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Unit of study_

USSC3603: Dissent and Protest in America

2025 unit information

This unit surveys the long history of social movements and protest in the US. Beginning with 19th Century movements against slavery, the course charts the way everyday Americans came together to make demands on the state, the economy, and American culture. From abolitionism, students move onto close study of the history of American feminism, Civil Rights, agrarian revolt, the labor movement, antiwar politics, gay liberation, Chicano rights, and grassroots conservatism with an eye toward commonalities and divergences in protest strategy and a close attention to the historical contexts in which various movements arose and their long-term effects on American society. The unit will utilize the insights of the disciplines of history, sociology, political science, anthropology, communication studies, and philosophy in order to build on inter- and multi-disciplinary studies of social movement in the US - one of the main subjects of deep fascination that has engaged the multitude of the humanistic social sciences and encouraged debate between them as well as interdisciplinary cross-fertilization.

Unit details and rules

Managing faculty or University school:

DVC (Research)

Study level Undergraduate
Academic unit United States Studies Centre
Credit points 6
Prerequisites:
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12 credit points at 2000 level in American Studies or 12 credit points at 2000 level in History
Corequisites:
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None
Prohibitions:
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None
Assumed knowledge:
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None

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

  • LO1. show a sophisticated and detailed understanding of multidisciplinary approaches to the study of the United States through independent and original research, comparative analysis, and close reading of primary text
  • LO2. demonstrate the ability to analyse independently, ethically, and in-depth an aspect of American culture and life using multidisciplinary methodologies, sources, and intellectual approaches.
  • LO3. relate detailed and analytic understanding of issues and topics in the contemporary and historical United States to issues in the larger world
  • LO4. apply multidisciplinary knowledge of the United States to analytic issues encountered in interdisciplinary contexts
  • LO5. illustrate skills in innovative and responsible research, critical analysis, and the presentation of complex cultural problems in oral, written, digital and group formats.

Unit availability

This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.

The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.

Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 1 2024
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 1 2025
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Outline unavailable
Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 2 2020
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 2 2021
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 2 2021
Normal day Remote
Semester 2 2022
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 2 2022
Normal day Remote
Semester 1 2023
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 1 2023
Normal day Remote

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Modes of attendance (MoA)

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