Provisionally approved June 18, 2002
MODELS OF SOCIAL CHANGE
Level III
RATIONALE: Social change can take many forms and can happen on many levels. The goal of a movement for change may be to achieve a particular outcome around a single issue or widespread social and/or governmental change. Depending on your goals, your resources, and the context in which you are working, there are many models and methods you can draw from to work toward effecting social and structural change. There is no one right way to effect change. History and contemporary events are filled with examples of different kinds of struggles, movements, and actions all geared to promoting social change in different ways and at different levels. These examples may take the form of social revolution models such as those developed by V. I. Lenin or the anti-colonial national liberation models developed by Gandhi or Nelson Mandela. Or the change models may be legislative lobbying campaigns or community organizing efforts focused on winning single issues. Some campaigns for social change use the electoral system, as with the anti-war reform presidential campaign of Eugene McCarthy in the Democratic primaries of 1968 or the mayoral campaigns of African American candidates in major cities from 1966 to 1986. Others may be focused on reforming the electoral process, like the Voting Rights Campaign of African Americans, or building new political parties, such as the third-party presidential campaigns of Ralph Nader in 2000. Some change models may be built around influencing a small group of decision makers; others may employ a series of public actions designed to build broad public awareness about an issue, such as the international movement against “free trade” agreements like NAFTA, the movement-building efforts of feminists from 1966 to 1976, or the non-violent civil disobedience campaign to stop the war in Vietnam, 1965-1975. The aim of the competency is to provide the knowledge base that will allow students to examine a range of possible approaches to social change when they are acting as change agents themselves.
COMPETENCY: Can identify and analyze models of change and apply them to social problems.
CRITERIA:
1. Read and summarize a range of literature that describes and/or applies various models of social change.
2. Compare and contrast models of change.
3. Read and summarize three accounts of social change efforts and identify which models of change were involved.
4. Analyze the successes and failures of these efforts as they reflect the models of change you identified for Criterion 3.
5. Select a social problem and develop an argument for an appropriate model of change that would help address or eliminate the problem.
PORTFOLIO LINKS: You are expected to use the Writing Portfolio criteria and standards as guidelines for the written products required by this competency. Papers written for this competency may be considered for submission to the Writing Portfolio.
STANDARDS:
1. The models of change may range from formal theories to tested practical approaches, but they must involve some articulated set of arguments, purposes, and predicted outcomes.
2. For Criterion 2, the models of change drawn from the literature should include a range of types, so that you can distinguish between types of social change and within each category explain how models of change differ in terms of:
a. types of goals envisioned
b. strategies and tactics used
c. values and assumptions involved.
3. For Criterion 3:
a. You must select at least three case studies of social change efforts and have them approved by an evaluator. Each example should represent a distinctively different type and scale of change effort. They may include case studies that have been written up in detail and/or may include current campaigns you are familiar with.
b. Identification of the social change models should be supported by evidence drawn from literature produced by the campaigns themselves, by commentators on the campaigns, and/or by exponents of the relevant social change models.
4. For Criterion 4, your discussion of strengths and weaknesses should demonstrate knowledge of responses and criticism of the relevant social change models by participants in these social change efforts as well as by outside observers and critics. For each action, ask: Did it meet its goals? What was the impact? What were the problems and/or successes?
5. For Criterion 5, you may select a social problem that is real or hypothetical; you or the evaluator/instructor can provide it. Propose which model or combination of models you would apply, explain the reasons for your choice, and make a convincing argument addressed to those involved in the effort.
EXAMPLES OF DEMONSTRATION:
1. Prior Learning: A student with a good deal of direct experience in community organizing decides to use this experience as the basis for advocating a particular model of change. He draws on a combination of written case studies and other campaigns with which he is directly familiar. He compares and contrasts other models of change in making the case for this particular model and then cites his organizing experience applying the model to a particular social problem.
2. Directed Study: A group of Community Studies students with a special interest in Latino studies engage in a directed study evaluating the literature on independence efforts in Puerto Rico, along with studies of movements for social change led by Puerto Ricans and Mexican Americans in the
4. Field Project: A group of students interested in third party politics in the