Social Movements and Radical Democracy (976M9)

15 credits, Level 7 (Masters)

Spring teaching

On this module, you’ll explore the interaction between social movements and radical democratic theory.

You’ll examine:

• activism, collective action and struggles for social justice
• how this challenges power structures and expands democratic participation
• key theory, including radical, participatory and deliberative democracy
• applications of theory to historical and contemporary movements (Old and New Social Movements)
• critical readings, case studies and interactive discussions
• how social movements mobilize around issues of inequality, representation and citizenship
• how movements envision different viewpoints and systems of belief.

By the end of the course, you’ll be able to analyse the political, social and cultural impacts of social movements. You’ll also assess the role of movements in shaping more inclusive and transformative democratic practices.

Contact hours and workload

This module is approximately 150 hours of work. This breaks down into about 22 hours of contact time and about 128 hours of independent study. The University may make minor variations to the contact hours for operational reasons, including timetabling requirements.

We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We’re planning to run these modules in the academic year 2026/27. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to feedback, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum.

We’ll make sure to let you know of any material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.