"Social movements are one of the most complex, perplexing and ubiquitous phenomena of modern societies. Political actions of social collectivities have fundamentally shaped the political and social imaginaries of the past, present and future. This political sociology course, by adopting a theoretical and historical orientation, seeks to contribute to student’s understanding of social movements, and contentious politics more generally. Without presupposing any familiarity with social movement theory or scholarship, this course will critically review the main theories and key concepts in the field of social movement studies and trace the development of the field genealogically. Exploring the various theories of social movements will endow us with a rich conceptual vocabulary and theoretical apparatus to make sense of social movements. Among the theories we will examine are Marxism, resource mobilization theory, rational choice theory, new social movement theory, political process theory (and the related contentious politics perspective), and more recent emotional and cultural framing theories of social movements. The key concepts we will examine include class conflict, structural power, free riding, collective identity, political opportunities, mobilizing structures, framing, protest cycles, repertoires of contention and others. We’ll also try to understand how these theoretical interventions took place in different historical contexts to better comprehend not only the analytical and epistemological commitments undergirding their development but also their political normativity. Finally, we will try to assess some notable attempts to employ these theories and concepts to explain and understand particular social movements."