned for that day and ready
to participate.

I have found over the years that students can be hesitant to ask questions or to request that I repeat
material. My goal, however, is to be as clear as possible so each of you has the opportunity to learn the
course material. Therefore, one of your responsibilities as a student in this class is to ask questions and
to let me know if we are going too fast.

Make-up exams
My policy is not to give make-up exams; however, on rare occasions circumstances can arise that prevent
students from taking the exam at the assigned time. If you believe you have a valid reason to reschedule
the exam, you must contact me in person or by phone as soon as you know about the conflict and at
least 24 hours in advance of the scheduled exam. In the extreme cases warranting a make-up, the
rescheduled exam time and conditions will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

Requests for make-ups after the exam has been given will almost certainly be refused. However, if you
believe you have a valid reason to contact me after the exam, you must contact me as soon as physically
possible (for example, immediately after you have called the tow truck or immediately after waking from
the coma). Requests after the exam has been given will only be granted with written documentation and
will receive a late penalty, regardless of the excuse.

Extra Credit
There will be no extra credit work available.

Late Work
Late papers will be accepted, but they will be docked half a letter grade for each date late, including
weekend days. For example, after one day late, a 95% would be dropped to a 90, after two days late it
would be dropped to an 85, and so on. Papers are considered late if they are turned in after class has met
that day.

Class Attendance
As mentioned above, rather than grading attendance, weekly quizzes will be used to encourage attendance
and participation.

Classroom Citizenship
Tardiness and leaving early are very disruptive to the class. Class will start on time, so please make sure
you are present at 1:00 pm. Also, let me know at the beginning of class if you absolutely must leave early
and make sure your exit distracts others as little as possible. Also, please remember to turn off your
pagers and cell phones when you enter class.

Finally, this course covers sensitive topics; therefore, we must always make sure to respect one another.
Disagreements are allowed and expected, but should focus on ideas rather than the individuals that
express them. Signs of disrespect that will not be tolerated include, but are not limited to, making
derogatory comments about others and/or their ideas, having background conversations when others are
talking, packing up early when others are still talking or asking questions.

Course Syllabus Page 6

Student Conduct & Discipline

The University of Texas System and The University of Texas at Dallas have rules and regulations for the
orderly and efficient conduct of their business. It is the responsibility of each student and each student
organization to be knowledgeable about the rules and regulations which govern student conduct and
activities. General information on student conduct and discipline is contained in the UTD publication, A to
Z Guide, which is provided to all registered students each academic year.

The University of Texas at Dallas administers student discipline within the procedures of recognized and
established due process. Procedures are defined and described in the Rules and Regulations, Board of
Regents, The University of Texas System, Part 1, Chapter VI, Section 3, and in Title V, Rules on Student
Services and Activities of the university’s Handbook of Operating Procedures. Copies of these rules and
regulations are available to students in the Office of the Dean of Students, where staff members are
available to assist students in interpreting the rules and regulations (SU 1.602, 972/883-6391).

A student at the university neither loses the rights nor escapes the responsibilities of citizenship. He or she
is expected to obey federal, state, and local laws as well as the Regents’ Rules, university regulations, and
administrative rules. Students are subject to discipline for violating the standards of conduct whether such
conduct takes place on or off campus, or whether civil or criminal penalties are also imposed for such
conduct.

Academic Integrity

The faculty expects from its students a high level of responsibility and academic honesty. Because the
value of an academic degree depends upon the absolute integrity of the work done by the student for that
degree, it is imperative that a student demonstrate a high standard of individual honor in his or her
scholastic work.

Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, statements, acts or omissions related to applications for
enrollment or the award of a degree, and/or the submission as one’s own work or material that is not one’s
own. As a general rule, scholastic dishonesty involves one of the following acts: cheating, plagiarism,
collusion and/or falsifying academic records. Students suspected of academic dishonesty are subject to
disciplinary proceedings.

Plagiarism, especially from the web, from portions of papers for other classes, and from any other source is
unacceptable and will be dealt with under the university’s policy on plagiarism (see general catalog for
details). This course will use the resources of turnitin.com, which searches the web for possible plagiarism
and is over 90% effective.

Email Use

The University of Texas at Dallas recognizes the value and efficiency of communication between
faculty/staff and students through electronic mail. At the same time, email raises some issues concerning
security and the identity of each individual in an email exchange. The university encourages all official
student email correspondence be sent only to a student’s U.T. Dallas email address and that faculty and
staff consider email from students official only if it originates from a UTD student account. This allows the
university to maintain a high degree of confidence in the identity of all individual corresponding and the
security of the transmitted information. UTD furnishes each student with a free email account that is to be
used in all communication with university personnel. The Department of Information Resources at U.T.
Dallas provides a method for students to have their U.T. Dallas mail forwarded to other accounts.

Course Syllabus Page 7

Withdrawal from Class

The administration of this institution has set deadlines for withdrawal of any college-level courses. These
dates and times are published in that semester's course catalog. Administration procedures must be
followed. It is the student's responsibility to handle withdrawal requirements from any class. In other
words, I cannot drop or withdraw any student. You must do the proper paperwork to ensure that you will
not receive a final grade of "F" in a course if you choose not to attend the class once you are enrolled.

Student Grievance Procedures

Procedures for student grievances are found in Title V, Rules on Student Services and Activities, of the
university’s Handbook of Operating Procedures.

In attempting to resolve any student grievance regarding grades, evaluations, or other fulfillments of
academic responsibility, it is the obligation of the student first to make a serious effort to resolve the matter
with the instructor, supervisor, administrator, or committee with whom the grievance originates (hereafter
called “the respondent”). Individual faculty members retain primary responsibility for assigning grades and
evaluations. If the matter cannot be resolved at that level, the grievance must be submitted in writing to the
respondent with a copy of the respondent’s School Dean. If the matter is not resolved by the written
response provided by the respondent, the student may submit a written appeal to the School Dean. If the
grievance is not resolved by the School Dean’s decision, the student may make a written appeal to the Dean
of Graduate or Undergraduate Education, and the deal will appoint and convene an Academic Appeals
Panel. The decision of the Academic Appeals Panel is final. The results of the academic appeals process
will be distributed to all involved parties.

Copies of these rules and regulations are available to students in the Office of the Dean of Students, where
staff members are available to assist students in interpreting the rules and regulations.

Incomplete Grade Policy

As per university policy, incomplete grades will be granted only for work unavoidably missed at the
semester’s end and only if 70% of the course work has been completed. An incomplete grade must be
resolved within eight (8) weeks from the first day of the subsequent long semester. If the required work to
complete the course and to remove the incomplete grade is not submitted by the specified deadline, the
incomplete grade is changed automatically to a grade of F.

Disability Services

The goal of Disability Services is to provide students with disabilities educational opportunities equal to
those of their non-disabled peers. Disability Services is located in room 1.610 in the Student Union. Office
hours are Monday and Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Tuesday and Wednesday, 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.;
and Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The contact information for the Office of Disability Services is:

The University of Texas at Dallas, SU 22
PO Box 830688
Richardson, Texas 75083-0688
(972) 883-2098 (voice or TTY)

Essentially, the law requires that colleges and universities make those reasonable adjustments necessary to
eliminate discrimination on the basis of disability. For example, it may be necessary to remove classroom
prohibitions against tape recorders or animals (in the case of dog guides) for students who are blind.
Occasionally an assignment requirement may be substituted (for example, a research paper versus an oral
presentation for a student who is hearing impaired). Classes enrolled students with mobility impairments
may have to be rescheduled in accessible facilities. The college or university may need to provide special
services such as registration, note-taking, or mobility assistance.

Course Syllabus Page 8

 It is the student’s responsibility to notify his or her professors of the need for such an accommodation.
Disability Services provides students with letters to present to faculty members to verify that the student
has a disability and needs accommodations. Individuals requiring special accommodation should contact
the professor after class or during office hours.

Religious Holy Days

The University of Texas at Dallas will excuse a student from class or other required activities for the travel
to and observance of a religious holy day for a religion whose places of worship are exempt from property
tax under Section 11.20, Tax Code, Texas Code Annotated.

The student is encouraged to notify the instructor or activity sponsor as soon as possible regarding the
absence, preferably in advance of the assignment. The student, so excused, will be allowed to take the
exam or complete the assignment within a reasonable time after the absence: a period equal to the length of
the absence, up to a maximum of one week. A student who notifies the instructor and completes any missed
exam or assignment may not be penalized for the absence. A student who fails to complete the exam or
assignment within the prescribed period may receive a failing grade for that exam or assignment.

If a student or an instructor disagrees about the nature of the absence [i.e., for the purpose of observing a
religious holy day] or if there is similar disagreement about whether the student has been given a
reasonable time to complete any missed assignments or examinations, either the student or the instructor
may request a ruling from the chief executive officer of the institution, or his or her designee. The chief
executive officer or designee must take into account the legislative intent of TEC 51.911(b), and the student
and instructor will abide by the decision of the chief executive officer or designee.

Off-Campus Instruction and Course Activities

Off-campus, out-of-state, and foreign instruction and activities are subject to state law and University
policies and procedures regarding travel and risk-related activities. Information regarding these rules and
regulations may be found at the website address given below. Additional information is available from the
office of the school dean. (http://www.utdallas.edu/Business Affairs/Travel_Risk_Activities.htm)

These descriptions and timelines are subject to change at the discretion of the Professor.

Course Syllabus Page 9

 Course Paper Guidelines

Each student will write a 4-5 page paper on a social movement of his/her choice. Any social movement is
acceptable as long as it clearly fits the definition of a social movement. (Please check with me if you
have questions about the acceptability of your particular movement.) You will not be writing a
description or history of the movement. Instead, you will use your movement to explore a topic of
theoretical interest to social movement scholars (i.e., movement emergence, the role of the media,
opposition, frames, emotions, outcomes). For example, if you want to write a paper on the anti-
globalization movement, you must select a specific issue, like movement strategies, and then focus the
paper on the strategies used by the anti-globalization movement.

Your paper must rely upon at least two academic sources, either books or journal articles, which have not
been used in the course. An academic source is written by scholars, rather than journalists, activists, or
social movement organizations. Clues that a source is academic include being published by a university
press, being written by authors affiliated with universities or research centers, or being from a peer
reviewed journal. You may use non-academic sources in addition to, but not in place of, the two
academic sources.

During the semester, you will hand in two smaller assignments to get you started on the paper. On
September 19th, you need to bring to class a short, typed description of your paper (no more than a
paragraph) and one academic reference that you plan to use. Your description must include the social
movement you have decided to study and the theoretical topic on which you will focus. Also, please
bring a copy of the actual reference—either the article or book—to class that day. On October 17th, you
need to turn in a revised, page-long version of your paper with both academic references cited. Both
smaller assignments are mandatory and will contribute to your final paper grade. Please type them.

Evaluation & Format

The final paper should be 4-5 pages (not including the reference page), typed, double-spaced, with one
inch margins, and 10-12 point font. This format is required, not optional. I will stop reading the paper
after 5 pages, and I will dock points for other formatting violations. I do not do this to be “mean,” but to
create papers that are comparable so I can be consistent across students and papers.

You will be graded on writing quality as well as content. Write simply and clearly. Use correct
spelling and grammar. Organize your argument. Your discussion will be clearer to you and to me if you
write from a well-organized outline and edit your paper.

As mentioned above, plagiarism will not be tolerated and you are required to cite any ideas that are not
your own. A correct citation requires you to cite the source within the text and to include a reference
page with the full citation. If you put another author’s idea into your own words, you need to include the
author’s last name and the date the article was published (e.g., McAdam 1988). If you use the author’s
exact words, those words need to be put in quotation marks and you need to provide the author’s last
name, the date of the article, and the page number (e.g., McAdam 1998: 35). Any format is acceptable
for your reference page—just be consistent.

We will discuss the paper assignment further throughout the semester.

Course Syllabus Page 10