ANTH 3700 Anthropology Social Movements

This course provides students with a critical understanding of the key issues in the development of social movements and civic action from the perspective of anthropology. Anthropology’s unique on-the-ground and comparative perspective, and its emphasis on particularity and context will afford insights into issues of meaning at the center of social movements. Students will examine various models of public- and field-generated scholarship and apply this knowledge in a qualitative project that recognizes community members’ knowledge as key to social change in everyday life - where inequalities are experienced and often resisted. Examples of social movements appropriate for ethnographic research: Occupy, Tea Party, buy local, ACORN, immigrant rights, etc. This is a writing intensive course. Course offered Fall Semester only.
Credits: 3.0