This course examines issues in social activism from both a theoretical and an ethnographic perspective. How do social activists think about and make social change happen? By examining theories and issues in social justice, from macro-level issues in the international arena to local mobilization for community issues, this course will introduce students to social movement and civil society theory. Topics include: the structural ramifications of social and cultural change; the intersection of civil society organizations and formal political institutions; and the role of new media and information technologies in mobilizing people to effect change. This course is not a community-based learning course, but will instead analyze social movements, community activism, and the cultural practices of community groups.

Although a significant portion of the course readings are from an anthropological perspective (a comparative examination of particular social and cultural micro-processes that are presented in ethnography), the theories on civil society, social justice, and social movements will be drawn from many academic disciplines. Case studies, drawn from both local and global examples, will focus on different issues including health care, environmental activism, housing and poverty, gender/sexuality rights, and cyberactivism. We will also read about the lives of selected activists to better understand what is involved in mobilizing for social change.