Section

  • Power and Social Change

     
    eL This course is for students interested in how power is exercised by people, organizations, and the state to bring about social change. The course combines theoretical insights with practical examples and discussions to help students understand power and social change and give them tools they can apply in projects, organizations, and their everyday lives. It features classical as well as critical approaches on power, politics, policy, social movements, and organization to provide students with a more holistic understanding of the possibilities, promises, and challenges of social change.
                                            

    EMAIL

    samantha.ortiz@novasbe.pt

    TA: maximilian.hauser@novasbe.pt

    OFFICE HOURS

    By appointment
        •  Course ENROLMENT key:  2025P

    • Please be reminded that all required readings must be completed before class. These readings have been uploaded to the designated folders or provided via direct links. Ensure you review the instructions for each reading carefully, as sometimes only a specific chapter or set of pages is required, rather than the entire document.

      We strongly encourage you to explore the extra readings as well. You can access these additional readings online or through the Nova SBE Library webpage: http://library.novasbe.unl.pt/.

      Thank you for your dedication and preparation!


  • Open allClose all

  • Instructions: Clicking on the section name will show / hide the section.

  • 1

       Readings and work for this week:

    Session 1: Introduction to Power and Social Change

    In this first session we will get to know each other, discuss course requirements and set mutual expectations for the term. We will also discuss key ideas for the course: what is power? How does power work? What is social change and how does it happen? We will end the session by forming teams for the group assignment.

     

    Required readings:

    -       Hays, S. (1994). Structure and agency and the sticky problem of culture. Sociological theory, 57-72.

    -       Avelino, F. (2021). Theories of power and social change. Power contestations and their implications for research on social change and innovation. Journal of Political Power, 14(3), 425-448.

     

    Recommended readings:

    -       Bachrach, P., & Baratz, M. S. (1962). Two Faces of Power. American Political Science Review, 56(4), 947-952.

    -       Crozier, M. (1973). The problem of power. Social research, 211-228.

    -       Foucault, M. (1978). The history of sexuality. Volume 1: An introduction. New York: Pantheon Books. Pp. 92-102 (“Method”).

    -       Sewell Jr, W. H. (1992). A theory of structure: Duality, agency, and transformation. American journal of sociology, 98(1), 1-29.

    -       Butler, J. (1997). The Psychic life of power: Theories in subjection. Standford UP.

    Week
    1
  • 2

    Session 2: State power and public policy

    In this session we examine power and social change through the State. We learn about public policy as a government mechanism and think critically about the limitations and implication of exercising power through it.

     

    Required readings:

    -       Stone, D. A. (1989). Causal stories and the formation of policy agendas. Political science quarterly, 104(2), 281-300.

    -       Foucault, M. (1982). The Subject and Power. Critical Inquiry, 8:4, 777-795.

     

    Recommended readings:

    -       Lasswell, H. D. (1970). The emerging conception of the policy sciences. Policy sciences, 1(1), 3-14.

    -       Behn, R. D. (1981). Policy analysis and policy politics. Policy Analysis, 199-226.

    -       Miller, P., and Rose, N. (1990). Governing economic life. Economy and Society, 19:1, 1-31.

    -       Peter DeLeon, "The Historical Roots of the Field", The Oxford Handbook of Public Policy, Michael Moran, Martin Rein, and Robert E. Goodin (eds.), 39-57 (New York: Oxford University Press, 2008).

    -       Doherty, R. (2007). Chapter 13: Critically framing education policy: Foucault, discourse and governmentality. Counterpoints, 292, 193-204.

    -       Stone, D. A. (2022). Policy paradox: The art of political decision making. WW Norton & company.


    Week
    2
  • 3

    Session 3: Mobilization and Organizing for Social Change

    In this session we discuss why and how people mobilize and come together to advance common goals. We examine theories of mobilization, social movements, and organizing for social change.

     

    Required readings:

    -       Ganz, M. (2000). Resources and resourcefulness: Strategic capacity in the unionization of California agriculture, 1959-1966. American journal of sociology, 105(4), 1003-1062.

    -       Polletta, F., & Jasper, J. M. (2001). Collective identity and social movements. Annual review of Sociology, 27(1), 283-305.

     

    Recommended readings:

    -       Alinsky, S. (1989). Rules for radicals: A pragmatic primer for realistic radicals. Vintage.

    -       Ganz, M. (2009). Why David sometimes wins: Leadership, organization, and strategy in the California farm worker movement. Oxford University Press.

    -       Polletta, F. (2009). It was like a fever: Storytelling in protest and politics. University of Chicago Press.

    -       Munson, Z. W. (2010). The making of pro-life activists: How social movement mobilization works. University of Chicago Press.

    -       Jasper, J. M. (2014). Protest: A cultural introduction to social movements. John Wiley & Sons.

    -       Moss, D. M., & Snow, D. A. (2016). Theorizing social movements. Handbook of contemporary sociological theory, 547-569.

    -       Tilly, C., & Wood, L. (2019). Social movements as politics. In Social Movements, 1768-2018 (pp. 3-17). Routledge.


    Week
    3
  • 4

    Session 4: The Costs and Perils of Organizing for Social Change

    We discuss the risks undertaken by activists and members who organize for social change and the role of personal emotions and identity in sustaining collective action efforts.

     

    Required readings:

    -       Reger, J. (2004). Organizational “emotion work” through consciousness-raising: An analysis of a feminist organization. Qualitative Sociology, 27, 205-222.

    -       A culture of care: Helping activists and their allies look after themselves. (n.d.). Retrieved September 24, 2020, from openDemocracy website: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/frontline-insights/culture-care-helping-activists-and-their-allies-look-after-themselves/

    -       Self-Care and Sustaining Activism: Infographic. (2019, January 9). Retrieved September 24, 2020, from Global Fund for Women website: https://www.globalfundforwomen.org/self-care-activism-infographic/

    -       Activist self care and wellbeing. (2020, August 24). Retrieved September 24, 2020, from Amnesty International Australia website: https://www.amnesty.org.au/self-care-well-being/

     

    Recommended readings:

    -       Hirsch, E. L. (1990). Sacrifice for the Cause: Group Processes, Recruitment, and Commitment in a Student Social Movement. American Sociological Review, 55(2), 243.

    -       Jasko, K., Szastok, M., Grzymala‐Moszczynska, J., Maj, M., & Kruglanski, A. W. (2019). Rebel with a Cause: Personal Significance from Political Activism Predicts Willingness to Self-Sacrifice. Journal of Social Issues, 75(1), 314–349.

    -       Kanter, R. M. (1968). Commitment and Social Organization: A Study of Commitment Mechanisms in Utopian Communities. American Sociological Review, 33(4), 499.

    -       Gorski, P., Lopresti-Goodman, S., & Rising, D. (2019). “Nobody’s paying me to cry”: The causes of activist burnout in United States animal rights activists. Social Movement Studies, 18(3), 364–380.

    -       Schrock, D., Holden, D., & Reid, L. (2004). Creating emotional resonance: Interpersonal emotion work and motivational framing in a transgender community. Social Problems, 51(1), 61-81.

    -       Jasper, J. M. (1998, September). The emotions of protest: Affective and reactive emotions in and around social movements. In Sociological forum (Vol. 13, pp. 397-424). Kluwer Academic Publishers-Plenum Publishers.


    Week
    4
  • 5

    Session 5: Being a Change Agent: Interpersonal Power

    In this session, we reflect on what it means to be a change agent. We reflect on our power and role vis-à-vis the State, social movements, and organizations. We also reflect on how notions of self influence how we participate in collective action efforts.

     

    Required readings:

    -       Battilana, J., & Casciaro, T. (2021). Power, for all: How it really works and why it's everyone's business. Simon and Schuster. Pp. 193- 208: “Conclusion”

    -       Butler, J. (2001). Giving an account of oneself. diacritics, 31(4), 22-40.

     

    Recommended readings:

    -       Ganz, M. (2008). What is public narrative? Available at: https://resources.equityinitiative.org/bitstream/handle/ei/721/Ganz-WhatIsPublicNarrative08.pdf?sequence=1

    -       Battilana, J. (2006). Agency and institutions: The enabling role of individuals’ social position. Organization, 13(5), 653-676.

    -       Mair, J., Battilana, J., & Cardenas, J. (2012). Organizing for society: A typology of social entrepreneuring models. Journal of business ethics, 111, 353-373.


    Week
    5
  • 6

    Session 6: Conclusion and Final Presentations

    In this last session, groups will present their analysis of a case of social change. We will use these presentations to map collective conclusions on the contents of the course.


      Week
      6
    • 7


        Week
        7