Power and Strategy

How do groups achieve social transformation? This course will explore how groups at all levels of our society – including elites, labor, and social movements – organize, develop strategies and deploy resources to advance their interests and achieve major change in society. To provide a shared framework, the course will begin with an overview of classical and contemporary theories of power and causation and consider the canons of elite and social movement approaches to building and wielding power. We will examine the historical and social science literature of social movements, learn from leading practitioners, and discuss six models for “change from below.” We will consider the suite of approaches to strategy development that have been developed in business schools, Silicon Valley and the military over the past few decades, and the orchestrated rise of neoliberalism as a case of change driven from above. The class will focus heavily on real-world, contemporary cases where breakthrough strategy is needed, and explore how strategic frameworks can help address the perennial dilemma of bridging between practical politics and transformational change. We will introduce a wide variety of tools to develop strategy from many disciplines, traditions and sectors inside and outside social change. We will conclude by identifying personal and organizational conditions that are conducive to strategic breakthroughs, and the role of intense emotion in social change movements. The goal is to equip students with theoretical understanding of core concepts and with the broad range of practical methods and frameworks needed to make change in our increasingly complex world. Students will have the opportunity to apply strategic methods presented in class to their own work. The class is designed for advanced social change practitioners as well as for SLU graduate students. Departmental permission required.