We all witnessed hundreds of thousands of people who recently stormed the streets of different European capitals, but how do we know if this public activity has any effect or not?. Where is all this passion going ? What will be the result of it, if any?  This course is relevant for those who have participated, observed, or questioned the effectiveness of the recent street activity. Would the new actor-public be awakened and reactivated again? How do we assess the protest results and its "success"?

Topics

1: Conceptualizing Movements in the 21st Century: Social Movement Theory  vs Protest Publics concept.

How does civic discontent emerge, mobilize and (d)evolve in the age of technology and globalization. 

2: From Arab Spring to the Rose Revolution: Comparing Movements Across Democratic and non-Democratic Settings

3: Repertoires of Action: Tactics of Mobilization, Self-Expression and Advocacy Techniques. Protest Art.

4: Was it Worth the Effort? The Outcomes and Consequences of Mass Protests: change in minds, change in policy and change in politics.

5: How to Think about Your Social Action Experience. Becoming a Reflexive Scholar-Activist.

Learning results

As a result of this course, students will be able to apply the theories and concepts such as ‘protest publics’ or 'action repertoires to better understand modern social movement causes, repertoires, and consequences while expanding their own toolkit for working toward actionable social change.

Knowledge assessment form

Essay, maximum 5 pages. In the Final Coursework, you will choose any protest movement that you want to explore deeper and then apply it to the Georgian context–what can Georgian protests learn from your example to make them more resultative?

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О преподавателе

Lilly O’Toole, MPH, is a visiting Fulbright Scholar. Originally from Cincinnati but based in Batumi, Lilly moves further from home but closer to her Eastern European roots.

As a self-proclaimed global nomad, navigating various geopolitical environment has led her to pursue culturally grounded approaches to international public health work. She weaves her personal experience participating actively in social justice protests across different contexts to her coursework. When she’s not swimming in the Baltic or Black Sea, she’s studying up on social movement and protest public theories