No Silence: the Sounds of Social Movements

Catalog description

This is a course about social movements. Social movements arise from societal injustices perpetrated by individuals and groups who hold power. This power is an entitlement afforded to some by simple laws of probability-- a "lucky" roll of the dice to be born male, white, able-bodied, Christian and heterosexual. These rewards of chance have historically been a license to restrain and limit those outside the proscribed circle of privilege. The "powerless" are oppressed and flattened and their voices are silenced. Social movements are created when those who have been silenced and blocked from basic human liberties rise up and refuse to be caged in. It will not surprise you that social movements require courage, unwavering commitment to equity and justice, and a willingness to die for the right to live freely. What may surprise you is that each social movement is a unique composition not unlike a beautifully crafted musical piece designed to take us to a place of heightened emotional resonance and understanding. Social movements are a symphony of harmony and dissonance, which begin at one moment in time and move with purpose to a crescendo and coda. There is no symphony without a composer and a conductor. Similarly, there is no social movement without oppression and leaders who drive the effort to right the wrongs. Social movements are loud and impassioned and by definition refuse to be silent. This course will look at various social movements as they developed, and in most cases, continue. We will focus on civil rights, labor, women s suffrage, gay rights their similarities and differences, where they dovetail and where they diverge.