LHA1109H
This is a Social Movement course. This course will be of interest to a wide range of practitioners, including: activists, popular educators, and counsellors. The context in which it is offered is a world increasingly populated by disenfranchised people. The intent is to help practitioners gain a fuller understanding of the populations in question and become more skilled and creative as allies and activists. The specific populations focused on are: psychiatric survivors, people who are homeless, people who have been imprisoned, people who use illicit drugs, undocumented people, and sex trade workers. Learners will gain knowledge of the ABC's of strategic activism, with particular emphasis on how to modify strategy to fit the populations and movements in question. An accompanying emphasis is use of the arts in resistance work with these populations. Examples of art forms drawn on include: theatre (including theatre of the oppressed), puppetry, and video-making. Popular education is integrated. Perspectives include: feminism, anti-racism, Marxism, transformative justice, antipsychiatry, labeling theory, anarchism, and the philosophies of nonviolent resistance. The classes go between lectures, student presentations, film and video analysis, rehearsals, consultations, exercises, and guest presentations. Activism within the larger community is an integral part of the course.