Modern American Social Movements · History
Annoying weekly postings which force you to do the readings, a large group project (managable), and a pretty tough final that really requires some studying
Lots of reading, mostly very good McAdam in particular. Midterm was ID's and pick an essay. Final Exam, Paper. The TA had a bit to much say about grading. Not a class to take if you need an A.
Jay teaches this class like a real college history class!! OH NO!! If you're afraid of reading, studying, details, names, etc...run the other direction fast. Otherwise, there's a lot of material covered in this class that'll really, truly change the way you think about the Civil Rights movements, the Christian Right, Environmentalism, Feminism, and so on. The most interesting part for me was seeing how the movements all shared a lot of components on a larger level. A good class, but not an easy one.
This class in Social Movements could have been so fantastic. It's such a passionate subject, and the readings were excellent. I'm just disenchanted by how little Professor Minkoff seemed to care about the subject matter and her students. It really is a shame, considering she is the chair of the department. There were several students she just seemed to despise, and one of them (who was very bright) eventually dropped the course about mid way through. She just has that I'm superior and there is nothing you can do attitude about it. I don't appreciate that when I'm sincerely trying to learn. I expect Barnard/Columbia to have engaging rather than condescending instructors, especially at these prices. Because of this class, I will probably change majors.
weekly discussion postings, a bit of a pain; no midterm; a group website project, she assigns the groups and movements to study; a cumulative final, IDs, triplets, short responses, and one long essay, not hard if you've gone to class, know the IDs, and have read the major readings
Sure we all know about MLK Jr and Selma, Alabama... this class goes beyond that though. Prof Jay provides us the facts, the names and dates, so that when we talk about civil right, anti-vietnam war, womens lib, gay rights, the christian right, and environmentalists, we can talk intelligently and know the driving forces behin the movements, not just the major moments and the faces at the head of the movements. The class does a wonderful job of relating the movements to one another, and thought KJ as a historian largely relies on the factual details in order to build a full picture for her students, she also is very careful about allowing time for questions and discussion to assure that students take the time in class to digest all the theory through the facts she provides. If you like well organized and straightforward classes, you'll like this. If you're interested in movements, too, you'll love it (though probably not with a passion). She passes around an attendance sheet every once in a while, so make sure you go to class.
Most students in this class found it an interesting ACADEMIC subject. Jay teaches what issues, tactics, strategies, and institutions social movements share. She is attempting to explain the structural similarity in goals of the different movements and the resulting similarity in organizaitons, actions, and consciousness raising of each. Let me repeat- most of the people in the class were studying it academically. I was involved in a social movement and used the lessons from the class extensively. I continue to use them to this day. Great class for an activist to take. Great class for anyone attempting social change to take. If you don't understand why the Christian Right is more like the Radical Left than unlike then take this class.
Though the topic was interesting, it wasn't presented in the most interesting way. Jay's lectures were a journey back to high school history class: name, date and event memorization. But I would recommend the class, if just to get some surface knowledge about some of the most interesting events in American history.