So we are at the stage of the course where we need to think about terms and definitions.  As we have discussed in class, four key terms for us are social change, social movements, social justice, and social entrepreneurship.

To get started, below are a elements of the model of social movements from Bill Moyer’s wonderful book Doing Democracy.

• Social movements “are collective actions in which the populace is alerted, educated, and mobilized, over years and decades, to challenge the powerholders and the whole society to redress social problems or grievances and restore critical social values. By involving the populace directly in the political process, social movements also foster the concept of government of, by, and for the people. The power of movements is directly proportional to the forcefulness with which the grassroots exert their discontent and demand change. The central issue of social movements, therefore, is the struggle between the movement and the powerholders to win the hearts (sympathies), minds (public opinion), and active support of the great majority of the populace, which ultimately holds the power to either preserve the status quo or create change.”
  • Eight stages of social movements
    • STAGE ONE: NORMAL TIMES
    • STAGE TWO: PROVE THE FAILURE OF INSTITUTIONS
    • STAGE THREE: RIPENING CONDITIONS
    • STAGE FOUR: SOCIAL MOVEMENT TAKE-OFF
    • STAGE FIVE: IDENTITY CRISIS OF POWERLESSNESS
    • STAGE SIX: MAJORITY PUBLIC SUPPORT
    • STAGE SEVEN: SUCCESS
    • STAGE EIGHT: CONTINUING THE STRUGGLE
  • The four roles of individuals within social movements
    • Citizen
    • Rebel
    • Change agent
    • Reformer

In our class, we will use these four roles as a link between your own reflections on identity and agency as well as our research on social entrepreneurs and their diverse approaches to effecting social change.