Skip to main content
Unit of study_

INGS3602: Social Movements in the Global South

Semester 1, 2020 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Why do social movements emerge in particular countries? How do social movement actors relate to one another across borders, and how effective are they at promoting social change? To what extent are these movements context specific or transnational? How do they construct or broker models of knowledge and action? Building on the insights from INGS2601 Transnational Actors and Networks, students will apply a interdisciplinary lens to social movements in Latin America, the Middle East, North Africa and Southeast Asia, four key regions within the Global South.

Unit details and rules

Unit code INGS3602
Academic unit Spanish and Latin American Studies
Credit points 6
Prohibitions
? 
None
Prerequisites
? 
18 credit points at 2000 level in Global Studies
Corequisites
? 
None
Assumed knowledge
? 

None

Available to study abroad and exchange students

Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator Vek Lewis, vek.lewis@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s) Lucia Sorbera, lucia.sorbera@sydney.edu.au
Tutor(s) Vek Lewis, vek.lewis@sydney.edu.au
Shima Shahbazi, shima.shahbazi@sydney.edu.au
Christian Tym, christian.tym@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Presentation group assignment Class presentation of research
via zoom
10% - 500 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6 LO7 LO8
Participation Participation
via zoom
10% - n/a
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO8 LO7 LO6 LO5 LO4 LO3 LO2
Assignment group assignment Project on being part of social movement organisation
n/a
30% Week 06
Due date: 02 Apr 2020 at 23:59

Closing date: 02 Apr 2020
1500 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO8 LO7 LO6 LO5 LO4 LO3 LO2
Assignment Essay portfolio
n/a
20% Week 10
Due date: 08 May 2020 at 23:59

Closing date: 08 May 2020
1000 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6 LO7 LO8
Assignment Research essay
n/a
30% Week 13
Due date: 29 May 2020 at 23:59

Closing date: 29 May 2020
3000 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6 LO7 LO8
group assignment = group assignment ?

Assessment summary

Detailed information for each assessment can be found in the Canvas site for this unit.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a High distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a Distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name

Mark range

Description

High distinction

85 - 100

 

Distinction

75 - 84

 

Credit

65 - 74

 

Pass

50 - 64

 

Fail

0 - 49

When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

  • Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
  • After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website  provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.  

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes
Week 01 Introduction to the study and concept of social movements Lecture (1 hr) LO2 LO4
Unpacking social movement concepts and theories Tutorial (1 hr) LO2 LO4
Week 02 The world "al revés": thinking from the South in this unit Lecture (1 hr) LO2 LO3 LO4 LO8
“Southern” knowledges and action Tutorial (1 hr) LO2 LO3 LO4 LO8
Week 03 The state and the civil society in the MENA region Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO5 LO8
The contours of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) struggles past and present Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO5 LO8
Week 04 Theorizing civil society in the MENA region Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO5 LO8
Theory and practice of civil society in the MENA region Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO5 LO8
Week 05 Feminist, gender and LGBTQ activism in the Middle East and North Africa Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO7 LO8
Universalism and local specificities in feminist, gender and LGBTQ activism in the MENA region Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO4 LO5 LO8
Week 06 The human rights movement in the Middle East and North Africa: an overview Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO3 LO5
Political biographies of human rights defenders in the MENA region Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO5 LO8
Week 07 Gendering human rights in the MENA region Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO7 LO8
Political biographies of women human rights defenders in the MENA region Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO5 LO7 LO8
Week 08 Labour and workers movements in the Middle East and North Africa Lecture (1 hr) LO3 LO4 LO5
The labour and workers movements and the 2011 Arab uprisings Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO3 LO4 LO5
Week 09 Where in the world? What in the world? Latin American movements in overview Lecture (1 hr) LO3 LO8
The contours of Latin American struggles past and present Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO3 LO8
Week 10 Chile: movements in movement – student movement, Mapuche struggle Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO4 LO5 LO8
Beyond institutional redress via the State? From civic to uncivic strategies Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO4 LO5 LO8
Week 11 Indigenous and Afro-Black movements: between identity and territory Lecture (1 hr) LO3 LO4 LO5 LO7 LO8
Disputed territories and terrains of Indigeneity, multiculturality and plurinationality in Latin America Tutorial (1 hr) LO3 LO4 LO5 LO7 LO8
Week 12 Environmental justice in the face of extractivism? ecoterritorial, and livelihood struggles Lecture (1 hr) LO3 LO4 LO5 LO7
Coalitions and cleavages in environmentalism in Latin America Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO7 LO8
Week 13 Transversal feminisms: connecting femicide-ecocide and bodies/territories Lecture (1 hr) LO3 LO4 LO5
Lines of connection: forging new spaces Tutorial (1 hr) LO4 LO5 LO6 LO8

Attendance and class requirements

  • 1 one-hour face to face Zoom lecture 1 one-hour Zoom tutorial per week
  • Lecture recording: Most lectures (in recording-equipped venues) will be recorded and may be made available to students on the LMS. However, you should not rely on lecture recording to substitute your classroom learning experience.
  • Preparation: Students should commit to spend approximately three hours’ preparation time (reading, studying, homework, essays, etc.) for every hour of scheduled instruction.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. demonstrate a deeper understanding of the local-global interface in social activism and the transnational architecture of power and knowledge, as developed in units such as Transnational Spaces and Networks, with specific reference to civil society actors in the Global South
  • LO2. assess the usefulness and limitations of the frameworks, Global South/Global North, in reference to the regions under study in the unit and in the context of interdisciplinary knowledge on contemporary culture, society, politics and economy
  • LO3. evaluate trends in the emergence of social movements in the Global South, their chief shared characteristics and differences, how they interact with and diverge from those of the Global North
  • LO4. identify and apply key analytical frameworks for examining social movements in particular national, regional and geopolitical sites, in both physical and virtual spaces
  • LO5. critically engage with secondary literature on selected instances of social movement action and coordination on local, national and transnational scales
  • LO6. apply interdisciplinary knowledge and self-reflection both to individual and collaborative research
  • LO7. demonstrate sensitivity to the role of language in hegemonic and counterhegemonic discourses used in political arena by contending actors and in media sources
  • LO8. show understanding of the way that culturally specific histories of nation, state formation, democratization, (neo)colonialism, neoliberalism, and factors like religion, gender, ethnicity, race and sexuality can corroborate and/or militate against pan-social movement and transnational activism.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1 Depth of disciplinary expertise

Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.

GQ2 Critical thinking and problem solving

Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.

GQ3 Oral and written communication

Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.

GQ4 Information and digital literacy

Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.

GQ5 Inventiveness

Generating novel ideas and solutions.

GQ6 Cultural competence

Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.

GQ7 Interdisciplinary effectiveness

Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.

GQ8 Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity

An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.

GQ9 Influence

Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes Graduate qualities
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

No changes have been made since this unit was last offered

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.