For this discussion you will examine one social movement, whether current or historical, and present what you have learned to your classmates. Once you understand the definition of a movement from your lesson and the chapter reading this week, be sure to search for additional information on the movement you have chosen. The previous page, called “Social Movement Examples” has some great videos on the gay rights movement, the environmental movement and the civil rights movement, so you can focus on these if you choose to. I highly recommend watching the ACT-UP video in any case, because the video clearly addresses the series of questions you will seek to answer for the response to the AIDS epidemic or any other movement you choose to investigate.
You will have learned the definition of social movements offered in Chapter 8 of our textbook. Greenberg-Page provide an overview of the most important social movements in U.S. history. To present information on a social movement, you should be able to discuss:
You could also look for this information in your research:
Depending on whether you are researching a historical movement or a current movement, you will need to consult different sources. There is a lag time in the publication of academic articles, so if you are looking for current information, you will need to look to movement participants, investigative reporters or perhaps interest groups participating in a movement.
One good source is DemocracyNow!.org. If you type the subject in their search engine, you will see many of the important leaders of the movement have been interviewed.
Similarly, the British newspaper, The Guardian, carries many stories about current movement and they have no paywall as many U.S. newspapers do.