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Public Action and Social Change

Code: 102536
Credits: 6
2026/2027
Degree programme Type Course
Psychology OP 4

Contact lecturer

Name :
Joan Pujol Tarres
Email :
joan.pujol@uab.cat

Group languages

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

Prerequisites

This course does not include prerequisites. 

Objectives

The subject Public Action and Social Change analyses the dynamics that transform—or maintain—the social order. The analyses the psychosocial factors that construct collective identity and behaviour: how social institutions exercise social control and how citizens organise themselves through social movements to articulate strategies of resistance and subjectivation. The subject, the theoretical approach and the learning outcomes of the module make Challenge-Based Learning (CBL) the ideal teaching methodology for acquiring these skills in a practical context connected to social reality.

General Objective

To understand and critically analyse the psychosocial dynamics that drive social movements and contemporary social change. By solving a social challenge defined by an external stakeholder, students will have to diagnose collective demands, contrast them with institutional responses, and present their proposed solution to the challenge to the external stakeholder.

Specific Objectives

1. Conceptualisation and analysis of collective action

  • Identify theoretically grounded explanatory frameworks for addressing social movements, mass behaviour and contemporary social phenomena.
  • Outline the psychosocial orientations that structure collective action, collective identity and resource mobilisation.
  • Distinguish the relevant dimensions of a specific collective action, evaluating the historical and sociocultural factors that shape the human social dimension.

2. Evaluation of power relations and social change

  • Distinguish the power relations that are established between citizens, mechanisms of social control and public institutions.
  • Analyse the political opportunity structure to understand how strategies of resistance and processes of subjectivation are articulated in the face of inequalities.
  • Critically compare the needs and demands of collective movements with the governmental or institutional responses provided.

3. Development of transversal and technological skills

  • Ground any analysis or intervention proposal on up-to-date scientific literature.
  • Integrate ICT to research, extract data, structure information and communicate project results.
  • Critically contextualise documentary sources, situating them within their epistemological framework and contrasting their validity within the discipline.

Learning outcomes

  1. Relate current psychosocial concepts to contemporary social phenomena.
  2. Identify theoretical concepts that have greater explanatory power for specific social phenomena.
  3. Apply basic concepts of collective action to contemporary social movements.
  4. Outline the main orientations in the analysis of collective phenomena.
  5. Discriminate between the relevant dimensions in the concrete analysis of collective action.
  6. Identify the demands of collective movements.
  7. Contrast social needs with institutional responses to them.
  8. Analyse the demands of social movements from a government perspective.
  9. Analyse scientific texts written in English.
  10. Use different ICTs for different purposes.
  11. 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.

Contents

Section 1: Psychosocial Foundations of Mobilisation

This block addresses the psychological and cultural mechanisms that facilitate the transition from the individual to collective action.

1.1 From the individual to the mass and collective emotions

  • Basic concepts of mass behaviour and the triggers of collective protest, considering the central role of emotions as a cohesive fabric.

1.2 Identity and collective memory

  • Construction, negotiation, and limits of collective identity in the constitution of social movements. The role of collective memory as a driver of present-day action.

Section 2: The Organisation and Activation of Social Mobilisation

This section explores the psychosocial conditions that enable (or hinder) citizen mobilisation.

2.1 Resource mobilisation and the digital environment

  • Classic resource mobilisation theory: pre-existing networks, economic resources and human capital. Contemporary digital activism.

2.2 Political opportunity structure and social control

  • Assessment of the degree of openness of social institutions and institutional power balances. The impact of social control and institutional repression on activism.

Section 3: Power Dynamics and Social Transformation

The final block analyses the direct clash between collective demands, the elites, and the maintenance or alteration of the status quo.

3.1 Framing

  • How movements define a social problem, identify the culprits and propose solutions (diagnostic and prognostic frames). Strategies for aligning the individual and moral values of the citizenry with the collective objectives of the protest.

3.2 Power Relations and Resistance Strategies

  • Processes of subjectification: how silenced collectives achieve political visibility. The emergence of counter-movements as a reaction to social change.

3.3 Citizenship, participation, and horizons of social change

  • The evolution of citizen participation and alternative avenues for public influence. The critical evaluation of institutional responses: differentiating between assimilation, the coaptation of demands and real systemic change.

Learning activities and methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Participation in virtual analysis and discussion forums 14 0.56 1, 2, 3, 11
Carrying out individual and group assignments 22 0.88 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11
Case study analysis 12 0.48 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11
Creating a Portfolio 10 0.4 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11
Personal study and knowledge organization 24 0.96 1, 2, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11
Preparation of presentations 14 0.56 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11
Supervision and advisory tutorials 6 0.24 2, 6, 7, 8, 11
Comprehensive reading and critical analysis of scientific literature 24 0.96 1, 4, 9, 10, 11
Theory 24 0.96 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11

The subject is designed as an active space based on Challenge-Based Learning (CBL) to address multidisciplinary challenges, where the designed solutions must be prototyped and validated for execution in real-world environments. At the beginning of the course, a challenge linked to Public Action and Social Change will be presented in collaboration with an external partner that operates in the field of sexual and affective diversity. Students will work collaboratively in small teams of between 4 and 6 members.

The course is structured into 2-hour class sessions of two types:

  • Theory Classes (12 sessions): Conceptual aspects for critical analysis of the phenomenon will be addressed (mass behavior, social movements, power relations, political opportunity structures, interpretive frameworks, and resistance strategies).
  • Practical Seminars (6 sessions): Spaces dedicated to delving into bibliographic material, learning material analysis methodologies (interviews, observations), and solving the challenge through fieldwork.

Integration with Challenge-Based Learning (CBL)

This module applies the module's objectives to a challenge posed by an external stakeholder. The methodological design achieves the objectives through the following dynamic:

  1. Challenge Presentation: A contemporary and complex social phenomenon is presented (e.g. a housing crisis, an environmental movement or a neighbourhood protest).
  2. Guided Research: Students use theoretical concepts, such as interpretive frameworks and resource mobilisation, to understand the challenge, considering recent academic texts to understand the state of the art.
  3. Diagnosis and Contrast: The challenge is analysed from a dual perspective: the demands of the social movement and the perspective and response of institutions.
  4. Resolution: The conclusions and solutions to the challenge are presented, demonstrating the ability to update theoretical concepts and technology, and to apply social psychology practically to collective change.

Training Activities

The training activities allow for achieving the learning objectives and results of the subject. They involve:

  • Comprehensive reading and critical analysis of scientific literature: Searching for and studying bibliographic material, scientific articles, and institutional reports related to the challenge for their subsequent theoretical use.
  • Personal study and knowledge organisation: Creation of diagrams, conceptual maps, and individual summaries that serve as evidence of applied learning which will form part of the portfolio.
  • Preparation of presentations: Collective and individual work on thematic preparation, material design, and documentation for the public presentation of the process and the result of the response to the challenge.
  • Writing of individual and group papers: Writing of individual and group papers aimed at the theoretical, methodological, and practical analysis of the solution designed for the challenge.
  • Creation of a portfolio: Individual creation of a portfolio that systematically collects the activities developed, intermediate products, and a critical reflection process on the learning path carried out.
  • Follow-up mentoring: Sessions of supervision and advice from the teacher to guide the design, feasibility, and evolution of each solution to the challenge.
  • Participation in virtual discussion forums: Digital spaces for asynchronous interaction where students share structured reflections and questions regarding the process and design of the research, under the monitoring and facilitation of the teaching team.
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

Continuous assessment activities

Title Weight Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
EV4. Presentation at the midterm review session 10 0 0 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11
EV6. Public defense and validation of the proposal 10 0 0 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11
EV3. Contribution to virtual forums 10 0 0 1, 2, 3, 11
EV1. Learning portfolios 40 0 0 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11
EV5. Final project report (Solution to the challenge) 20 0 0 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11
EV2. Learning verification 10 0 0 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Individual learning Evidences

  • EV1. Learning Portfolio: A dossier that systematically collects the products of personal study (diagrams, concept maps, summaries, and field work diary) combined with a brief critical reflection exercise on the learning process.
  • EV2. Learning Verification: Upon completion of the theoretical sessions, brief follow-up questions for the session will be asked.
  • EV3. Contribution to virtual forums: Assessment of the quality of interventions and reflections made in the course's virtual forums.

Group learning Evidences

  • EV4. Presentation in the intermediate control session: Public exhibition on the current status of the challenge, definition of the problem, methodological design of the field work, and initial diagnoses.
  • EV5. Final project report (Solution to the challenge): Document aimed at the theoretical, methodological, and practical analysis of the research conducted and the solution designed to respond to the needs of the collaborating entity.
  • EV6. Public defense and validation of the proposal: Final presentation and oral exposition of the diagnosis and resolution of the challenge presented in the closing session of the subject, with the presence of the collaborating entity.

Subject passed: Having obtained a total of at least 5 points in continuous assessment and a grade equal to or greater than 4 points in each of the assessment tests that have a contribution equal to or greater than 20% of the final grade. In case of not obtaining a grade higher than 4 points in each of the assessment tests that have a contribution equal to or greater than 20% of the grade. In this later case, the maximum grade in the academic record will be 4.5 points.

Reassessment: One can opt for this when, throughout the continuous assessment, evidence with a weight equal to or greater than 2/3 of the total grade has been completed. A grade lower than 5 points and greater than or equal to 3.5 points has been obtained. The recovery grade will not exceed 5.

Not Assessable: Students who have not submitted learning evidence with a weight equal to or greater than 4 points.

It is not expected that students in their 2nd enrollment or later will be evaluated through a single, non-recoverable synthesis test.

Single Assessment: Due to the characteristics of the methodology applied to this subject, the possibility of a single assessment is not foreseen.

Feedback on Evidence

Evidence Feedback Week
EV1. Learning Portfolio Written 19
EV2. Learning Verification Oral 2 to 15
EV3. Contribution to virtual forums Oral 2 to 15
EV4. Presentation in the intermediate control session Oral 10
EV5. Final project report (Solution to the challenge) Written 19
EV6. Public defense and validation of the proposal Oral 16


Faculty assessment guidelines: https://www.uab.cat/web/estudiar/graus/graus/avaluacions-1345722525858.html

Bibliography

  • Abrams, B., & Gardner, P. (Ed.). (2023). Symbolic objects in contentious politics. University of Michigan Press.
  • García-Estévez, N., Cartes-Barroso, M. J., & Méndez-Muros, S. (2026). Verdad emocional: Narrativas visuales y afectividad estratégica de la ultraderecha en TikTok en las dinámicas políticas europeas. Estudios sobre el Mensaje Periodístico, 32(2), 343-355. https://doi.org/10.5209/esmp.106205
  • López-García, G., & Ordaz, L. V. (2024). La esfera pública postmediática. Debats. Revista de cultura, poder i societat, 138(1), 98-114. https://doi.org/10.28939/iam.debats-138-1.7
  • Martin, G. (2024). Social movements and protest politics (Second edition). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780367821760
  • Martín Gómez, A. (2026). La vinculación de los jóvenes al activismo: Entre la instrumentalidad política y el confort emocional. Un estudio en jóvenes independentistas catalanes. Política y sociedad, 63(1), 17. https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=10687993
  • Parcerisa, L., & Verger, A. (2023). Nuevos movimientos sociales en tiempos de conservadurismo y austeridad: Análisis del proceso político de movilización educativa en las Islas Baleares (2013-2015). Debats. Revista de cultura, poder i societat, 137(2), 29-40. https://doi.org/10.28939/iam.debats-137-2.2
  • Poma, A., & Gravante, T. (2022). Cómo estudiar la dimensión emocional en los movimientos sociales. Campos en Ciencias Sociales, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.15332/25006681.7667
  • Porta, D. della (amb Norberto Bey, F.). (2023). Cómo los movimientos sociales pueden salvar la democracia. Prometeo Libros.
  • Rendón Corona, A. (2024). Democratizar desde la sociedad civil. Fondo de Cultura Económica.
  • Snow, D. A., McAdam, D., & Moss, D. M. (2026). Contemporary social movements: Historical and descriptive accounts (1st ed.). John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated.

Software

The UAB statutes' article 2 lists the following as guiding principles of action:

  • f) To promote open science, the social transfer of knowledge and values ​​related to cooperation.
  • g) To publish digital documentation in open formats and promotes the use of these formats, to guarantee universal accessibility to documentation and facilitate its historical record.

For this reason, although there is no mandatory software, we recommend using free software.

Course groups and languages

The information provided is provisional until November 30. After this date, you will be able to consult the language of each group through this link. To access the information, you will need to enter the course CODE

Type of teaching Group Language Semester Shift
(TE) Theory 1 Catalan second semester morning-mixed
(SEM) Seminars 111 Catalan second semester morning-mixed
(SEM) Seminars 112 Catalan second semester morning-mixed