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Home > Degree Programs > Teaching & Courses > Course Listing > Organizing: People, Power and Change
PAL-177: Organizing: People, Power and Change
Faculty: Marshall Ganz
Schedule
| Day | Time | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Day | 1/31 | ||
| Meet Day | T/Th | 2:40 PM - 4:00 PM | L230 |
| Review | |||
| Thu also in: L380, T275, 124MA/100 | |||
Description
In democratic countries, knowledge of how to combine is the mother of all other forms of knowledge: “on its progress depends that of all others,” de Tocqueville observed. To meet challenges of equity, accountability, and responsiveness, democracy requires an “organized” citizenry with power to discern, articulate, and assert its common interests effectively. As new democracies struggle to make citizen participation possible, in the United States it grows more unequal. Organizing can revitalize existing democratic institutions and create new ones. Students learn how to view social, economic, and political problems from an organizing perspective as well as how to act on them. Combining theory with practice, students learn to “map” power and interests, develop leadership, build relationships, motivate participation, devise strategy, and mobilize action to create organizations and conduct campaigns. Practices common to community, electoral, union, and issue organizing are emphasized.
Also offered by the Divinity School as HDS-2914.