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Intro to Communication and Civic Life
America has long struggled to balance its belief in individualism with its faith in the power of collective action. At some moments in our history one of the traits is clearly accented. At the beginning of the 20th Century during the height of migration from farmland to major cities, for example, a type of “sink or swim” individualism reigned; one made it on their own or they didn’t make it at all. Today, it is more common to think and act in concert, to network, with others (think social networking sites, mass political activism, etc.). More often, the history of American political thought has been an adventure in trying to seam these two poles together — we tell a story of collective action like the Revolutionary War but focus on heroic narratives of individuals like Paul Revere or George Washington or, more recently, the “Civil Rights struggle” gets reduced to a discussion of Rosa Parks or Martin Luther King, Jr.
In short, As David Raney has put it, “we resist conformity on principle, but indulge it in practice.”
This assignment, then, starts from the premise that although a great deal of collective behavior occurs, it does so under great resistance and has to overcome the “default” setting of individualism. In short, for the most part we wish to be left alone to live our lives and it is only under certain conditions that we choose to engage in collective behaviors; after all, engaging in a social movement, for example, often entails – at the least – having to take a deep look at one’s views and self and can also involve a great deal of work and occasionally risk legal or financial penalty and personal safety. In this essay, then, you are to analyze a social movement (of your choosing) to determine whether (or not) you consider it successful and to explain why it has (or does not have) that success.
The Mechanics
As with previous essays your essay should be approximately 4-5 pages and it should be presented in a traditional academic format (typed, double-spaced, standard margins, 12 pt font, e.g.).
You may select any movement of your choosing. The movement can be a currently existing social movement or can be a “historical” movement but in either case the analysis and consideration of its elements must be your own. Likewise, you may select a movement that takes place at the local, state, national, or international level.
In order to determine the effect of the movement you should take into account as many factors as possible including: its goals, constraints preventing the success of the movement and strategies/tactics they employed to overcome those obstacles, the movement’s target audiences, resources, credibility, leadership, message design, media/image strategy, internal cohesion, and opposition e.g.
You MUST incorporate the readings paired with this assignment in your analysis. The Simons article addresses the functions and constraints of social movements (pages 3-11 are particularly useful as a broad overview of what a social movement needs). The Deluca and Delicath essay addresses the concept of “image events” and how social movements operate in the new media environment. The Stewart, Smith, and Denton selection focuses on leaders and their essential traits. Your analysis must show that you have considered these essays and that they have, in some substantial way, influenced your thinking.
To complete this essay successfully you will have had to:
1. REFLECT on class discussion and readings to consider a range of rationales for why collective action becomes viable
2. ANALZYE a wide range of factors that influence the outcome of a movement and its overall success
3. CRAFT a defense of your position that the movement is (or is not) effective and support that claim through effective argument and demonstration.
4. INCORPORATE all three provided essays into your account
5. PRESENT a paper that follows standard academic guidelines concerning grammar, tone, format and citation.
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