SOC 365: Student Movements

SOC 365: Student Movements

Fall 2001

104 Malloy Hall

TR: 3:30-4:45

Contact Information

Aaron Kreider

Office: Flanner 1505

Hours: by appointment, email me or call.

Email:

Phone: 1-1968

Class Website:

Course Purpose

Student activism has existed as long as there were students. The Sixties were just an excerpt from a long history of student movements, albeit a significant one. Student movements are important since they play a major role in altering social values, practices and institutions.

This course will investigate student movements, primarily in the United States, from the Thirties until present. In specific we shall cover the Thirties peace movement, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), anti-apartheid divestment, CIA off-campus, identity movements, and others from the eighties, nineties and present. Our theoretical purpose is to apply a social-movement framework to analyze these critical movements, and our practical purpose is to relate these movements to our lives as students.

Goals

Upon completion of the course, students should be able to

Contrast student movements to non-student movements and analyze the impact of these differences. What makes a student movement “student”?
Analyze the growth and decline of student movements.
Critique the ideologies and the strategies of student movements.
Compare student movements, within and across time periods.
Understand how student activist organizations work day to day.
Relate course material to their personal and political life.

Course Books

Required

Brax, Ralph. “The First Student Movement: Student Activism in the United States During the Thirties.” Kennikat Press, 1981. (Available on reserve.)

Carson, Clayborne. “In Struggle: SNCC and the Black Awakening of the 1960s.” Harvard University Press, 1981.

Hudson et al, ed. “When Campus Resists.” Occupation Press, 1997.

Sale, Kirkpatrick. “SDS: Ten Years Towards a Revolution.” Random House, 1973.
(Multiple copies available on reserve.)

Solely, Lawrence. “Leasing the Ivory Tower: the Corporate Takeover of Academia.” South End Press, 1995.

Vellela, Tony. “New Voices: Student Political Activism in the ‘80s and ‘90s.” South End Press, 1988.

Recommended

Loeb, Paul R. “Generation at the Crossroads.” Rutgers University Press, 1994.

Rhoads, Robert A. “Freedom’s Web: Student Activism in an Age of Cultural Diversity.” John Hopkins University Press, 1998.

White, Geoffrey D, ed. “Campus Inc.” Prometheus Books, 2000.

The remaining readings are in the course packet or available online.

Attendance and Participation Policy

Please attend the course and participate, unless you have something more educational to do.

Course Assignments

1. The Participant/Observer Project

It is ridiculous to rely solely upon reading to understand and analyze the significance of student movements, especially when it is so easy to observe a student movement in action. Everyone should observe and/or participate in a student movement to relate course material to real life.

You have three options:

A. Observe/participate in a student activist organization. Regularly attend meetings and events throughout the entire semester. If the group meets irregularly, compensate by doing background work interviewing activists and/or doing research about its past activities by using the campus newspaper. Provide us with occasional brief updates in class as to the group’s activities. The organization must be engaged in political activity with the goal of achieving social change. It may be conservative, liberal, moderate, or whatever - just so long as it is not a service organization.
Time commitment: Avg. 1.5-2 hrs (or more) per week.

B. Interview student activists in a campus organization about that group’s activities, or do a comparison study by interviewing students across several organizations (e.g. comparing tactics, ideology, issues, etc).
Time commitment: 10 hours (or more) of interviews (turn in your notes).

C. Observe/participate in a major student or youth activist event. Briefly report on the experience in class. Possibilities include attending a weekend student activist conference or a major protest with a strong student/youth presence. Upcoming major protests include: Nov. 17-18 to close the School of Americas in Ft. Benning Georgia, and Sept 28-30 to protest the International Monetary Fund and World Bank in DC (additional protests can be found at
Time commitment: 2-3 days, depending on the drive.

You need to decide which of the options you are choosing by the end of our second week together.

In all cases, you must complete a 5 to 7 page paper analyzing your organization or experience.

2. Journal

Starting the second week, you must write a one-page weekly journal entry for every Tuesday. This allows you to react/critique the material covered in class (or in your participation/observation of movements), and/or to analyze how it fits or does not fit with your life - your values and actions.

3. Class Presentations

You get to do two mini class presentations.

A. Campus History. As a group of three (or four), research one of the following topics and do a 5-10 minute presentation on whether and how it expressed itself on our campus. The presentation will be done on the relevant day marked on the syllabus schedule.

The Thirties peace movement
Sixties - 1960-1965
Sixties - 1966 & 1967
Sixties - 1968 & 1969
Sixties - 1970
Anti-Apartheid divestment movement
Sweatshops

B. Student Movement Alphabet Soup. In a group of two research one of the following national student movement organizations and do a five-minute presentation on “student movement alphabet soup” day. Start the project 1-2 weeks before it is due, and contact the organization with a series of insightful questions. In many cases calling will work better than email. Please see the course website for a list of contact information.

Free The Planet (FTP)
International Socialist Organization (perhaps only half student - ISO)
Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán (MEChA)
Movement for Democracy and Education - 180 (MDE-180)
Public Interest Research Group (PIRG)
Student Alliance to Reform Corporations (STARC)
Student Environmental Action Coalition (SEAC)
Student Peace Action Network (SPAN)
Student Sierra Coalition (SSC)
United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS)
United States Student Association (USSA)
Young Democratic Socialists (YDS)

4. The Research Paper

Write a 15-page research paper on any student movement topic. Possible topics: France 1968 (or try looking at student movements in any other country), a case study of one school (Columbia 1968, Harvard 1969, Harvard 2001 or any other school with a recent student sit-in, etc), a previous student movement at our university, the Weatherman, an in-depth study of corporatization at our university, etc. Most campuses have searchable online newspapers with a wealth of information on student activism, and many books cover Sixties student movements.

If possible, you are encouraged to print all essays dual-sided, to save our friends the trees =)

5. Take-home Exams

A. Mid-Term

Write a five page answer to the following question: “Compare and contrast the reasons for the rise and fall of SDS, SNCC, and the ASU.”

B. Final

Write four page answers to each of the following two questions:

“What distinguishes student movements from non-student movements?”
“How have the student movements of the eighties/nineties and present changed compared to those of the Sixties, and how have they remained similar?”

Grade Worksheet

Far too often grades are more important for a student than learning information, thinking critically and gaining other essential academic (and life) skills.

In this course, you shall complete this grade worksheet as the course proceeds and turn it in by the end of week fourteen. Then we shall meet to discuss your grade, and finally if necessary I will adjust it based on your performance in the final essay.

Self Evaluation

How often did you attend class?

 Always

 Missed a couple times

 Missed many

 Rarely attended

How much did you participate in class, either by talking or as an engaged listener?

 Enthusiastic participant / engaged listener

 Above-average participant / engaged listener

 Average participant / engaged listener

 Below-average participant / engaged listener

 Generally a non-participant / non-engaged listener

Readings

How much of the following assigned readings did you do?

Read Read most of itRead a littleDid not read

The First Student Movement   

SNCC   

SDS   

New Voices   

Leasing the Ivory Tower   

When Campus Resists   