American Political Movements

Catalog description

Periodically American politics breaks from its routine of interest group lobbying and elections; the disempowered find the courage to experiment with new forms of participation; and fundamental questions about power and democracy are posed. What is the source of these periodic upheavals in American politics? What do the successes and failures of social movements tell us about the possibilities for democratic and social reform in the U.S.? This course focuses on the struggles concerning labor and racial equality from antebellum U.S. to present day. We debate the merits of tactics, goals and ideologies of major American political movements. (Offered occasionally)