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Public Action and Social Change

Code: 102536 ECTS Credits: 6
2025/2026
Degree Type Year
Psychology OT 4

Contact

Name:
Mireia Faucha Hernandez
Email:
mireia.faucha@uab.cat

Teachers

Laura Sanmiquel Molinero

Teaching groups languages

You can view this information at the end of this document.


Prerequisites

This course does not include prerequisites. 


Objectives and Contextualisation

1. To distinguish among the main theoretical models in the study of collective processes and collective action.

2. To analyze psychosocial processes where social movements act as agents of change.

3. To highlight the main effects of social institutions upon social order.


Competences

  • Analyse scientific texts written in English.
  • Analyse the demands and needs of people, groups and organisations in different contexts.
  • Distinguish and relate the principles of psychosocial functioning of groups and organizations.
  • Maintain a favourable attitude towards the permanent updating through critical evaluation of scientific documentation, taking into account its origin, situating it in an epistemological framework and identifying and contrasting its contributions in relation to the available disciplinary knowledge.
  • Recognise the social dimension of human beings, considering historical and sociocultural factors involved in shaping human psychology.
  • Use different ICTs for different purposes.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Analyse scientific texts written in English.
  2. Analyse the demands of social movements from a government perspective.
  3. Apply basic concepts of collective action to contemporary social movements.
  4. Contrast social needs with institutional responses to them.
  5. Discriminate between the relevant dimensions in the concrete analysis of collective action.
  6. Identify the demands of collective movements.
  7. Identify theoretical concepts that have greater explanatory power for specific social phenomena.
  8. Maintain a favourable attitude towards the permanent updating through critical evaluation of scientific documentation, taking into account its origin, situating it in an epistemological framework and identifying and contrasting its contributions in relation to the available disciplinary knowledge.
  9. Outline the main orientations in the analysis of collective phenomena.
  10. Relate current psychosocial concepts to contemporary social phenomena.
  11. Use different ICTs for different purposes.

Content

1.- SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY AND PERSPECTIVES OF COLLECTIVE ACTION

  • Classical theories
  • Collective behaviour and social identity
  • Fields of application: Riots, panic...

2.- SOCIAL MOVEMENTS: COLLECTIVE ACTION AND SOCIAL CHANGE

  • Conceptions/definitions of social movement and types
  • Organitzational and Political Theories: Theory of Resource Mobilization and Theory of Political Process: Social Movements Organization, Sector and Industry - Political Opportunity Structure.
  • Theory of New Social Movements: Alberto Melucci's Constructivist Approach: Novelty of New Social Movements - Analytical Dimensions of Social Movements - Relationship between Social Movements and Social Order.
  • Framing perspective on social movements

3.- SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS, CONTINUITY OF THE SOCIAL ORDER

  • Definitions and conceptions of Social Institution and types
  • Total institutions: The asylum, Erving Goffman's Critique of total institutions
  • Disciplinary society: The prison, Michel Foucault's critique of the institution as a disciplinary device

Activities and Methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Case study analysis 12 0.48 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 6
Theory 24 0.96 9, 7, 10
Type: Supervised      
Tutorials 15 0.6 11
Virtual discussions 7 0.28 11
Type: Autonomous      
Documentation search 9 0.36
Group work 15 0.6 8
Individual works 6 0.24 1, 8, 11
Reading texts 30 1.2 1
Study 30 1.2

Theoretical sessions in large groups where teacher develops different arguments regarding the subject according previous readings. 

Practical sessions are carried out through work teams that choose a topic of activism and develop it during the course. The strategy includes the use of virtual media and platforms and the final evidence consists of the public presentation of the project through an audiovisual and a written report.

Virtual discussions chaired by teachers.

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.


Assessment

Continous Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
EV1: Groupal case study report 30 0 0 2, 1, 3, 4, 5, 9, 6, 8, 11
EV2a: Individual written test on the first part of the theoretical contents 35 1 0.04 5, 9, 7, 10
EV2b: Individual written test on the second part of the theoretical contents 35 1 0.04 5, 9, 7, 10

Evidences of learning:

  • Evidence 1:
    • Groupal case study report.
    • This evidence accounts for 30% of total grade.
    • Date: second evaluation period
    • Unauthorized use of AI
  • Evidence 2a:
    • Individual written test on the first part of the theoretical contents.
    • This evidence accounts for 35% of total grade.
    • Date: first evaluation period
    • Unauthorized use of AI
  • Evidence 2b:
    • Individual written test on the second part of theoretical contents.
    • This evidence accounts for 35% of total grade.
    • Date: second evaluation period
    • Unauthorized use of AI

Passed: The subject will be considered passed if the student gets an average grade greater than 5 in the entire evaluation tests.

Evaluable: The student who has presented assessments weighing equal to 40% of the total subject will be considered Evaluable.

Non-evaluable: Students that have presented several assessments, the total weight in relation to the subject as a whole is less than 40%, will be considered not evaluable.

Reassessment:

  • Those students that during the continuous evaluation have done evidences with a weight equal or bigger than ⅔ of the total qualification and have obtain a mark lower than 5 points and bigger or equal to 3.5 points. The judgment of passed subject will be the same that the one for the continuous evaluation, replacing only the marks of the recovered evidences. The maximum mark can’t be higher than 5, except in the case of the students that couldn’t present but have a justified reason (the teaching team will evaluate this cases). The reassessment test will include evidences2a and 2b.
  • It can also be presented to the reassessment those who with justified reasons couldn’t present to the evaluation of the evidences 2a and /or 2b.

No unique final synthesis test for students who enroll for the second time or moreis anticipated.

Unique assessment:

  • All the contents of the subject will be evaluated. It will consist of 2 written tests and 1 case study report.
  • The final grade of the subject will be obtained as described for the continuous assessment.
  • The same reassessment system as the continous assessment will be applied. 

Exam translation:

The delivery of the translation of the in-person tests will be carried out if the requirements established in Article 263 are met and the request is made during week 4 online (e-form). (More information on the Faculty website).

Title

Weight

Duration (Hours)

Date

EV1: informe case study report

30%

 

5 hours

 

Second evaluation period

EV2a: Individual written test

35%

EV2b: Individual written test

35%

 

Retorno de las evidencias: 

FEEDBACK EV and TYPE week
Written EV1: informe case study report 20
Written EV2a: Individual written test 9
Written EV2b: Individual written test 20

Evaluation Guidelines of theFaculty of Psychology: https://www.uab.cat/web/estudiar/graus/graus/avaluacions-1345722525858.html


Bibliography

Casquette,J. (1998). Política, cultura y movimientos sociales. Bilbao: Bakeatz.

Douglas, Mary (1996). ¿Cómo piensan las instituciones? Madrid: Alianza.
 
Foucault, Michel (2012). Vigilar y castigar: nacimiento de la prisión. Madrid: Biblioteca Nueva.
 
Gaceran, Montserrat (2009). Deseo y Libertad una Investigacion Sobre los Presupuestos de la Accion Colectiva - en Fnac.es. Madrid: Traficantes de Sueños. Recuperado a partir de http://www.traficantes.net/libros/deseo-y-libertad
 
Hess, Charlotte, & Ostrom, Elinor (Eds.). (2016). Los bienes comunes del conocimiento. Traficantes de Sueños.
 
Javaloy, Federico, Rodríguez, Álvaro.; & Espelt, Esteve (2013). Comportamiento colectivo y movimientos sociales : un enfoque psicosocial. Madrid: Prentice Hall.
 
Laraña Rodríguez-Cabello, Enrique (1999). La construcción de los movimientos sociales. Madrid: Alianza Editorial.
 
Monferrer, Jordi M.(2003). La construcción de la protesta en el movimiento gay español: la Ley de Peligrosidad Social (1970) como factor precipitante de la acción colectiva. Reis. Revista Española de Investigaciones Sociológicas, (102), 171-204.
 

Software

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Groups and Languages

Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2025. You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject.

Name Group Language Semester Turn
(SEM) Seminars 111 Catalan second semester morning-mixed
(SEM) Seminars 112 Catalan second semester morning-mixed
(TE) Theory 1 Catalan second semester morning-mixed