environment social movement research paper

RESEARCH PAPER:

Do you feel it? Do you feel the struggle and strife? Do you see or hear of oppression, inequality, social unrest? Is the system open to change?

Research Question:

What modern-day grassroots social movement do you think will bring about large-scale social change and what evidence supports your prediction?

Be sure to answer the following questions within your research paper:

What is the movement called?

What is the identifiable ideology? (Why does it exist? What is the desired change?)

How is the movement organized? Who is (are) the leader(s)? Remember, leaders are found OUTSIDE of the system. Generally, politicians are within the system so they are not the leaders of social movements. What are the activities? How does the movement recruit supporters? How is the movement funded?

What is the structural strain? Is the current system open to change? What is the weak link? Why now? Remember this important point: Structural strain is found within the established system, NOT within the social movement. This will take some thought and analysis on your part. (See the discussion of Political Opportunity Structure in your text for a better understanding of Structural Strain.)

Where do you see this happening? In a world changing as quickly as ours, could the next social movement be a global movement?

You MUST clearly identify and specify (ie: label, tag, highlight, use as headings…) the following:

– IDENTIFIABLE IDEOLOGY

– ORGANIZATION (How is the movement organized?)

– STRUCTURAL STRAIN (What is the weakness in the system?)

In order for you to receive full points, I need to SEE these words. Connect the dots for me. Help me understand. Write as though I don’t know anything about this movement (which may be true!). Don’t make me go looking for the ideology, how it is organized or what the structural strain is that will allow for change. Tell me directly, and very clearly. Be clear on the difference between “an organization” (noun) and how a movement is “organized” (the structure and the process of the movement organizing). There may be several “organizations” supporting a social movement – and please do discuss this in your paper – but there will not be several social movements supporting an organization. now, when it wasn’t able to 10 years, 5 years or even a year ago?

Please note: Merton’s Strain Theory is NOT the same as Structural Strain! If you point to Strain Theory, you will not receive points for this part of the paper. Dissatisfaction, racism, police brutality, discrimination, etc., alone is not enough to create structural strain. For example, discrimination has been taking place for centuries. What’s different now? Why would a social movement be able to push through a change

THIS IS NOT AN ESSAY or opinion paper. This is a RESEARCH paper. Look for the evidence. ASA style/Format average paper is about 6 pages, (not including title page and references) but more importantly, be sure your paper is clear, concise and has answered the questions. Follow the directions precisely. You will be graded on how well you have done that.