Instructors:
Dr. Angela Pohlmann
Event type:
Follow-up seminar
Displayed in timetable as:
24-408.78
Language of instruction:
English
Min. | Max. participants:
10 | 20
Comments/contents:
Both in public perception as in scientific discourses, organized and mobilized civil society is understood as prerequisite for social change.
Social movements and civil society organizations have been associated with such different forms of social change as revolutions, innovations and reforms.
But how do social movements start? How do individuals or groups become mobilized to act (along)? How do bottom-up processes start?What are (typical) obstacles or windows of opportunity for social movements? These are just some of the questions we will discuss in the seminar.
The seminar will focus on two different social sectors, within which social movement/civil society engagement has been especially prominent in the last few years: environment, i.e. the transformation towards sustainable societies and engagement with and for fleeing humans.
We will analyse the cases of Fridays-for-Future and different grassroots-organizations to dicuss the intentions, strategies, role and potential of social movements in the environmental sector.
NGOs that engage in SAR activities on the Mediterranean Sea are particularly prone to de-legitimation and even criminalization strategies by both actors from civil society and politics. Using this example, we will dicuss explicitly transnational and global dimensions of civil society engagement and the obstacles it may face.
While these organizations are examples of what we normally think of as civil society, we will also discuss the existence and role of "bad civil society": organizations and movements whose aims and interests are (potentially) detrimental to societies - and/or dangerous to specific groups therein.
Learning objectives:
The aim is to provide knowledge about existing analytical/theoretical concepts from the field of New Social Movements, civils society, grassroots-initaitves and transformation.
Based on readings, students will aquire the theoretical foundations to analyse and discuss the selected cases from a decidedly sociological perspective.
Hence, the aim is not only to have students learn about theoretical concepts, but also to provide them with opportunities to employ these concepts on practical examples and to thereby develop onward their skills in analytical thinking.
Didactic concept:
The seminar is planned to take place in presence.
An important part of the seminar will of course be based on reading. Additionally to reading and discussing the texts, students will also have to do (internet) researches on particular topics and cases. Discussions in the seminar will often be based on and employ the analytical method of mapping.
Additional examination information:
Prüfungsart: Hausarbeit
Bewertungsschema: RPO (benotet)
Umfang der Prüfungsleistung
- B.A.-Soziologie Hauptfach (6 LP):
- B.A.-Soziologie Nebenfach (5 LP):
- B.A.-Lehramt Sozialwissenschaften (5 LP):
Date for handing in the thesis: 31.8.2022 (via email)
Ausgabe der bewerteten Prüfungsleistungen: directly from the Dozent:innen
Weitere in der Veranstaltung zu erbringende (unbenotete) Studienleistungen:
- Aktive Teilnahme
- Pflichtlektüren
