Sociology 164 — Social Action
The model for teaching social action we’re using is based on the Sociology 164: Social Action class that Dr. Scott Myers-Lipton taught at San José State University in the Fall and Spring semester for 17 years.
Course Description
The approach to teaching social action we are advocating for is an experiential learning model where students develop and launch policy-change campaigns of their choosing as part of a course. The student campaigns seek to change a policy (i.e., a rule, law, regulation, norm, or practice of an institution) on campus or in the community.
In this social action model, students choose the campaigns to work on, and they can be from a conservative, liberal, or no ideological perspective. The campaigns must be non-violent and cannot break the UN Declaration of Human Rights. The key is that students learn to do democracy, which is a goal of higher education.
There are several key components of the social action model. First, students do social action rather than just learn about it. In a traditional course, students read about theories of social change, analyze social problems, read about campaigns, develop an abstract understanding of concepts, all with the professor being the “sage on the stage”.
In this experiential social action model, students read about theories of social change and apply it to real world campaigns, as well as define a social problem and develop concrete, quantifiable solutions (i.e., demands). In the process of choosing and leading campaigns students are transformed through a direct experience of democracy, all with the professor being a “guide on the side” where they are de-centered and co-creators of knowledge.
A key feature of this social action model is the topic and flow of the course. The motto of this model is “On Your Mark, Go!, Get Set.” In order to launch their campaigns by mid-semester, students go through the issue development process (identifying demands and targets) in the opening days of the class. By choosing their campaigns by the 4th or 5th class (sometimes continuing a campaign from a prior semester), students have enough time to learn about all of the necessary aspects of social change, and then they launch their campaign by the ninth week, and still have almost half a semester to do several actions, as well as to cover the academic course material.
Syllabus
Student Campaigns
The following are profiles of some of the student campaigns that were launched by students in Sociology 164 - Social Action. Some of the victorious student campaigns include:
- in 2020, students led a campaign to develop a 12-emergency bed program and a $2 million rental assistance program for homeless students;
- in 2019, students got Santa Clara County to clear and expunge 13,000 cannabis convictions;
- in 2017, students convinced the SJSU President to agree to rejoin the Workers Rights Consortium, ensuring SJSU apparel is not made in sweatshops;
- in 2015, students got the SJSU President to agree to install air conditioning in a 70 year-old building where several students had fainted due to heat exhaustion;
- in 2014, students convinced the SJSU President to remove a Tower Foundation board member, after she made a racist comment about Latinas;
- in 2012, students developed and led the Measure D campaign in the 2012 election, raising San Jose’s minimum wage from $8 to $10 an hour, and then pushing it to $15.
Books
Based on his 18 years teaching Sociology 164: Social Action, Dr. Scott Myers-Lipton wrote a textbook that follows the flow of his social action course. He then wrote a second book as a guide to teaching this model, and then compiled a companion guide that provides additional material to help faculty and staff teach social action.
CHANGE! A Student Guide to Social Action
CHANGE! A Guide to Teaching Social Action
CHANGE! A Companion Guide to Teaching Social Action
See more guides & other resources here.
Articles & Portfolio Assignments
Learning Outcomes
The Learning Outcomes for social action courses described here.