Sociology 448 - Senior Seminar: Social Change
Fall 2003
Dr. Scott Schaffer

Office Hours: MWF 12pm to 1250pm, TTh 1130am to 1230pm
Phone: 717/872.3567            Fax: 717/872.3942
Email: scott.schaffer@millersville.edu

Course Website: http://www.millersville.edu/~schaffer/courses/f2003/soc448

Course Description:

This course is designed to examine in detail a variety of theoretical perspectives on social change, as well as processes and case studies of social change. Of course, this seems much more simple than it really is.

What this course will actually do is provide you with the basis for understanding individual and collective roles in and responsibility for a variety of forms of social change. We are – though we don’t always realize this – the medium by which social structures, for better or worse, reproduce themselves, and we are the agents by which social structures can and do change. From the “computer revolution” to political revolutions, from changes in fashion to changes in political philosophies, both social structural factors and human beings must be involved in order for things to change; and even something as catastrophic and monumental as the Sep 11/2001 attacks can have almost no impact on a social order without both structures and people changing.

In order to realize this and make it useful, this course will start with a detailed examination and interrogation of classical and contemporary theories of social change. Through participant presentations and in-class discussions, we will explore the ways in which these theoretical perspectives allow us to understand both “top-down” and “bottom-up” forms of social change, what elements of the social order are generally considered when looking at these forms of transformation, our position in and responsibility for social change, and how these theoretical perspectives can be transformed into analytic and methodological tools for developing our own understandings of the welter of social change. We will also develop the conceptual and theoretical tools for evaluating forms of social change in terms of their beneficence or detriment for humankind during this phase of the course.

In the second segment of the course, we will examine two particular case studies of social change in recent times: the large-scale social transformations in Central and Eastern Europe after the end of the Cold War; and social movements and protests induced by globalization and global governance, starting with the 1999 WTO protests in Seattle and continuing through Genoa in 2001 and resistance to neoliberalism in South Africa. In each of these case studies, we will utilize the theoretical and analytic perspectives developed in the first segment of the course to gain a deeper insight into the processes of social change that surround us on a daily basis, discern lessons to be learned from the successes and failures of these movements, and develop potentially viable and efficacious new models for social change processes.

The final segment of this course will be devoted to the development and evaluation of our own research projects. These projects will ask you to represent and analyze a particular process of social change you find some interest in, and to develop a plan for further social change in that realm of social life. Each participant in the course will give a short conference-like presentation on their research project and will provide an outline of their research for peer discussion. This series of research presentations will give you all the opportunity to engage with one another’s work as it’s developed during the semester.

This course will ask a great deal of you – continuous reading, constant discussion and participation, and a regular engagement in the improvement of all of our work. I know, though, that you are up to the challenge and will perform admirably here.

Reading Materials:

The following texts are required for this course, and are available in the University Store, or online at Amazon.com or BN.com. They will be used in the following order:

Klandermans and Staggenborg (eds.), Methods for Social Movement Research (abbreviated MSMR)

Goodwin and Jasper (eds.), The Social Movements Reader (abbreviated SMR)

Ramet, Social Currents in Eastern Europe (abbreviated SCEE)

Stokes, The Walls Came Tumbling Down (abbreviated WCTD)

O’Brien, Goetz, Scholte and Williams, Contesting Global Governance (abbreviated CGG)

Desai, We Are the Poors (abbreviated WATP)

There will also be a number of required readings available for download on eReserve at Millersville’s library web site. Finally, suggested readings are included in the syllabus for each week; these readings are generally available, but not specifically made available for this course. In case you’re interested, you should be able to find them online through JSTOR, Ingenta, or other online databases, or through local libraries.

Course Assignments:

Exams: There will be two exams for this course – a midterm exam in the sixth week, and a final exam during the regularly scheduled exam time. Both exams will be essay based, and will ask you to integrate and synthesize the course readings and discussions in particular ways. Sample questions will be distributed in class one week before the exams.

Research Project: There will be one semester-long research project this term, which we will discuss during the first week. This project, which will ultimately result in an article-length (30 page) paper, will be broken down so that it doesn’t all weigh on you at the end of the semester. Regular discussions about the project will occur during the term, and you are expected to consult with me about your project on a regular basis.

Presentations: You will be asked to do two presentations during the semester. The first will be a text-based presentation, in which you will integrate and synthesize the readings for a particular course session, raise questions about the readings, and promote discussion during that session. The second, which will take place during the last week of the semester, will be a conference-like presentation on your research, in which you will present your research project and findings and field questions on that research. Further information appears later in this syllabus.

Participation: As this is a seminar, it will run primarily on your contributions to the discussion. The expectation is that for each class session, you will have prepared the readings and your thoughts on them with regard to the issues we’re discussing in class. There are, of course, additional ways to participate, and in general I view participation as anything displaying your commitment to succeeding in the course.

Grade Breakdown:

Midterm Exam 10% Exam is on W Oct 1/2003
Presentation 1 (Text-based) 10%  
Research Project 40% Due with your research presentation
Research Presentation 10% in the last two weeks of class
Final Exam 15% Exam is on F Dec 12/2003, 1015am to 1215pm
Participation 15%  

Course Policies: Timeliness, Presentation, Academic Honesty, Grading

Timeliness: As you know, the tempo of a semester does not allow one to fall behind, and everything in this course builds to the final paper. As such, you are requested and required to submit all assignments on the time and date announced. Except in the case of a severe, catastrophic, and well-documented misfortune that befalls you (such as your departure from this mortal coil), no late papers will be accepted; in the event of a catastrophe, you must contact me by phone or e-mail as early as possible. No makeup exams will be offered unless negotiated 48 hours in advance of the exam date. Papers must be submitted to me in person at the time and date due, to the Sociology/Anthropology Department office prior to the deadline, or by fax or e-mail to me before the deadline (measured by the time of receipt in my email inbox or on a fax).

Presentation: The research papers you will undertake in this course represent a significant portion of your time this term and are intended to get you to think about the nature of the society in which you find yourselves. The expectation is that you will pursue these assignments with vigor and a clear intent to do well in the development of your analytic and critical thinking skills. As such, you are required to proofread and spell- and grammar-check all work submitted during this course. There is no excuse for submitting shoddy work in a time when any decent word processing program can polish your work. Any paper submitted with copious errors will automatically receive a 0 (F).

Academic Dishonesty: Absolutely NO form of academic dishonesty (defined as the use of prohibited materials during an examination, any kind of communication with another person other than the professor or an exam proctor during an examination, the representation of another’s work as your own whether that work was purchased or freely offered) will be tolerated in this course. As it is contrary to both the mission of the university and to MU policies, any act of academic dishonesty will be met with an immediate failure on the assignment at minimum, and referral to Student Affairs for judicial board proceedings at most. Just don’t even think about it – it robs us all of the learning experience.

Grading: Conflicts about my evaluation of your work can be satisfied through discussion. If you have a problem with my evaluation of your work, you may write a one-page rebuttal that clarifies elements you feel I may have misunderstood in the work you presented at the submission deadline. If there are sufficient grounds for re-evaluating your work, I will do so; however, your grade may be elevated or lowered depending upon that second evaluation. Also, as I grade on a letter-grade basis, there should be no debates or discussions about points.

Reading Schedule:

Listed here are the course readings, as well as recommended readings to gain a deeper insight into each theorist’s oeuvre. In any given class session, everyone is expected to read the course texts, as well as at least one of the other theorists or authors listed for that week. Presenters should endeavor to read as much of the listed materials as they can – in the presentations, breadth of examination and thematization count for more than does mere regurgitation of the materials.

Articles and readings not contained in the course texts are available online in PDF format – check the “course syllabus” page on the web site for links to these readings. (You’ll need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view these files – you can get it at http://www.adobe.com.)

M Aug 25: Introduction to the Course: Mechanics, Themes and Issues
W Aug 27: Term project assignment discussed; SMR, Parts I and X; MSMR, pp. ix-xx, 314-350

Weeks 2-6: Classical and Contemporary Theories of Social Change – all readings are available online in PDF format. Student presentations start this week.

Required readings are available either in PDF format for downloading from this page, or online. Suggested readings are available through JSTOR, via the MU library web site. Those that aren't yet here will be in mid-July. Other reading assignments (the blank lines) will be added in mid-July.

M Sep 1: No class: Labour Day.
W Sep 3: Weber; Marx:

Weber, selections from On Max Weber and Economy and Society
Marx and Engels, Manifesto of the Communist Party (online)
Marx and Engels, “On the Possibility of Non-Violent Social Revolution” (in Marx-Engels Reader and online)

Suggested Readings:

Marx and Engels, selections from The Grundrisse (in Marx-Engels Reader)

M Sep 8: Durkheim; Parsons, Gurr:

Durkheim, selections from On Morality and Society
Parsons, “Evolutionary Universals in Society,” American Sociological Review 29: 3 (Jun 1964), pp. 339-367.
Gurr, “Psychological Factors in Civil Violence,” World Politics 20: 2 (Jan 1968)
Gurr, “The Revolution. Social-Change Nexus: Some Old Theories and New Hypotheses,” Comparative Politics 5: 3 (Apr 1973), pp. 359-392

Suggested Readings:

Durkheim, selections from Rules of Sociological Method.
Parsons, “Pattern Variables Revisited: A Reply to Robert Dubin,” American Sociological Review 25: 4 (Aug 1960), pp. 467-483.
Parsons, “Some Sociological Aspects of the Fascist Movements,” Social Forces 21: 2 (Dec 1942), pp. 138-147.

W Sep 10: MSMR pp. 3-31 + Gramsci:

Gramsci, selections from The Antonio Gramsci Reader (online) – read what is available online from Part III to the end.

Suggested Readings:

Gramsci, selections from The Cultural Notebooks.

M Sep 15: MSMR pp. 62-91 + Skocpol:

Skocpol and Amenta, “States and Social Policies,” Annual Review of Sociology 12 (1986), pp. 131-157.
Skocpol, “France, Russia, China: A Structural Analysis of Social Revolutions,” Comparative Studies in Society and History 18: 2 (Apr 1976), pp. 175-210.
Skocpol, “Social Revolutions and Mass Military Mobilization,” World Politics 40: 2 (Jan 1988), pp. 147-168.

Suggested Readings:

Skocpol, “The Enactment of Mothers' Pensions: Civic Mobilization and Agenda Setting or Benefits of the Ballot?: Response,” American Political Science Review 89: 3 (Sep 1995), pp. 720-730.
Skocpol, “Old Regime Legacies and Communist Revolutions in Russia and China,” Social Forces 55: 2 (Dec 1976), pp. 284-315.

W Sep 17: MSMR pp. 92-117 + Huntington:

Huntington, “The Change to Change: Modernization, Development and Politics,” Comparative Politics 3: 3 (Apr 1971), pp. 283-322
Huntington, “American Ideals versus American Institutions,” Political Science Quarterly 97: 1 (Spring 1982), pp. 1-37
Betts and Huntington, “Dead Dictators and Rioting Mobs: Does the Demise of Authoritarian Rulers Lead to Political
Instability?” International Security 10: 3 (Winter 1985-1986), pp. 112-146

Suggested Readings:

Huntington, “American Ideals versus American Institutions,” Political Science Quarterly 97: 1 (Spring 1982), pp. 1-37

M Sep 22: MSMR pp. 118-145 + Tilly:

Snyder and Tilly, “On Debating and Falsifying Theories of Collective Violence,” American Sociological Review 39: 4 (Aug 1974), pp. 610-613.
Tilly, “Does Modernization Breed Revolution” Comparative Politics 5: 3 (Apr 1973), pp. 425-447.
Tilly, “The Analysis of a Counter-Revolution,” History and Theory 3: 1 (1963), pp. 30-58.

Suggested Readings:

Tilly, “Speaking Your Mind Without Elections, Surveys, or Social Movements,” Public Opinion Quarterly 47: 4 (Winter 1983), pp. 461-478.
Snyder and Tilly, “Hardship and Collective Violence in France, 1830 to 1960,” American Sociological Review 37: 5 (Oct 1972), pp. 520-532.

 

W Sep 24: Sample midterm questions handed out and discussed; MSMR, pp. 146-172 + Scott:

Scott, “Resistance without Protest and without Organization: Peasant Opposition to the Islamic Zakat and the Christian Tithe,” Comparative Studies in Society and History 29: 3 (Jul 1987), pp. 417-452.
Scott, selections from The Moral Economy of the Peasant (on eReserve as of Tues Sep 9/2003)

Suggested Readings:

Scott, selections from Domination and the Arts of Resistance.
Scott, selections from Weapons of the Weak

M Sep 29: Midterm prep session – no reading

W Oct 1: Midterm examination

Weeks 7-8: Studying Social Movements

M Oct 6: Everyone reads MSMR pp. 201-230 + SMR:

            Group A: first half of Parts II-IV

            Group B: second half of Parts II-IV

W Oct 8: Everyone reads MSMR pp. 231-259 + SMR:

            Group A: first half of Parts V-VII

            Group B: second half of Parts V-VII

M Oct 13: No class: Fall Recess.

W Oct 15: Everyone reads MSMR pp. 286-313 + SMR

            Group A: first half of Parts VIII-IX

            Group B: second half of Parts VIII-IX

Weeks 9-11: Social Change in Eastern Europe

M Oct 20: WCTD, pp. 3-130
W Oct 22: SCEE, pp. 3-54 + at least one chapter from Parts II-IV

M Oct 27: WCTD, pp. 131-217
W Oct 29: SCEE, pp. 279-371

M Nov 3: WCTD, pp. 218-260
W Nov 5: SCEE, pp. 371-461

Weeks 12-13: Globalization and New Forms of Resistance

M Nov 10: CGG: Group A: pp. 1-66; Group B: pp. 1-23, 67-108
W Nov 12: CGG: Group A: pp. 109-158, 206-234; Group B: pp. 159-234

M Nov 17: WATP, pp. 7-76, 150-153
W Nov 19: WATP, pp. 77-149

Weeks 14-15: Research presentations - Your term project is due in the class you sign up to present your research. Changes must be made no later than Mon Nov 10.

M Nov 24: Research presentations
W Nov 26: No class: Thanksgiving Recess.

M Dec 1: Research presentations
W Dec 3: Research presentations

M Dec 8: Research presentations; final exam prep and closure discussion

F Dec 12, 1015am to 1215pm – Final Examination


Presentation Details

Length, Format, and Style

Your text-based presentation should be approximately 20 minutes long, though somewhat longer presentations are most certainly acceptable. The research presentation guidelines will be presented with the major paper assignment. You should not simply read from a prepared paper – that’s boring for all of us, most especially you. Instead, come prepared with an outline, notes, a list of quotations to which you want to refer, and the like. If you want, feel free to distribute an outline of your talk, either in class or before the session by e-mail (address lists will be provided). Be conversational; the presentation, after all, is designed to spark further discussion on the reading materials and on the talk you give in class.

Content

The seminar presentation is not supposed to be merely exegetical; that is, you’re not supposed to come in and give a detailed summary of the readings for the week. Assume that everyone has read the materials and go on from there. You can provide a brief, integrative summary of the readings, but don’t take much more than a couple of minutes to do this.

Your presentation is meant to do three things: to spark the conversation we have the remainder of the evening; to highlight what you think are important issues or themes that are raised in the text; and to help you and the group synthesize the materials in preparation for the course papers. Instead, talk about what you found most interesting, challenging, intriguing, or insightful. Give us your ideas about the material, and be prepared to explain them, defend them, etc.

In general, you should think of your presentation as a mini-lecture, a conference presentation, or an oral presentation of a short paper. Present your findings in a clear, coherent, thematic manner; make some kind of argument about what you’ve found; give supporting evidence (i.e., page references and/or quotations, when relevant) for your findings; and all will be right with the world.

Evaluation Criteria

Your presentation will be evaluated on the following criteria: breadth of knowledge of the material; your ability to thematically analyze the materials and present key issues in a synthetic form; the success of your presentation in sparking discussion among your fellow classmates; and the cogency and clarity of your presentation. Your absence on your scheduled presentation date is not acceptable; please do your best to attend every session (especially when you’re scheduled to present), and let me know as early as you possibly can if you’ll be unable to attend your presentation session so we can make alternate arrangements for you and the class.

Audience Response

Class members should ensure their attendance at every session. You should pay careful attention to the presentation given, looking for key points for discussion and/or debate. Use the discussion questions as a way of preparing for the discussion, and bring your own findings to the table. Above all, please be courteous and collegial in your reception of each presentation, and engage the presenter’s ideas and understandings of the materials so that we all have a good, enjoyable time discussing these important works.


Paper Evaluation Guidelines

More information on these guidelines and examples of what I expect is available in the “How to Write a Schaffer Paper” handout, which is available on the course web site. These, though, are the overall guidelines in order of importance.

1. Strength and clarity of response to the paper topic’s main question. Each paper assignment will ask you to respond directly to an argumentative question, and you should ensure that your paper contains a direct and clear response to this question.

2. Strength and cohesiveness of the argument. The papers you will write in this class are argument-based – it isn’t enough to deliver a simple one-sentence statement that answers the question. Instead, you need to take the time to show me how it is you came to that response – the thought process you went through, the references you drew from in order to figure out your position, and how you put everything together. In algebra, it was called “showing your steps”; here, it’s just good argumentation.

3. Accuracy in presentation and understanding of materials. While most of this course is devoted to the development of your own perspective on these thinkers and the world, there are some minimum “correct” and “incorrect” understandings of what the authors said. You need to be sure that you accurately represent what each author says, that you accurately and adequately cite any reference to the original text(s), and that you explain any unorthodox presentation of the authors’ works.

4. Presentation – spelling, grammar, tone, and the actual submitted paper. As it’s become ridiculously easy to ensure that your work is cleanly presented, you must ensure that your paper is spell- and grammar-checked prior to submitting it for evaluation. You should also endeavor to ensure that it’s proofread, either by you, a discussion group member, or someone else – and this proofreading should be both for the technical matters and for clarity of argument. Otherwize, you’re paper will appeer bad, even iff its the most briliant thing ever writen.

Deductions: The following are automatic deductions without appeal:

Also, note that I grade on a letter grade with +/- additions, so there should be no dallying around with the math.

Affixed to your paper will be the evaluation of the work as indicated on the Paper Evaluation Sheet (also available on the web site). This details how the various elements of your paper were evaluated, and provides you with the opportunity to figure out ways to improve your writing.

Course Expectations:

1. That you will come to each class session prepared, having read that day’s assigned readings and any recommended outside readings, and that you will be prepared to engage in discussion regarding those readings;

2. That you will maintain high standards of academic integrity and achievement, including your responsibility for your contributions in class, the timely and diligent completion of all assignments, and your willingness to challenge yourself and others in a constructive and intellectually beneficial way;

3. That you will avail yourself of all opportunities afforded to you by this course, including participation in outside cultural or intellectual events, availing yourself of opportunities for consultation with me and other appropriate faculty members regarding your work in this course, and the pursuit of opportunities for intellectual and cultural exchange with other members of the course;

4. And, that you will work to ensure that this class is fulfilling for all of us involved in it. I know I’ll do my best to ensure that this happens.

Course Objectives:

By the end of this term, you should be able to:

A final note:

This course is designed as a “capstone experience” – namely, to provide you with the opportunity to integrate, synthesize, and express what you’ve learned during your many years at MU. As such, it is extremely rigorous and will require a great deal of work and commitment from you in order for you to do well in the course. Keep up with the readings; come prepared to discuss those readings in each class session; consult with me regularly and especially when you’re having problems; and stay in line with the timeline – these are the keys to doing well here.

For those of you who are considering or applying to graduate school, this course will serve as a good entrée for you into that kind of work. For those who are heading to the work force, think of this as the last chance to think and work independently and on projects you want to work on. In either case, a course such as this is one of the best places to obtain a letter of reference.

Beyond the rigor, though, this course will be fun. It’s not often that one gets the chance to engage with these sorts of issues, and given the state of the world these days, these are timely issues. You work hard for me, and I assure you that this course will be enjoyable and beneficial to you both here and in the future.