Sociology 101 – Social Movements

The following course, Sociology 101 (currently Sociology 288) , is a junior level sociology course provided by Athabasca University’s Center for Global and Social Analysis. Together with Sociology 100 this course forms a standard 6 credit introduction to the critical study of sociology.

This course takes some of the concepts and insights provided in Athabasca Universities Sociology 100 course and applies them to the study of social movements. The course author wends his way through definitions of social movements, homework, ideology, media, and competition to finally end with a study of globally based social movements. The intent of the course is to provide students with a critical and grounded introduction to the nature, function, and emergence of social movements, not to mention an introduction to ideology, media thought control, and the nefarious business of public relations.

The course requires the following textbooks. These textbooks are included as part of the AU course fee and therefore do not require additional financial outlays.

Hathaway, W. (2010). Radical peace: People refusing war. Waterville, OR: Trine Day LLC. [amazonify]0979988691:right:text::::Purchase Book[/amazonify]

Kohn, A. (1992). No contest: The case against competition (rev. ed). Boston: Houghton Mifflin.[amazonify]0395631254:right[/amazonify]

Kralovec, E. & Buell, J. (2000). The end of homework: How homework disrupts families, overburdens children, and limits learning. Boston: Beacon Press. [amazonify]0807042196:right:text::::Purchase Book[/amazonify]

Miller, D, & Dinan, W. (2008). A century of spin: How public relations became the cutting edge of corporate power. London: Pluto Press. [amazonify]0745326897:right:text::::Purchase Book[/amazonify]

Shiva, V. (2000). Stolen harvest: The hijacking of the global food supply. Cambridge, MA: South End Press. [amazonify]0896086070:right:text::::Purchase Book[/amazonify]

Staggenborg, S. (2008). Social movements. Don Mills, ON: Oxford University Press Canada.

To register for the course, apply at Athabasca University and register. You can either take an entire sociology degree through Athabasca, or transfer individual courses to your home institution.