B3EL114 Organisations & Social Movements

24-6-2024 18:16

© [2023] Erasmus University Rotterdam​

This study material is protected by copyright under Dutch copyright laws. It is provided in the context of your study programme and is destined solely for your personal use. You are thus permitted to create a personal copy. You are not permitted to reproduce, distribute or otherwise make available to third parties any part(s) of this study material without prior written consent of the Erasmus University Rotterdam. 

Details

Contact information and availability

lodge@rsm.nl

Course overview

Current historical and political events show us how the study of social movements is more relevant than ever. Black Lives Matter, MeToo and Extinction Rebellion are only but the most recent examples of organized forms of collective action powerfully challenging the status quo in the social and environmental domains of modern societies.

Going beyond the confrontational nature of social movements, organizations (such as in the profit, nonprofit or public sector) can leverage and cooperate with social movements to create opportunities for social change in their fields and in broader society.

The course seeks to provide students with a general understanding of social movements, their impact in driving social and environmental change, and how organizations can interact with them in tackling some of the grand challenges of our time.

Learning goals

• B3EL114 Goal 1 - Distinguish different types of social movements and recognize the drivers behind their birth, growth and eventual success/failure.
• B3EL114 Goal 2 - Understand the impact of social movements in driving (or reacting to) social change and tackling current societal and environmental grand challenges.
• B3EL114 Goal 3 - Understand the impact and implications of social movements’ activities for organizations, in particular by looking at organizations as targets of social movements, organizations as sights of social movements, and organizations and market opportunities as outcomes of social movements.
• B3EL114 Goal 4 - Identify opportunities for organizations to collaborate with social movements in driving social change and tackling grand challenges.

Workload

Course activities

Each week, we will have two sessions during which we will cover one relevant ‘block’ of topics related to organizations and social movements. We will use the first session every week to look at theoretical and conceptual issues (during a ‘lecture’), and the second session every week to look at more practical applications of the content (during a ‘workshop’).

All session will be online. We will be using Zoom to hold sessions and the Zoom link will be shared via Canvas ahead of time. 

The course spans five weeks and has the following structure:

Block 1 – Foundations of social movements: characteristics and concepts
Block 2 – Foundations of social movements: tactics, strategies, and their consequences
Block 3 – Organizations as targets of social movements
Block 4 – Organizations as places of social movements
Block 5 – Organizations and market opportunities as consequences of social movements

While not compulsory, attendance to all lectures is strongly recommended as substantial parts of the final exam will be related to content that is discussed exclusively in class.

Registrations

Session overview

Please see the Course Overview, Course Activities, and Study Materials sections for more information.

Examination

Integrity statement
Students are expected to take individual tests to the best of their own ability, without seeking or accepting the help of others or use resources that are not explicitly allowed nor to help others. In teamwork, students are not allowed to collaborate outside their own group. Sharing solutions with other teams is also considered a fraudulent action. 

Examination schedule
The dates of written exams are available via timetables.eur.nl.

Examination registration
Registration for the course in Osiris means that you will automatically be registered for the regular written tests and non-written tests. Course registration will be done by Programme Management for all students who have not yet followed or passed this course (based on studying in or beyond nominal time).

Students who have not passed the course after the regular written test will be automatically registered for the re-sit by Programme Management. If you have already passed the course but would like to take the re-sit of the written test to improve your grade, then you must register yourself in Osiris Student. Registration for the re-sit will be possible via Osiris 26 to 5 working days before the date of the written test. Specific registration dates per course can be found via courses.eur.nl (see test enrolment). Please make sure you register before the deadline and to check whether you have received a confirmation e-mail upon your re-sit registration. Registration after the deadline is not possible. 

For RSM minors: If you have already passed the minor but would like to take the re-sit of the written test to improve your grade, send an email to BSc Programme Management (bsc.pm@rsm.nl) to register for the re-sit. Registration for the re-sit will be possible 26 to 5 working days before the date of the written test. Please make sure you register before the deadline. Registration after the deadline is not possible.

Examination perusal
The date and time of perusal will be announced once the examination results are published. 

Retaking the course
Students retaking the course must complete each assessment part based on the material as required for the current academic year. Students retaking the course are not allowed to carry over their partial grades from previous academic years. In addition, the examination for re-takers is based on the content and conditions that apply to the current academic year.   

Validity of grades
Partial grades are only valid during the current academic year. 

Assessment plan

Study materials

In order to make the most out of this course, you are required to read the ‘core’ readings for each session. These readings have been selected to provide a range of essential insights and foundational knowledge to the topics we will be examining together.

Further, it is highly recommended that you also engage with the ‘additional’ readings, which add nuance and comprehension to the topics we will be discussing. They are, however, not required to pass or do well in the final exam.

All core and additional readings can be accessed via the Erasmus University Library online platform (or through Google Scholar).

Block 1 – Foundations of social movements: characteristics and concepts

Core reading
Snow, D. A., Soule, S. A., & Kriesi, H. (2004). Chapter 1: Mapping the Terrain. In: Snow, D. A., Soule, S. A., & Kriesi, H. The blackwell companion to social movements. 1st edition, 3–16.

Additional reading
Edwards, B., & McCarthy, J. D. (2004). Chapter 6: Resources and Social Movement Mobilization. In: Snow, D. A., Soule, S. A., & Kriesi, H. The blackwell companion to social movements. 1st edition, 116–152.

Block 2 – Foundations of social movements: tactics, strategies, and their consequences

Core reading
Walker, E. T., & Martin, A. W. (2019). Chapter 9: Social Movement Organizations. In: Snow, D. A., Soule, S. A., Kriesi, H., & McCammon, H. J. The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Social Movements. 2nd Edition, 167–184.

Additional reading
Verta, T., & van Dyke, N. (2004). Chapter 12: “Get up, Stand up”: Tactical Repertoires of Social Movements. In: Snow, D. A., Soule, S. A., & Kriesi, H. The blackwell companion to social movements. 1st edition, 262–293.

Block 3 – Organizations as targets of social movements

Core reading
Soule, S. A. (2018). Social Movements and Their Impact on Business and Management. Oxford Research Encyclopaedia of Business and Management.

Additional reading
Spar, D. L., & La Mure, L. T. (2003). The Power of activism: assessing the impact of NGOs on global business. California Management Review, 45(3), 78–101.

Block 4 – Organizations as places of social movements

Core reading
Zald, M. N., & Berger, M. A. (1978). Social movements in organizations: coup d'etat, insurgency, and mass movements. American Journal of Sociology, 83(4), 823–861.

Additional reading
Briscoe, F., & Gupta, A (2021). Business disruption from the inside out. Stanford Social Innovation Review, 19(1).

Block 5 – Organizations and market opportunities as consequences of social movements

Core reading
Rao, H., Morrill, C., & Zald, M. N. (2000). Power plays: how social movements and collective action create new organizational forms. Research in Organizational Behavior, 22, 237–281.

Additional reading
Weber, K., Heinze, K. L., & Desoucey, M. (2008). Forage for thought: mobilizing codes in the movement for grass-fed meat and dairy products. Administrative Science Quarterly, 53(3), 529–567.

All study materials such as readers, (online) classes, web-lectures, assignments and exams published on Canvas (“content”) or otherwise made available to you for your studies are protected by copyright under Dutch copyright laws. The copyright is owned by the Erasmus University Rotterdam or the party credited in the publication. ​

​The content is provided solely for your personal use and study. You are allowed to create a copy for your personal use. You are not allowed to make the content or parts thereof available to others or reproduce it without prior written permission of the Erasmus University Rotterdam. ​

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Reflection on UN Sustainable Development Goals 

This course reflect upon the following UN SDGs: 

• Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth
• Goal 10: Reduced inequality
• Goal 13: Climate action
• Goal 17: Partnerships to achieve the goal