PSP 303: COMMUNITY ORGANIZING: People, Power, and Change1
FALL 2014
Facilitation Team:
Kerry Bergin
(kbergin1@providence.edu)
Nicholas Longo, PhD (nlongo@providence.edu)
Coaches:
Molly Blake
Libby Gaitskill
Class Meeting:
Mondays, 2:30 pm - 5:00pm
Harkins 305
Nick’s Office Hours:
Kerry’s Office Hrs:
Mondays, 11-12:30 pm; Tuesdays, 1-2:30 pm or by appointment
by appointment
(mblake@friars.providence.edu)
(egaitski@friars.providence.edu)
INTRODUCTION
As de Tocqueville argues, organizing (“knowledge of how to combine”) is a form of knowledge
that is essential to individual and collective success in democratic communities. To fulfill its
promise, democracy must meet challenges of equity, inclusion, and accountability. This requires
an “organized” citizenry with the power to articulate and assert its interests effectively.
However, the concerns of many remain muted due to unequal and declining citizen
participation. In this class, you will learn how organizers develop leadership to confront these
challenges, build community around that leadership, and build power from that community.
The course will address how to view social, economic, and political problems from an
organizer's perspective . . . and how to act to solve them.
1
Original syllabus designed by Marshall Ganz, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
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This course focuses on how to build organizations through which people can make their
“voices” heard, and turn their values into action. We ask three questions: why people organize,
how organizing works, and how you can become a good organizer. As you will be involved in
several different types of organizing projects as part of this course, you learn through reflective
practice. A praxis of organizing should help you learn to map power and interests, develop
leadership, build relationships, motivate participation, devise strategy and mobilize resources
to create organizations and win campaigns. This approach is equally useful for community,
issue, electoral, union, and social movement organizing.
Although originally developed by Marshall Ganz from organizer training sessions, this course
was redesigned for undergraduate students interested in community organizing. It was further
revised to include opportunities for students to participate in and learn from the practiced
wisdom of student organizers over the past seven years. To be successful, we ask for you to
take real ownership of your learning. The course structure—like organizing in communities—
will require a good deal of flexibility and comfort with ambiguity. But it also opens up
possibilities for transformative learning in real-world settings that are often complex and
unpredictable, but filled with hope and possibility.
REQUIREMENTS
Organizing Project: Class work will be based on your experience leading an “organizing
project” of your own choosing that requires an average of 4-5 hours per week (example:
consider working on your project 2 evenings or one afternoon per week). You may initiate your
own projects or work with one of a variety of community or campus organizations. You may
continue an existing project or start a new one. It is also possible to collaborate with others in
the class, but unique responsibilities must be clearly identified and articulated.
An “organizing project” (1) is rooted in your values; (2) is intended to achieve a specific
outcome by the end of the semester; and (3) requires mobilizing other people to participate
in achieving the outcome.
Getting Started on the Project
One-to-One Meetings: To facilitate project selection and to get further acquainted,
Kerry/Nick and coaches will meet one-to-one with students early in the semester.
Student Panel: During a class session, a panel of PC students will share their experiences
organizing projects in the past, and how you can make this class work for you.
Individual Meetings: You should plan on having at least four (4) individual meetings
with her/his coach and/or Kerry and Nick. The first meeting will be with Kerry or Nick
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and either Molly or Libby, and will take place sometime in the first week (or so) of the
course, to elicit students’ ideas about possible organizing projects. After that, you will be
scheduling meetings with Molly or Libby aimed at finalizing the selection of your project
and then developing learning objectives and analyzing where your project is at different
key points in the semester (e.g., at mid-semester and near the end of the course). These
sessions are intended to be supportive coaching sessions to increase your success in
your organizing and in the course. The content of meetings do not factor into your final
grade evaluation (but failure to meet will impact your grade). Schedules for meeting
times will be circulated. In addition, if you would like or need additional meetings, these
may also be arranged.
Organizing with Jobs with Justice. A core component of your learning to be an organizer will be
to volunteer with one of the leading community organizing groups in Providence, Jobs with
Justice. This is an opportunity to work side-by-side with local organizers on grassroots
campaigns, and also for the entire class to have a common organizing experience. For this
aspect of the course, you are required to volunteer approximately five (5) hours over the
course of the semester by participating in at least two different types of organizing activities
(e.g., canvassing, phone banking, attending a rally, etc.). We will let you know about these
opportunities during the course of the semester and the director of Jobs with Justice will also
visit class early in the semester.
Class Presentations. Beginning early in the semester, students will conduct a 10-minute
presentation. These presentations will be timed, and followed by a peer-evaluation process.
The presentations should focus on your public narrative: Who are you as an organizer? What is
your story? And WHY are you working on the issue you have selected? You will also provide an
update on your organizing project. The presentation should also connect with the readings and
theme of the week, and conclude with questions for class discussion.
Papers. As a course meeting the Writing I requirement, this course will be writing
intensive. It is also meant to introduce you to a wide variety of writing styles, a skill set that will serve you well as an organizer. Your writing will include weekly
assignments, a mid-term, and final paper.
Weekly Writing Assignments: Most weeks, you will write a reflection on the
readings from the week not to exceed one page. Grading will be Full Credit or
No Credit. Late papers will not be accepted.
Weekly writing assignments are to be handed in at the end of class and most
weeks will use the following directions:
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The reflections should include three paragraphs:
1) what you think the writer is saying to the world and why;
2) relate the reading to other readings or topic in the course and/or your
Organizing Project;
3) your personal reaction to the reading, including with questions raised
for discussion. Be as specific as possible.
b) Mid-Term Paper: At mid-course, you will submit a 6 to 8 page midterm
paper in which you will reflect upon your organizing project, whether or not
it is working, your own critique and reflections, and how it connects to
readings and class discussions. It will be due on November 3. More details to
follow.
c) Final Paper: Your final paper will reflect on your learning during the semester and
your future as an organizer. The final paper will be due during finals week, on
December 17.
Participation. Classes meet for 150 minutes each week. In the first session, we will
develop “ground rules” for class sessions, but you should expect sessions to al ternate
between discussions of readings, individual projects, and of Organizing Projects. You
are required to attend all sessions, do all the reading and take an active part in
discussions. You will also sign up to do a 10-minute oral presentation. Your grade for
participation will be drawn from a variety of factors, including: attendance,
participation in class discussions, out of class work on your Organizing Project,
feedback to other students, class presentations, and organizing with Jobs with Justice.
As noted above, you should expect to have several required out-of-class activities
connected with the course, including participation in several local community
organizing campaigns in Providence during the semester to give you more
opportunities to interact with organizers. Details of these organizing opportunities
will be discussed in class.
Final grades are based on class participation (30%), weekly writing assignments (20%), the
midterm paper (25%), and the final paper (25%).
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Academic Integrity Policy
Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. Plagiarism (not using parenthetic citations / footnotes) will
result in a substantially lowered course grade (in most cases, it will result in your failing the course).
Cases of plagiarism must be reported to the Dean.
Please refer to Providence College’s Academic Integrity Policy in the Undergraduate Handbook for
additional information.
http://catalog.providence.edu/content.php?catoid=6&navoid=205#Academic_Honesty
E. READING MATERIALS:
Stephen Smith, Stoking the Fire of Democracy. Stokie, IL: ACTA Publications, 2009.
All other required readings will be available in PDF on the course Sakai website. You are
required to bring the assigned readings to class.
WEEKLY PROGRAM
Introduction to the Course: Monday, September 8
This first class session we will discuss our goals for the course, our strategy for achieving them,
and course requirements, including the central organizing experiences out of which your
learning will occur. We will have a chance to introduce ourselves through telling our stories,
since the experiences and perspectives each student brings to the course will be one of the
central “texts” for our learning.
a. M.S. Kierkegaard, “When the Knower Has to Apply Knowledge,” from “Thoughts on
Crucial Situations in Human Life,” in Parables of Kierkegaard, T.C. Oden, Ed.
b. Bergin/Stewart/Woodland Manual (pp. 2-3)
Telling Your Public Story: Monday, September 15
This week we begin to construct our public stories, articulating our values, interests, and our
motivations to organize and to learn organizing. Public narrative is the art of translating values
into action. It is a discursive process through which individuals, communities, and nations
construct their identity, make choices, and inspire action. Because it engages both “head” and
“heart,” it can instruct and inspire - teaching us not only how we should act, but moving us to
act. Leaders use public narrative to interpret themselves to others, engage others in a sense of
shared community, and inspire others to act on challenges that a community must face. It is
learning to tell a story of self, a story of us, and a story of now. It is not public speaking,
messaging or image making.
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The readings for the week will help us understand your public narrative. Marshall Ganz talks
about the tradition of public narrative, and how story/narrative can be used as a resource in
organizing. Barack Obama’s 2004 speech and several other videos (shown in class) helps us see
connections between the personal and our public story. Rogers discusses the motivations, and
“fire,” behind Ernesto Cortes’ organizing in Texas. Smith offers his compelling story as a young
organizer. Visit by Jesse Strecker from Jobs with Justice.
a. Marshall Ganz, “What is Public Narrative?” (pp. 11-25)
b. Rogers, Cold Anger, “There is No Substitute for Fire” (pp. 183-192)
c. Smith, Stoking the Fire of Democracy (Intro - Chapter 3)
Writing Assignment Due: Creative Project (e.g., Photography, Short Story, Poetry, Musical
Presentation, Digital Storytelling, Art Work) about your public narrative.
Bring creative writing to class to share.
Writing Assignment Due: Reading Response
The Praxis of Organizing: Monday, September 22
This week we turn to our method of learning reflective practice. Thich Nhat Hanh reflects on
uses and abuses of theory in learning practice. Boyte chronicles the efforts of community
organizers, while Smith offers his learning as a young organizer. Stephen Smith will Skype in.
a. Thich Nhat Hanh, Thundering Silence, "The Raft is Not the Shore," (pp. 30-33)
b. Boyte, Community is Possible, “Empowerment” (pp. 125-159)
c. Smith, Stoking the Fire of Democracy (Chapters 4 – Afterword)
Student Presentations 1
Writing Assignment Due: Reading Response
Organizing Project Proposal Due
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Relational Meetings, Monday, September 29
This week we learn the art of the one-to-one meeting.
a. Rogers, Cold Anger, “The First Revolution is Internal” (pp. 55-64)
b. Ian Simmons, “On One-to-Ones” (pp. 12-15)
c. Chambers, Roots for Radicals, “The Relational Meeting” (pp. 44-54)
Writing Assignment Due: Reading Response
Conduct One-to-Ones
Using Networks: Monday, October 6
“Who are my people?” is something often asked by community organizers. This week we will
explore communities of Interest and further explore the role of relationships in community
organizing. We will name constituencies, networks, and discuss the role of recruiting, and basebuilding. We will also explore the role of technology in organizing.
a. Malcolm Gladwell, “Six Degrees of Lois Weisberg,” in The New Yorker, January 11,
1999 (pp. 52-63)
b. Manual, “Building Relationships” (p. 4-5)
c. Malcolm Gladwell, “Small Change: why the revolution will not be tweeted,” in The
New Yorker, October 4, 2010
d. Ben Brandzel, “What Malcolm Gladwell Missed About Online Organizing and
Creating Big Change”, in The Nation, November 15, 2010
e. Kim Bobo, et al, Organizing for Social Change, Ch. 10, “Recruiting” (pp.110-117)
Student Presentations 2
Writing Assignment Due: Reading Response with reflection on one-to-ones
Power, Interests, and Resources: Tuesday, October 14 [Monday Schedule]
How do people get power? What are the resources your constituency needs? Who controls
them? What are their interests? This week we use the Montgomery Bus Boycott as a case
study to understand power, interests, and resources.
a. Marshall Ganz. “Mapping Your Project” (Notes, pp. 26-38)
b. Taylor Branch, Parting the Waters, Chapter 5, "The Montgomery Bus Boycott" (p.143 205)
c. “Identifying Key Players” and “Mapping” in Manual (pp. 6-12, 23-26)
Writing Assignment Due: Power map of Bus Boycott Campaign with analysis
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Leadership: Monday, October 20
We will discuss various styles of leadership, how leaders bring out leadership in others, and
identify our assumptions about leadership. Over the next two weeks we will use the case study
of Freedom Summer, connected with the visit of Rep. John Lewis as part of the anniversary of
the Feinstein Institute.
a. Rogers, Cold Anger, “Moses and Paul” (pp. 13-17)
b. Dr. M.L. King, Jr. A Testament of Hope, "The Drum Major Instinct" (p.259-67)
c. Barbara Ransby, Ella Baker and the Black Freedom Movement
d. John Lewis, Walking with the Wind
Additional Resources:
e. Saul Alinsky, Reveille for Radicals, "Native Leadership" (pp. 64-75)
f. Longo & Gibson, From Command to Community, “The New Leadership”
Student Presentations 3
Writing Assignment Due: Reading Response
Strategizing: Monday, October 27
Strategy is how we turn what we have into what we need in order to get what we want. It is
analytic and imaginative work, figuring out how to use our resources to achieve our goals. We
reflect on a “classic” tale of strategy recounted in the Book of Samuel: the story of David and
Goliath, a tale that argues insurgents can compensate for lack of resources with resourcefulness
if they develop the “strategic capacity.” Alinsky and Bobo offer some “how to’s” for organizing
strategy and tactics. Effective deliberation can improve the chances of good strategizing and
Bobo spells out how to make deliberation work better by holding good meetings. We continue
the discussion of Freedom Summer.
a. “How To” section of Manual (pp. 27-36)
b. Marshall Ganz, “Why David Sometimes Wins” (pp. 1-10)
c. Kim Bobo, Organizing for Social Change, Chapter 12, “Planning and Facilitating
Meetings” (pp.128-139)
d. Letters from Mississippi
e. Saul Alinsky, Reveille for Radicals, “Community Traditions and Organizations” (p.76-88).
Student Presentations 4
Writing Assignment Due: Reading Response
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Learning through Action: Monday, November 3
Sitkin argues the value of "intelligent" early failures, along with the importance of getting
started without having all of the answers.
a. Sim Sitkin, "Learning Through Failure: The Strategy of Small Losses" (pp. 231-266).
b. Jane Addams, Twenty Years at Hull House, Chapters 4-5 (pp. 60-89)
This week we will also have a panel of PC students who are alumni of the course reflecting on
their organizing experiences.
Writing Assignment Due: MIDTERM Paper
Gender and Organizing: Monday, November 10
This week we look at gender and organizing, and what a feminist approach to organizing might
mean.
a. Stall and Stoecker, “Community Organizing or Organizing Communities? Gender and the
Crafts of Empowerment”
b. Rinku Sen, Stir It Up, “Introduction”
c. Case Study
d. Incite Readings
Student Presentations 5
Writing Assignment Due: Reading Response
Connecting Education with Organizing: Monday, November 17
This week we’ll examine the example of the Highlander Folk School to look at the connections
and tensions between education and organizing. This will help us start to think more about
doing this work for the long haul—a theme of the final few weeks of the course.
a. Myles Horton, The Long Haul (selections)
b. Film: You Gotto Move
Student Presentations 6
Writing Assignment Due: Reading Response
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Learning the Craft: Becoming a Good Organizer: Monday, November 24
This week we reflect on organizing as a craft, art, and vocation: why do we do it, what makes us
good at it, what about the rest of our lives, how can we continue to grow as we do it? Heifetz
discusses the challenge of accepting responsibility for leadership. Bobo and colleagues discuss
the resources and perspectives necessary for organizing for the long haul.
a. Ronald Heifetz, Leadership Without Easy Answers, Chapter 11, "The Personal
Challenge," (pp. 250-271).
b. Bobo, “Working for the Long Haul,” pp. 338-344.
Student Presentations 7
Writing Assignment Due: Reading Response
Organizing for the Long Haul: Monday, December 1
So what does organizing contribute to public life? Smith reflects on the lessons he learned
about organizing that would have been helpful when he was a student.
a. Smith, “Lessons I Wish I’d Learned on Campus” in From Command to Community
Writing Assignment Due: Creative Project
Final Celebration and Reflections: Monday, Dec. 8
Celebrating is an essential part of organizing. We will plan and organize a final celebration and
reflection session together for this class session.
FINAL PAPER due Wednesday, December 17 @ 8 am