FYS 178: The Art and Science of Social Movements. Spring 2021 (Co-taught with Dr. Lyndi Hewitt)
This course combines social science and arts-based approaches to investigate how humans confront social problems and work to achieve social change through activism. Students will learn to articulate and apply key concepts in the sociology of protest and social change, as well as analyze social change from an interdisciplinary perspective with an emphasis on the role of art and culture in social protest. Drawing on both historical and contemporary examples of collective action, including art interventions, the maker movement, the U.S. Civil Rights Movement, Black Lives Matter, and feminist movements such as #metoo, we will explore how the design and use of objects and materials can be leveraged for creative expression and effective activism. The final project will invite students to apply course concepts and practices through: 1) reflecting on their own role in social change, and 2) endeavoring into their own creative process to design and create an original artifact with a cultural/political message.
sarasandersdesigns 