SOC 4200 Social Movements
SOC 4200 Social Movements
Purpose: to help other instructors teaching the same course
Common Course ID: SOC 4200 Social Movements
CSU Instructor Open Textbook Adoption Portrait
Abstract: This open textbook is being utilized in a Sociology course for undergraduates by Rosario Rizzo Lara at California State University San Bernardino. The open textbook provides an excellent summary of the most relevant topics in an introductory class to social movements. I have also added a lot of articles related to case studies to supplement the textbook. I chose this book because it is recent, it covers relevant material on social movements, and the language is accessible. Additionally, the book was affordable. Most students access the open textbook in PDF or e-book format, and it is available through the library.
SOC 4200 Social Movements
Brief Description of course highlights: SOC 4200. Social Movements. Units: 3
Social movements shape our society by challenging (unjust) systems of authority, organizing collective action, and creating lasting structural change. Throughout history, societies have come together to fight oppressive systems that have created inequalities and some of the major societal advances have been the result of social movements. The movements have been related to class, labor, race, environment, gender, among others.
In this class, we will examine sociological concepts and theories that will provide an understanding of major historical and contemporary social movements. We will explore the elements or axes of social movements, the strategies and tactics social actors deploy to make their demands heard, the necessary elements for social movements to occur, the framing used to convey claims and demands, and the outcomes of social movements. We will discuss historical and contemporary social movements related to race, class, gender, immigration, and more.
Through the work you complete in this class, including class participation, facilitation, research projects and presentations, you will gain experience analyzing formal past and present organizations and established social movements, allowing you to draw direct connections between sociological social movement concepts and the work being done on the ground by such organizations.
Description on course catalog: Quarter Prerequisite: SOC 100. Study of collective behavior and social movements. Covers historical and contemporary cases to examine theories of the emergence and mobilization of social movements and the culture and consequences of them. Formerly offered as SOC 420. https://catalog.csusb.edu/colleges-schools-departments/social-behavioral-sciences/sociology/sociology-ba
Student Population: This is an upper division course. Most of the students that take this course are Sociology Majors. Also, they are either juniors or seniors. This semester, I also had a graduate student.
Learning or student outcomes:
1. Become familiar with conceptual and theoretical perspectives in social movements research and their application in social movements.
2. Analyze the emergence, dynamics, tactics, and outcomes of social movements.
3. Examine historical and contemporary social movements related to race, class, gender, immigration, and more, particularly in the US.
4. Apply concepts learned in class to modern and ongoing social movements.
5. Improve critical thinking, writing, and presentation skills.
Syllabus and/or Sample assignment from the course or the adoption
class facilitation SOC4200- example .docx
Textbook or OER/Low cost Title: Social Movements: The Structure of Collective Mobilization
Brief Description: Social Movements cleverly translates the art of collective action and mobilization by excluded groups to facilitate understanding social change from below. Students in the class learn the core components of social movements (tactics, targets, collective identity, social movement organizations, , the theory and methods used to study them, and the conditions under which they can lead to political and social transformation.
This fully class-tested book is the first to be organized along the lines of the major subfields of social movement scholarship, such as framing, movement emergence, recruitment, and outcomes, to provide comprehensive coverage in a single core text. Other materials reviewed in class supplement the textbook. I include various case studies, other text from other social movements scholars to supplement the content of the book particularly, to offer other definitions of social movement, and theories.
Features include:
- Use of real data collected in the U.S. and around the world
- The emphasis on student learning outcomes
- Case studies that bring social movements to life
- Examples of cultural repertoires used by movements (flyers, pamphlets, event- data on activist websites, illustrations by activist musicians) to mobilize a group
- Topics such as immigrant rights, transnational movement for climate justice, Women's Marches, Fight for $15, Occupy Wall Street, Gun Violence, Black Lives Matter, and the mobilization of popular movements in the global South on issues of authoritarian rule and neoliberalism
- With this book, students deepen their understanding of movement dynamics, methods of investigation, and dominant theoretical perspectives, all while being challenged to consider their own place in relation to social movements.
EISBN: 978-0-520-96484-6
SUBJECTS: Sociology, Political Science
Authors: Paul Almeida
Please provide a link to the resource https://www-jstor-org.libproxy.lib.csusb.edu/stable/j.ctvd1c7d7
Student access: The link to the book is added to the course management system, Canvas, and I also usually added it in my syllabus.
Provide the cost savings from that of a traditional textbook.
Price: Paper back and ebook: $34.95
Students that have benefited so far:
Fall 2023: 12
Spring 2024: 22
Total saved: $1,188.30
License: It is copyrighted. The university has access through a subscription.
OER/Low Cost Adoption Process
Provide an explanation or what motivated you to use this textbook or OER/Low Cost option. I had several goals in mind when choosing this book:
1. Have a book that is accessible (in terms of language) and covers the major themes and topics in an introductory class to social movements.
2. Provide up-to-date learning materials. Instead of using the previous course textbook, I focused on selecting a more relevant book, covered case studies and offered a comprehensive review of the material I wanted to cover in class.
3. Have a book that provides case studies and relevant social movements.
4. Have a book that is financially accessible to students. Aware of the financial constraints many students face, a major motivation for using low cost material for this course was to make textbooks affordable.
How did you find and select the open textbook for this course? I consulted several websites and university presses that allowed me to review materials. I also read peer reviews and descriptions of the material.
Sharing Best Practices:
- Once you have a book in mind, check the university’s website to see if the book is available.
- If the book you selected is not in the library, see if a similar book is available.
- Contact the library to see if there is a subscription to a publisher site that allows you and your students to download the book for free.
- There are multiple publishers that offer examination copies of books, both online and in print, so, check if the book qualifies for a copy examination to review the content and price.
Key challenges faced and how resolved:
1. Finding an appropriate textbook that was accessible, up to date, written by renowned scholars was very time-consuming. I spent weeks reviewing books online from different publishers. Some textbooks that could have been appropriate have not been recently updated. So, I checked books that were published in the last 5 years.
2. Balancing length and language. Some articles that were appropriate in terms of the content and language were not available at the library, since the university does not have a subscription to some social movements journals. Thus, I decided to use some of the readings I had already had and made them accessible to students. I also looked for similar articles in the library and in other databases, such as Academia or Google scholar. In those sites, the files are usually available.
3. have been dealing with problems with access to readings on Canvas. Multiple students have said that the readings are locked, so I keep pointing them to the library’s website for them to download the chapters/articles directly. I have also sent the readings by email and posted them as announcements.
Instructor Name: Rosario Rizzo Lara
I am a professor of Sociology at California State University San Bernardino. Broadly. I am a scholar of four interrelated areas: Migration, Borders, Social Movements and Latinx Studies. 
Please provide a link to your university page.
https://www.csusb.edu/profile/rosario.rizzolara
Please describe the courses you teach.
SOC 4510 Sociology of Migration: I designed this course with three main goals in mind: 1) provide an understanding of the categories and theories of migration, as well as the different aspects and stages of the migration process (origin, transit and destination); 2) examine the immigration and border policies that the US has and is implementing; and 3) provide a historical account of Mexican and Central American migration in the US, given our student population and the large presence of such population in the state and in the Inland Empire. Additionally, one of the main goals of the course was to create awareness and inform students about the multiple reasons that drive migration, the hardships of the trip, and the difficulties migrants face to integrate in societies. Lastly, the course was designed for students to grasp the effects of the US policies on immigrants’ lives. The design of the course aligns with my teaching philosophy and principles of social justice, awareness, and empathy. For all these objectives, I am able to draw from my expertise with Mexican and Central American migration, as I have conducted research in the region and have work with both populations in the past.
To this end, I created a syllabus that comprised five interrelated modules and multiple assignments. The assignments were varied, as I incorporated multiple learning methodologies. To foster theory comprehension, analysis and application of concepts, I asked students to create a version of “theory maps”, which are “simplified visuospatial representations of dense written work” (Estefan and Seim 2022:272). Students then needed to create two slides in Power Point using icons. Each slide needed to reflect their understanding of a theory of migration. In other words, they needed to explain a theory using primarily icons. This way, they needed to read, analyze, and apply their knowledge to create an innovative slide. After this exercise, students felt more comfortable with theory and helped them to better understand the concepts reviewed in class.
SOC 4200 Social Movements This course has been offered before in the department, but the design of my syllabus is significantly different. I designed this course with four goals: 1. Provide students with conceptual and theoretical perspectives in social movements research and their application in different social movements. 2. Analyze the emergence, dynamics, tactics, framing, and outcomes of social movements. 3. Examine historical and contemporary social movements related to race, class, gender, and immigration, and 4. Improve critical thinking, writing, and presentation skills. Based on this, I carefully selected case studies of different social movements around the world, from movements that took place in Flint, Michigan, Central America, Tunisia, Egypt, to the Color Revolutions in Eastern Europe. Likewise, I wanted students to be able to see the application of social movements theory in a wide array of social movements, from local grassroots movements to transnational social movements. The selection of cases included social movements based on race, such as the Civil Rights Movement and Black Lives Matter, immigrant rights, such as the 2006 marches, Dreamers, and Sanctuary movement, and gender, such as the feminist movements.
To achieve those goals, I designed a syllabus that comprised five interrelated modules and multiple assignments. The assignments were varied, as I incorporated multiple learning methodologies. Students needed to facilitate classes, read, and prepare questions for discussion, take a midterm and final test that included multiple choice and essay questions, and do a final research paper in groups where they applied the concepts and theories reviewed in class. The latter allowed them to foster relationships with other class members and develop research, analytical and presentation skills.
Describe your teaching philosophy and any research interests related to your discipline or teaching. Raising awareness and understanding of migrant, refugee, and other marginalized populations have been fundamental elements of my teaching philosophy. Through class activities and assignments, I encourage students to be informed, think critically, and engage in collaborative work while promoting empathy, tolerance, and support to vulnerable, often stigmatized and marginalized, populations.
My philosophy is grounded in years of experience working with migrants, asylum seekers, and students in and outside the classroom. The racism and xenophobia that are often present in the communities where I have worked have led me to work actively in raising awareness and broadening the understanding of the multifactorial nature of migration in an effort to eliminate violence and discrimination.
I use multiple methods to promote and accomplish the learning objectives for each of the courses I have designed and taught, and also use a series of pedagogical tools to engage with students to think outside the box and see the world out there. Through different assignments, such as reporting on news about migration, leading facilitations, engaging in group discussion, writing essays reflecting on their personal stories, and a midterm designed to evaluate their understanding of the course concepts, students develop presentation, analytical, critical thinking and public speaking skills.
Broadly, I am a scholar of four interrelated areas: Migration, Borders, Social movements, and Latinx Studies. I mainly use qualitative methods to carry out research related to Mexican and Central American Migration to the US; the enactment of immigration policies and borders and contestation to them by irregularized migrants (migrants with precarious status); migrant-led social movements; identity, belonging, and immigrant communities in the US. My current work focuses on the October 2018 Migrant Caravan from Honduras to the US. I understand the caravan as a form of political mobilization by non- citizens who contest the enactment of borders and policies that restrict their right to freedom of movement. Through my research, I bring to the fore the voices of those who have been excluded and marginalized and are often regarded as “inadmissible” by policies enacted in Mexico and the US.
Currently, I am planning to collect more data on the migrant caravans from Central America to the US to compare the multiple caravans that have taken place in the last 5-10 years.
I plan to continue working on this topic and publish two more chapters of my dissertation as standalone articles in the next two years. Additionally, I plan to prepare a manuscript for a book proposal. For the latter, I plan to collect more data during Summer 2024.
My work has been published in top-tier peer-reviewed journals, such as the Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies and the Journal or Borderlands Studies. Also, I have presented my work at various international conferences, such as those organized by the Association for the Study of Nationalities, the International Studies Association, and the International Migration Research Network (IMISCOE). I have been invited to lecture multiple times at the Universidad Veracruzana and the Benemerita Universiad Autonoma de Puebla.
To make my research available to wider audiences, I have written blogs on Qualitive Research Methods and about the October 2018 Migrant Caravan. One was organized by IMISCOE and the other was an invitation to write a piece for the Migration and Diversity Center of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Finally, I have been invited to participate in two podcasts.