PSC 39AVPolitics of Protest

Catalog

Prerequisite(s) or Corequisite(s): PSC 1020 with a C- or above Political protest and social movements play a central role in shaping political institutions, public opinion, and processes of social change. In this course, students examine major theories of social movements and political protest and evaluate how these frameworks help explain both historical and contemporary mobilization. Students explore core questions such as why some individuals engage in protest while others do not, how social movements mobilize resources and collective action, and why some movements succeed in achieving their goals while others fall short. Students apply theoretical perspectives to a diverse set of case studies, including the U.S. Civil Rights Movement, immigrant rights movements, the student movement opposing the war in Gaza, and other recent protest movements, as well as comparative cases beyond the United States such as the anti‑apartheid movement in South Africa and pro‑democracy protests in Russia, Iran and China.