This new Winter 2026 class –– in collaboration with the University of Michigan Museum of Art –– explores political science and sociology research on how protests and social movements affect policy, focusing on 20th and 21st-century movements in the United States. We will examine the role of social movements in democracy, with a particular focus on the role of art in policy debates and social change. Applying theories of policy change to a cause of their choosing, students will create and curate movement art, culminating in an exhibition at the end of the semester.
This class will be a collaboration with UMMA staff and their American Sampler exhibit, and our class will meet at the museum during class time on several occasions throughout the semester.
