- Inter-faculty Studies in Bioinformatics and Systems Biology
- Bachelor's degree, first cycle programme, Computer Science
- Bachelor's degree, first cycle programme, Mathematics
- Master's degree, second cycle programme, Bioinformatics and Systems Biology
- Master's degree, second cycle programme, Computer Science
- Master's degree, second cycle programme, Mathematics
Ethnic Movements in the US: Natives, Africans, Latinos, and Anglos 4219-SH187-A-OG
This course on social movements approaches questions on political power, social exclusion, identity, inequality and democratic legitimacy. It examines the ways that less powerful groups have attempted to redress practices of oppression. By studying specific instances of movements from the 20th and 21st Centuries, the course present students with a historical view on how political and social change takes place. Students will also learn of forms of collective action that failed to redress grievances.
This course reviews forms of collective action that have emerged in the U.S. to address grievances of Native Americans (the American Indian Movement or AIM), Mexican Americans (the Chicano Movement), and African Americans (the Black Power Movement). It also reviews current forms of collective action regarding the re-emergence of forms of Anglo (White) supremacism.
The course prepares students to answer to questions such as how have social movements, like the Civil Rights Movement, emerged? Why do some movements succeed while others fail?
In addressing these questions, the course aims at providing a historical context to understand more contemporary forms of collective action along ethnic lines in the United States: Black Lives Matter (BLM), the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe protest the construction of an oil pipeline near traditional lands (2016-7). Also, immigration serves as a unifying topic to approach both, Latino and Anglo forms of collective identities. While Latino identity appeared to be trap on the issue of immigration, Anglo identity has arguably evolved from “mainstream” into far-right (i.e. Alt-Right) crowned with the electoral victory of the “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) campaign.
The topics covered in this course include: introduction to the theories of social movements and collective action; definitions of social movements and explanations of the rise and success of collective mobilization and social change. The course also addresses issues of political legitimacy and how social movements respond to them.
Type of course
foreign languages
Learning outcomes
KNOWLEDGE
Upon completing the course, a student:
- understands the main concepts and theories on social movements and collective action.
- recognises relevant cases of social movements that have emerged in the United States along ethnic lines.
- analyses historical and contemporary instances of social movements
SKILLS
Upon completing the course, a student:
- is able to critically use theories and concepts to explain social movements.
- develops critical thinking skills
- the ability to write two essays in conformity with the academic standards of argument of the Social Sciences.
SOCIAL COMPETENCES
Upon completing the course, a student:
- is able to formulate his or her own opinion about forms of contentious collective action in Latin America
- understands the importance of collective action in a society.
- understands the importance of legitimacy in a democratic society.
- completes and improves his or her knowledge of Latin America.
Assessment criteria
Student assessment will be based on written essays.
Term Essay: 2500 words (20%)
Oral Presentation: 20%
Participation in class: 10%
Final Essay: 3000 words (50%)
Attendance is compulsory
Bibliography
Anaya, James. 1996. Indigenous Peoples in International Law. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Anaya, J. (2012). Informe del Relator Especial sobre los derechos de los pueblos indígenas, James Anaya. Ginebra. A/HRC/21/47. Consejo de Derechos Humanos, Naciones Unidas.
Biolsi, Thomas. 2004. A companion to the anthropology of American Indians. Blackwell: Malden MA.
Blee, Kathleen M. 1991. Women of the Klan: Racism and Gender in the 1920s. Berkeley, Los Angeles, and London: University of California Press.
Bradford, W. (2005). Beyond Reparations: an American Indian Theory of Justice. Ohio State Law Journal, 66(1), 1-104.
Burgos, Adam. 2017. Political Philosophy and Political Action. Imperatives of Resistance. Rowman & Littlefield International: Lanham, Maryland, USA.
Champagne, D. (2008). From first nations to self-government-A political legacy of indigenous nations in the United States. American Behavioral Scientist, 51(12), 1672-1693.
Fleras, A. y Elliott, J. L. (1992). The ‘Nations Within’. Aboriginal-State Relations in Canada,
the Unites States, and New Zealand. Oxford University Press, Canadá.
Horowitz, Donald. 1985. Ethnic Groups in Conflict. Berkeley: University of California Press.
International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA). (2016). The Indigenous World 2016. Copenhagen: IWGIA.
Ivision, D; Patton, P. y Sanders, W. (eds.). (2000). Political Theory and the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Kymlicka, W. (1995). Multicultural Citizenship. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
McAdam, Doug. 1982. Political Process and the Development of Black Insurgency, 1930- 1970. Chicago: Chicago University Press
Melucci, Alberto. 1996. Challenging Codes: Collective Action in the Information Age, Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press
Nagel, J. (1995). American Indian Ethnic Renewal: Politics and the Resurgence of Identity, American Sociological Review, 60(6), pp. 947-965.
Peltier, Leonard. 2000. Prison Writings: My Life Is My Sun Dance. St. Martin's Griffin.
Report of the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, James Anaya, on the situation of indigenous peoples in the United States of America. Addendum 1. The situation of indigenous peoples in the United States of America. 30 August. Ginebra. A/HRC/21/47/Add.1. Human Rights Council, United Nations.
Snow, David, Sarah Soule and Hanspeter Kriesi (Eds.) 2004, 2007. The Blackwell Companion to Social Movements. Blackwell: Malden MA
Smith, S. (2008). Hemp for Sovereignty: Scale, Territory and the Struggle for Native American sovereignty. Space and Polity, 12 (2), 231-249.
Tarrow, Sidney. 1998. Power in Movement: Social Movements and Contentious Politics. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Tilly, Charles and Sidney Tarrow 2007. Contentious Politics. Boulder: Paradigm Press.
Additional information
Information on level of this course, year of study and semester when the course unit is delivered, types and amount of class hours - can be found in course structure diagrams of apropriate study programmes. This course is related to the following study programmes:
- Inter-faculty Studies in Bioinformatics and Systems Biology
- Bachelor's degree, first cycle programme, Computer Science
- Bachelor's degree, first cycle programme, Mathematics
- Master's degree, second cycle programme, Bioinformatics and Systems Biology
- Master's degree, second cycle programme, Computer Science
- Master's degree, second cycle programme, Mathematics
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: