This course is designed to give students a hands-on learning opportunity to understand how to organize around social issues. This is done through examining previous social movements (Indigenous, LGBTQIA+, immigrant, abortion movements and more) and their organizing strategies while simultaneously immersing students in a local organizing project using the skills they are learning on a weekly basis. There will also be several guest speakers who are seasoned organizers in the different social movements we are covering.
This semester’s organizing project will be around a student issue of the class’ choice. In the first two class sessions, we will discuss as a class what we believe to be the most pressing issues students are facing on our campus and across the country. We will decide what issue we want to organize around this semester and form a plan of action. This plan of action may include partnering with campus or national organizations, lobbying elected officials, protesting, fundraising, and more based on the organizing strategies taught in the class.
The method of instruction of this course will be part lecture and part hands-on learning- the class time will be split into a lecture portion and a community organizing project portion.
There are two short reflection papers (a midterm and a final) for students to reflect on what they have learned in the class.
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