Social Movement

Social movements are an engine of social change. Your task is to pick a social movement and examine it sociologically! We recognize this may be no easy task – questions to guide you are provided below. While we might be able to describe a social movement to ourselves or someone else, in simple terms, they are complicated. A placard, a march, or coverage from a national news network does not explain them. The purpose of the assignment is for you to be able to analyze them and to look deeper into their formation, organization, and impacts. Your movement can be a contemporary one (BLM, #MeToo, Dreamers, March for Our Lives, Marriage Equality, and Fight for $15, as examples) or one from the last century (Civil Rights, Women’s Rights, LBTQ Rights, Labor Movement, Disability Rights, Anti-War Movement, and Environmental Movement, as examples). See US Social Movements Download US Social Movementsfor a history of them from 1920 to 2010. If you have questions about what movement to choose, contact your instructor. You certainly don’t need to pick from the examples provided. There are so many of them! Using what you have learned from module three in terms of types of movements, stages movements go through, who joins, their consequences, and incorporating what you learned about the three basic sociological theories in module one . . . Give a brief history of the movement of your choice. What change is it promoting? If you were to explain the movement of your choice to someone else, which leading sociological theory would you use – conflict, functionalism, or symbolic interactionism – or a mixture of all three? Social movements do not necessarily imply conflict but point to some form of inequality. They can serve a function. They are also meaningful symbols for those who participate in them. What sociological theory best describes its emergence (why did it form) – relative deprivation, resource mobilization, mass society theory, structural strain theory, or new social movements theory? Incorporate in your answer does its formation suggest changes and development at the individual, group, and societal levels. What type do you believe it is - Alternative, Redemptive, Reform, or Revolutionary? Explain! What are its characteristics – organization, recruitment patterns, ideology? Provide some details. What strategies (bargaining, persuasion, coercion) or tactics does it use? Give some examples. What stages has it gone through – emergence, coalescence, institutionalization (bureaucratization), and where is it now? Give examples for each stage. On an individual level, who belongs to the movement? How do members define themselves? Do they define themselves as a group? Would the movement be considered deviant? What are some of the effects the movement has had on institutions, politics, family, and/or the economy? Finally, if you were to research your social movement, what ethical considerations would you consider? Researcher bias, informed consent, anonymity of participants, and conflicts of interest might be examples. See The American Sociological Association Code of Ethics for help with this. Empirically, how might you conduct such a study (survey, fieldwork, case study)? In determining the research method, what approach would you take to answer your questions: Quantitative (emphasis on precise measurement and the use of statistics and numbers) or Qualitative (quality and the meaning of the data collected)? Would you face any ethical issues if you joined the movement? Paper Organization Your introduction needs a thesis statement telling the reader what your paper is about - you will be analyzing the movement, determining its type, describing its stages and its impacts, tactics, strategies, and so forth. Body – provide at least two paragraphs for each question. Conclusion – considering your findings, what are the movement’s strengths and weaknesses, and where do you see the movement going? Conventions for your paper APA style (see APA resources in the START HERE module) Five to seven pages in length (your cover page, abstract, and reference page do not apply to the page count) Five scholarly references are to be provided to support your thesis. Academic writing Your paper is due at the end of week six. Your paper is subject to Turnitin Review by the instructor. It is recommended you use Turnitin before submitting your paper. A link is provided in week five for you to do this and is not saved to their database. Late penalties apply if the paper is turned in after week six. Types of social movements chart Stages of social movements Here is a list of movements to choose from, but you are welcome to write about a different one! Student Movements Immigrant Rights HIV/AIDS activism Abortion activism (either pro-choice or pro-life but not both) Animal Rights Human Rights Peace activism Women's Rights - past or present (such as #MeToo) Civil Rights - past or present (such as Black Lives Matter) Gay Rights Labor Movement Environmental Rights Rubric Research Paper Outline Research Paper Outline Criteria Ratings Pts This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeName, Basic Information, what explains its emergence Name the movement you are researching and provide some basic information about it. How is it an engine of social change? What change is it promoting? What sociological theory would you use to explain the movement? What sociological theory best describes its emergence. Refer to items 1, 2, and 3 in the instructions for the final paper. 20 pts Full Marks All noted criteria in this category met! 10 pts Half Marks Little time is spent explaining how the movement occurred (what sparked it). The reasons for the movement and how it is an engine of social change need to be included. The changes it is promoting need to be included; no mention or discussion of sociological theory explaining its formation. 0 pts No Marks No submission within the allotted time frame and/or virtually no information is given about the movement's origins. 20 pts This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeType of Movement Using Aberle's chart, describe the type of movement it is. See item #4 in the instructions for the final paper. 25 pts Full Marks All noted criteria in this category met! 13 pts Half Marks While the type is mentioned it is either (1) not discussed or (2) not taken from Aberle's chart. 0 pts No Marks No submission within the allotted time frame and/or type not mentioned. 25 pts This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeCharacteristics, Strategies, and Stages of the Movement What are its characteristics and strategies? Describe each stage the movement has gone through so far. Give an example for each stage. See items 5, 6 & 7 from the instructions for the final paper. 25 pts Full Marks All noted criteria in this category met! 13 pts Half Marks The movement's characteristics (organization, recruitment patterns, ideology) are not discussed or mentioned. The movement's strategies are not discussed or mentioned. The stages the movement has gone through are noted but an example for each stage is not given. 0 pts No Marks No submission within the allotted time frame and/or stages not mentioned. 25 pts This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeEffects the Movement has had on individuals, institutions. How would you research it? What has its social impact been? List some of the effects the movement has had on institutions, politics, family, and/or the economy. On an individual level, who belongs to the movement? Is the movement considered deviant? See item numbers 8, 9, 10, and 11 in the instructions for the final paper. What ethical considerations would come into play if you were to research the movement. 20 pts Full Marks All noted criteria in this category met! 10 pts Half Marks The effects of the movement are described minimally and/or its social impact is not discussed. Whether the movement would be considered deviant is not mentioned. No mention of the ethics involved in researching the movement. 0 pts No Marks No submission within the allotted time frame and/or effects and social impact are not mentioned. 20 pts This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeMUGS & Citation Errors (1) Errors in Grammar, punctuation, spelling, and/or (2) no citations or references provided when sources are used in the outline. 10 pts Full Marks 1-3 MUGS errors; citations and/or references provided if used in the outline 5 pts Half Marks 4-10 MUGS errors and/or citation and/or reference(s) not provided for a source in the outline. 0 pts No Marks No submission within the allotted time frame. More than 10 MUGS errors and/or citations and references missing for outside sources used in the outline. 10 pts Total Points: 100 For the first part of this paper, I had to complete an outline on the social movement topic I would like to write about. I choose "BLACK LIVES MATTER" If you need a copy of the outline please let me know.