POS 520 Politics of Collect Action

This course is intended to provide an in-depth overview of the current political science and sociological literature in the area of American mass political behavior, with an emphasis on interest groups, social movements, and more spontaneous forms of collective political activity - including violence. Following an introduction as to what constitutes an interest group and what counts as a social movement, some of the themes of the course will include why people choose to participate (or fail to do so), the tactics and procedures employed by interest groups as opposed to social movements, the types of goals/issues each tends to pursue, and the attendant successes and failures. There will be an emphasis on both theoretical as well as empirical analyses. Student should come away with a clear understanding of why these groups exist, the ways in which they are fostered/inhibited by cultural and institutional factors, and what types of organizations are best suited to specific types of issues/agendas in the American context.

Credits

3