F1HH 5025 - Advocacy & Organizing: Building Power for Change

The world is not as it should be, and many people are taking action to change it for the better. Although there are many change strategies, to build a long-lasting change those strategies require us to build power within communities that need the change the most.

Many of problems are caused by an imbalance of power amongst those who make decisions and those affected by these decisions in negative or socially unjust ways. Therefore, to solve the problem and create change, the power shift is required. To shift the power, communities need to demonstrate to those in power that they are organized and powerful enough, and that not delivering on their demands can be very costly (for those in power). Identifying, recruiting and developing leadership within affected communities, and building power within those communities to enable change is called organizing.

In addition to building power within the constituency, activists build power and support outside of it. Parallel to base building, organizers build coalitions and use advocacy strategies to advance their cause and win change.

This course focuses on cultivating leadership abilities and equipping students with tools to implement advocacy and organizing methods for change. Participants will learn how to strategically leverage resources, build power within communities, and apply leadership skills directly to on-the-ground campaigns. Through hands-on experiences, students will strategize, create campaign plans, establish structures, and practice crucial leadership skills required for community engagement."

Learning Outcomes

• Students will learn advocacy & organizing approaches to change.
• Students will learn how to strategically combine different approaches to build power and achieve change with their communities.
• Students will gain leadership skills/tools to directly apply in their potential campaigns.

Professional Skills

• Advocacy Leadership
• Coalition Building
• Strategic analysis and planning
• Power analysis
• Field analysis: Actors Mapping, Tactical Mapping and Spectrum of allies
• Campaign Plans development
• Public Narrative
• Critical & strategic thinking <br<

None

A feedback will be provided to all students at latest a week after the submission deadline. A professor will hold office hours monthly to provide space for questions and coaching.

• the type of assessment: formal exam, take-home papers, oral presentation, individual, group, participation (new: maximum 10%), etc.;
• the time-frame for each assessment during the semester, % of each assessment in the final average grade (minimum of two assessments).

The final grade of students will be based on the 3 following components:

• 2,000 words paper (50%): Students will select an example of a movement/advocacy campaign of their choice and analyze it through the lens of the course concepts and make suggestions on ways the movement’s strategy/advocacy campaign could be improved. Paper will be due 10 days after the end of semester
• Group assignments (30%): students will form groups of four-five, and as a group, they will select a topic of their campaign, develop their campaign plan, timeline and structure.
• in-class participation 20%

• In Class: 3 hours a week / 24 hours a semester (the course will take all 8 weeks of semester)
• Reading and Preparation for Class: 3-6 hours a module / 24-48 hours a semester
• Research and Preparation for Individual/Group Work: 2-3 hours a module / 20 hours a semester
• Research and Writing for Individual Assessments: 30 hours a semester