SOC 110 Social Movements and Collective Action

Social movements are a common feature of politics in the modern world. We will examine social movements defined as outsiders to institutional politics, that use nonconventional strategies to exercise political influence, and that engage in sustained interaction with political and economic elites. Social movements vary widely in terms of their size, strategies, goals, organizational forms and success. For example, analysts study social movements ranging from local chapters of environmental organizations to national revolutionary movements and international terrorist networks.