Social Justice Movements

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

SSJ 20050 Social Justice Movements at UCD; Across the globe, people stand together in struggles to create a better world. Social justice movements refer to forms of collective action that seek to challenge oppression and transform society. The overall objective of this module is to provide students with a theoretically-informed understanding of these movements. The module uses a case study approach, applying various theoretical perspectives to illuminate attempts to achieve social change. Some of the social movements covered include anti-capitalist, feminist, civil rights, sexual identity and disabled people's movements. On completion of the module, students should: 1. Have developed a theoretically-informed and conceptually grounded understanding of social justice movements and be able to demonstrate knowledge of the current academic debates in the field. 2. Be able to apply their knowledge and understanding to develop arguments and critical perspectives on the dynamics of social justice movements and the challenges they confront locally and globally. 3. Be in a position to identify and deploy appropriate frameworks of analysis to particular cases and to evaluate the outcomes of various movements. 4. Be able to communicate their knowledge and understanding of the key issues, in both critical group discussion and in the production of a scholarly, well-researched essay on the subject of social justice movements. 5. Have the learning skills and critical awareness of important issues necessary to undertake further studies in the field.