March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, August 1963. (Photograph by Abbie Rowe. Image courtesy of the National Park Service.)
Instructor(s)
Prof. Melissa Nobles
MIT Course Number
17.509
As Taught In
Spring 2005
Level
Undergraduate
Translated Versions
Course Description
Course Description
This course seeks to provide students with a general understanding of the form of collective action known as the social movement. Our task will be guided by the close examination of several twentieth century social movements in the United States. We will read about the U.S. civil rights, the unemployed workers', welfare rights, pro-choice / pro-life and gay rights movements. We will compare and contrast certain of these movements with their counterparts in other countries. For all, we will identify the reasons for their successes and failures.