POL503 Civic society and political protest

Faculty of Social Studies
Autumn 2014
Extent and Intensity
1/1. 9 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
prof. PhDr. Ing. Ondřej Císař, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. et Mgr. Jiří Navrátil, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
Mgr. Miloš Gregor, Ph.D. (assistant)
Guaranteed by
prof. PhDr. Stanislav Balík, Ph.D.
Division of Politology – Department of Political Science – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Mgr. Lucie Pospíšilová
Supplier department: Division of Politology – Department of Political Science – Faculty of Social Studies
Timetable
Thu 17:00–20:15 P24
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
At the end of the course the students will be able to identify the main approaches to the study of social and political movements. Furthermore, the students will be able to analyze, compare, and explain political mobilization phenomena by using the up-to-date conceptual apparatus. Students will also be able to identify and describe the most important problems in the field of contemporary social movements. In addition, the students will be provided with a manual for writing their dissertations in political science.
Syllabus
  • 1. Introduction
  • 2. Activism, protest, and their transformations
  • I. THEORY
  • 3. Resource mobilization
  • 4. Political opportunity structure
  • 5. Cultural contexts
  • 6. Mechanisms of mobilization
  • 7. Reading week
  • II. CONTEMPORARY RESEARCH
  • 8. The study of protest
  • 9. Modern movements and contentious politics
  • 10. Activism and protest in East-Central Europe
  • 11. Internationalization of activism
  • 12. Subcultural and contra-cultural movements
  • 13. Course wrap-up
Literature
  • TARROW, Sidney G. The new transnational activism. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2005, xv, 258. ISBN 0521616778. URL info
  • TILLY, Charles. Social movements, 1768-2004. Boulder: Paradigm Publishers, 2004, x, 194. ISBN 1594510431. URL info
  • The Blackwell companion to social movements. Edited by David A. Snow - Sarah Anne Soule - Hanspeter Kriesi. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub., 2004, xvii, 754. ISBN 0631226699. URL info
  • MCADAM, Doug, Sidney G. TARROW and Charles TILLY. Dynamics of contention. 1st pub. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001, xxi, 387. ISBN 0521011876. info
  • EKIERT, Grzegorz and Jan KUBIK. Rebellious civil society : popular protest and democratic consolidation in Poland, 1989-1993. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1999, xiv, 278. ISBN 0472088300. info
  • TARROW, Sidney G. Power in movement : social movements and contentious politics. 2nd ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998, xv, 271. ISBN 0521629470. info
  • The social movement society :contentious politics for a new century. Edited by David S. Meyer - Sidney Tarrow. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 1998, ix, 282 s. ISBN 0-8476-8541-1. info
  • TILLY, Charles. Popular contention in Great Britain : 1758-1834. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1995, xvi, 476. ISBN 0674689801. info
  • TILLY, Charles. The Vendée. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1964, xi, 373. info
Teaching methods
Lectures, position papers' debates, seminars.
Assessment methods
1. Students are expected to write five short position papers (300-600 words each) on five different seminar topics (20 points; i.e. 50 percent of the overall evaluation). The points are awarded as a bulk evaluation for the submission of all papers; separate papers do not get points. This means that no points at all will be awarded for the submission of less than five position papers. Late submissions and submission of papers that do not meet the minimal requirements of quality and structure are not acceptable.
The papers should include a summary of the main points of the required reading(s), a critique of these readings, questions of clarification, and possible questions for discussion. To enable the organization of the in-class discussion, papers must have two clearly identified sections:
1) A summary section entitled "Summary";
2) a critique section entitled "Critique".
Papers that do not have this structure and contain different points scattered throughout the text will be rejected and will not count towards the student's grade.
2. At the end of the semester students should submit a 10-page long final paper on a topic relevant to the course (up to 20 points, i.e. 50 percent of the overall evaluation).
The grade will be calculated on the basis of the number of points collected. In order to complete the course, students must collect at least 24 points. Evaluation:
A 40 – 38 points
B 37 – 34 points
C 33 – 30 points
D 29 – 27 points
E 26 – 24 points
F 23 and less points
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course is taught annually.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2009, Autumn 2010, Autumn 2011, Autumn 2012, Autumn 2013.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
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