Program Description

Atlanta ‘07 is designed to explore the relationship between the recent phenomenon of “world social forums” and the actual creation and development of domestic social movements.

The first World Social Forum was held in Porto Alegre, Brazil, in January 2001. Organizers of this forum and subsequent forums in Porto Alegre, India and Venezuela saw these events primarily as a space for dialogue by those forces opposed to the neo-liberal policies of privatization, de-regulation and free trade promoted by the World Economic Forum centered in Davos, Switzerland. These World Social Forums have spawned numerous other national and regional forums throughout the world.

The first US Social Forum will be held in Atlanta, Georgia, June 27th to July 1st, 2007. Unlike other forums, the organizers of the US Social Forum say that “the work to build the US Social Forum is not to build an event but to build a process that pushes a stronger movement forward.”

We’ll take advantage of the organizing for the US Social Forum to explore the relationship between “events” and movements. We’ll study theories and dynamics of social movements, the specific history and internal dynamics of the World Social Forum and its competitor, the World Economic Forum. And, in particular we will assess whether domestic social movements that oppose the neo-liberal policies of privatization, de-regulation and free trade have grown stronger as a result of participation in social forums and in the planning for the US Social Forum. We’ll also look at critiques of the World Social Forum such as those provided by the organizers of the Mumbai Resistance, which was organized parallel to the WSF in Mumbai, India, as well as debates within the social forum about its future direction.

Together we will study historic and ongoing movements in the U.S. including labor movements, civil rights movements, welfare rights movements, women’s movements, alter-globalization movements, and movement for justice in the Gulf Coast region in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. We will deepen our understanding of political economy, examining the economic conditions in which movements take place. Of special importance will be the economic forces, policies and ideology that have developed within approximately the last 30 years as a "new phase" of capitalism, often called neoliberalism.

One goal of the program will be to identify and work with youth groups in Thurston County and student groups at local schools to learn about the groups' work and to find out each group’s level of interest in US Social Forum while sharing information on the forum with them. We hope to contribute our efforts to groups that are interested to send representives or statements from their group to the social forum. Throughout the program, we will learn and practice together ideas, goals and techniques of popular education. We will have weekly workshops, watch and discuss films, interact with guest speakers, and students will have a chance to present their work to each other at the end of the program.

Faculty ^

Books ^ (in the order we'll read them, but check the schedule below for more info)

Check here for books on Open Reserve at the TESC Library

Leite, José Corrêa, in collaboration with Carolina Gil. World Social Forum: strategies of resistance. Chicago: Haymarket Books, 2005.

Popular Education for Movement Building, Volume II. Edited by Dan Horowitz de Garcia, et al. Atlanta, GA: Project South, Institute for the Elimination of Poverty & Genocide, 2001.

Smith, Sharon. Subterranean Fire: a history of working-class radicalism in the United States. Chicago: Haymarket Books, 2006.

Teeple, Gary. Globalization and the decline of social reform. Highlands, NJ: Humanities Press, 1995.

della Porta, Donatella, et. al. Globalization from below: transnational activists and protest networks. Minneapolis: UMP, 2006.

Olson, Lynne. Freedom's Daughters: the unsung heroines of the civil rights movement from 1830 to 1970. New York: Scribner, 2001.

Mann, Eric. Katrina's Legacy: White Racism and Black Reconstruction in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. LA: Frontlines Press, 2006.

Rooms & Times ^

Assignments^

Discussion questions/comments: In order to help facilitate careful and critical reading, each student will compose two questions and/or discussable comments for each seminar's reading that will be turned in at seminar, beginning the first Friday. These thoughtful comments will be useful for beginning the seminars. They should be detailed, and refer or respond to specific passages or aspects of the reading (not vague, general questions).  These discussion questions will have your name and the seminar date, and verify that you have completed and reflected on the reading.  Students must always bring the reading itself to the seminar (and any assigned readings to all-program meetings).

Weekly Reports: Each week you will have a short concrete writing assignment (2-3 pages) about one of the week's activities, strategy games or workshops. These will include "After-Action Reports" following our strategy games, reports on organizations taking part in the social forums, and movie reviews. They will be due Monday morning at 10 AM. You will turn in both a hard copy and email a copy of your document to your faculty. Week 1, 2 , 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Mid-Term Exam: In addition to the work on the research projects and symposium planning, there will be a mid-term exam on May 15 . It will require you to synthesize program materials thru 5/10 including texts, films, lectures, discussions, etc. You will receive more information in week 5. Prep Guide.

Student Presentations: In Week Ten you will present with your team. In this presentation you will discuss what your group thinks is the relationship between social movements and social forums. The final presentation will have two parts. 1) it will be your group’s report on what you've done through the quarter and 2) an analysis of what you think about whether and how the USSF and its process will build an independent social movement in the United States and how your work over the quarter has led you to this analysis. The day you present you will turn in a hard copy of your presentation notes to your faculty; you can also distribute these notes to your classmates. Please also email a copy of your document to your faculty.

Program Work ^

Engagement: Evergreen programs are not simply a collection of classes, but a deeper effort to form a learning community. We learn from each other, and are therefore responsible to each other to participate in the learning community. Participation is defined as active listening, speaking, and thinking. Communication and attendance are vital to build relationships among students, and between students and faculty. In the interest of fairness, we want all students to have equal access to all information, and to have their attendance count. The program website will be updated to reflect the most current information for the program. Please check the schedule on this page frequently for any updates. The web schedule will always trump the printed schedule.

All-program Attendance: Attending seminars and all-program activities is the other critical aspect of participating in the learning community. As Woody Allen once said: "80 percent of life is just showing up." Many students make great efforts to coordinate their transportation, jobs and family in order to attend class. Since attendance is a precondition of participation, absences will diminish your ability to earn full credit. It is in your own interest to be on time since class instructions are usually at the beginning.

Seminar Attendance: Seminar attendance, preparation, and participation are also considered very important to your individual success, as well as to the collective success of the group. We will not be dealing with settled questions, and the various authors will not always be in agreement or use the same theoretical frameworks. We will be considering topics of immense relevance to the lives of each and every one of us as well as to the larger society. The faculty anticipate lively and respectful discussion, differences, and controversy. The seminar will be a collaborative, exploratory undertaking and is the place where most of the integration, insights, and intellectual breakthroughs will be made. We are looking forward to engaged and vital seminar groups.

Note-taking is strongly encouraged to retain information for discussion and assignments (such as the synthesis essay). Some powerpoints and other lectures can be downloaded and printed from links on the web to aid in note-taking. You should identify a friend who can take detailed notes in case of your excused absence.

Cooperative efforts. All-program work (and seminars) require collaborative and cooperative efforts from both faculty and students. Students should familiarize themselves with the Program Covenant, the Evergreen Social Contract and the Student Conduct Code regarding issues such as plagiarism and disruptive behavior. Normal adult behavior, of course, is expected and disruptive or disrespectful behavior will be grounds for being asked to leave the program.  In all program activities, please make sure your cell phones are turned off, and you do not make it difficult for students or faculty to listen or concentrate. Laptops are to be used only for taking notes, but should not be used in seminar where face to face communication is critical.

Evaluation: Your evaluation will consist of your seminar leader's written evaluation of your work, your self-evaluation, and the evaluation conference. You will be evaluated on your level of comprehension of the material, on your skills (writing, thinking, speaking, listening, research, presentation), and on your intellectual engagement with the major themes of the program as reflected in assignments and seminar discussions.

Accommodations: Please let your faculty know at the beginning of the quarter if there are any reasonable accommodations that you will need that will be coordinated through Evergreen's Access Services.

Credit Requirements ^

Sixteen quarter-hours of credit will be awarded to students who fulfill all of the following requirements:

•submission of all assignments by the deadlines announced in the syllabus unless otherwise agreed upon by the student and faculty;

•regular attendance at all class activities (More than 2 excused absences will result in the loss of credit);

•active collaboration and responsible participation in group research team and planning;

•draft of written self-evaluation and faculty evaluation before evaluation conference.

Week by Week Schedule ^ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

The definitions below are up for debate. They are offered as a place to perhaps begin:

Political Economy critically analyzes economic systems, particularly capitalism. It examines the interplay of politics & economics in the historical development of a society and its social relations, particularly class relations. Systemic analyses of unequal power in the determination of the production, distribution, consumption and exchange of goods & services are central to political economy. ^

Social Movements are a collective expression by noninstitutionalized ("grassroots") groups seeking or resisting social change. It is a social network attempting--mainly from outside the power structure--to bring about institutional changes, or to assert the power and self-determination of a particular social community. ^

Updates: ^

Materials for Outreach from the US Social Forum

Plan it, Build it
How does it work?
USSF Flyer - standard
We Believe

Power Point on USSF 07

USSF Draft Schedule

Guess Who’s Coming to the US Social Forum?

· The South by Southwest Freedom Caravan—spanning more than 5 states—will bring nearly 1,000 people from New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia; led by Southwest Workers Union, Southwest Organizing Project, the People’s Institute for Survival & Beyond, The People’s Hurricane Relief Fund, and Southern Echo!

· Several community organizations in Mississippi, including the Mississippi Workers Center and Mississippi Immigrant Rights Alliance (MIRA) are organizing more than 4 buses from across the state!

· SisterSong: Women of Color Reproductive Health Collective plans to mobilize more than 1,000 women of color to participate in the World Court of Women and other gender-focused programs at the USSF!

· Southern Rural Black Women’s Initiative is bringing more than 200 members in their Delegation from Mississippi and Alabama!

· Over 100 organizations from across the Northeast have already registered for the US Social Forum!

· Jobs with Justice coalitions from around the country will come to celebrate their 20th Anniversary at the USSF!

· Hundreds of organizations are meeting locally in Los Angeles, the Bay Area, South Florida, Alaska, Hawaii and more!

Online Fundraising Project

Our Goal: We plan to raise $100,000 in grassroots income by June 28
for the US Social Forum!!

Donate now:
http://www.ussf2007 .org/en/donate
and pass on this e-mail.

You can make your donations online via PayPal or send a check to Project South/USSF, 9 Gammon Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30315
Please Donate and Repost this email.

From June 27 through July 1, 2007, one of the most important political events in recent history will take place in Atlanta, Georgia. The United States Social Forum (USSF) will bring together generations of movement organizers and activists who realize that it is crucial that we come together to define a truly alternative political vision for the United States – a vision that unites us in a common cause against the exploitation of our labor, the poisoning of our environment, the militarization of our borders, the theft of our lands, and the invasion of other nations. If Another World is Possible, Another U.S. is Necessary!

Together, we can build a Broad-based and Self-funded movement!
We can do it with your help.

We have a $900,000 budget for the USSF, much of that will come from registrations in the coming months. But in order to meet some of our immediate needs, we need your support now! We need to secure venues, pay staff, print brochures and programs; the small, often overlooked details that will make the USSF an inspiring and empowering event.

Give a thousand dollars. Give a hundred dollars.
Give one dollar!!

In a grassroots movement EVERY DOLLAR MATTERS!

Then please pass this on to every friend, family member, and freedom fighter you know!

This event is owned and operated by movement builders across the United States!

Other than a committed core of foundations that understand the importance of building a grassroots movement in the U.S., we are relying on the power of organizers, workers, activists and grassroots movement building to provide the resources that will make this event a reality. From the Mississippi Delta to the villages of Alaska to inner cities East and West to the banks of the Rio Grande to the shores of the Pacific and Caribbean Islands - this event begins and ends with us. We are the ones we have been waiting for!

Donate now:
http://www.ussf2007 .org/en/donate
and pass on this e-mail.

You can make your donations online via PayPal or send a check to Project South/USSF, 9 Gammon Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30315
Please Donate and Repost this email.

Register Today:http://www.ussf2007 .org/en/register

In Solidarity,

The Resource Mobilization Working Group of the United States Social Forum

Mahea Campbell, Movement Strategy Center, Oakland, CA
William Cordery, Project South, Atlanta, GA
Tanya Dawkins, Global-Local Links, Miami, FL
Sameer Dossani, 50 Years is Enough Network, Washington, DC
Jules Dykes, Taskforce for the Homeless, Atlanta, GA
Beni Ivey, The Center for Democratic Renewal, Atlanta, GA
Melanie Joseph, Foundry Theatre, New York, NY
Michael Leon Guerrero, Grassroots Global Justice Alliance, Los Angeles, CA
Richard Moore, Southwest Network for Environmental and Economic Justice, Albuquerque, NM
Angela Moreno, National Advocates for Pregnant Women, Washington, DC
Makani Themba-Nixon, The Praxis Project, Washington DC
Rachel Parsons, The Regional Council of Churches, Atlanta, GA
Bobbie Paul, Women’s Action for New Directions, Atlanta, GA
Dawn Phillips, Just Cause, Oakland, CA
Becky Rafter, Fund for Southern Communities, Decatur, GA
Robby Rodriguez, SouthWest Organizing Project, Albuquerque, NM
Rubén Solís, Southwest Workers Union, San Antonio, TX
Ilana Solomon, Action Aid USA, Washington, DC
Eric Tang, BLOC, New York, NY
Douglas Taylor, Southeast Community Research Center, Atlanta, GA

If you have any questions, please contact:
Michael Leon Guerrero, Michael@ggjalliance .org
William Bradwell Cordery, Will@projectsouth.org

Fundraising: ^

Dan's Fundraising Notes

Scholarships to the US Social Forum! To help link feminist movements and social justice movements

The Funding Exchange, Ms. Foundation for Women, Third
Wave Foundation, and the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice are jointly
providing funding for people to attend the 2007 US Social Forum, June 27-July
1, 2007 in Atlanta. "The US Social Forum is more than a conference, more than
a networking bonanza, more than a reaction to war and repression. The USSF will
provide space to build relationships, learn from each other's experiences,
share our analysis of the problems our communities face, and bring renewed
insight and inspiration. It will help develop leadership and develop
consciousness, vision, and strategy needed to realize another world."

They are actively seeking scholarship applicants. Priority will be given to low
income women, women of color, young women (age 15-30), women with disabilities,
lesbians/queer women and transgender people. Formerly incarcerated women are
also encouraged to apply. All participants will be invited to a breakfast the
morning of June 28. Grantees will be asked to write a short essay about their
experiences at the US Social Forum. To obtain the application, visit
The Funding Exchange and scroll down to see the announcement. There
doesn't appear to be a deadline.

If you have questions, contact Aleah Bacquie Vaughn at
aleah.bacquievaughn@fex.org or 212-529-5356 ext 317

Third Wave Foundation Offers United States Social Forum Scholarships

Deadline: May 10, 2007

The Third Wave Foundation's United States Social Forum Fund provides full scholarships (registration, travel, lodging, and food) for young women and transgender activists between the ages of 15 and 30 to attend the United States Social Forum, June 27-July 1, 2007, in Atlanta, Georgia.

The foundation is accepting applications from individuals that are currently working for positive social change in their com- munities. The foundation seeks to support young women and transgender youth who are members, staff, board, or volunteers of youth-led and intergenerational organizations. Third Wave Foundation prioritizes young people from organizations that are multi-issue and multi-strategy.

In particular, the foundation places a priority on individuals from the following communities: low-income; people of color; differently abled (mental, physical, or emotional); immigrant; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender; and/or those in rural areas. The foundation also encourages applications from people impacted by the sex trade or sex workers, young parents, and formerly incarcerated.

The foundation does not fund internationally, and will accept only one application per organization.
Visit the Third Wave Foundation Web site for further information and the application form.
For additional RFPs in Women.

USSF Scholarship Announcement for Women!

To help link feminist movements and social justice movements, The Funding Exchange, Ms. Foundation for Women, Third Wave Foundation, and the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice are jointly providing funding for people to attend the 2007 US Social Forum. We are actively seeking applicants. Priority will be given to low income women, women of color, young women (age 15-30), women with disabilities, lesbians/queer women and transgender people. Formerly incarcerated women are also encouraged to apply. All participants will be invited to a breakfast the morning of June 28. Grantees will be asked to write a short essay about their experiences at the US Social Forum.

Please click here for the application.
If you have any questions please e-mail buildingmovements@ms.foundation.org

Friends of the Evergreen Library Senior Project/Thesis Grant
Spring 2007

If you are a senior graduating in Spring 07 and working on a senior project… this grant is for you!

Guidelines:
This must be an individual project or thesis that is completed during Spring Quarter 2007. You must be eligible to graduate by the end of Spring Quarter.
This project cannot be part of a larger academic program project, or a group project.

Requirements:
*You must submit a 2 page proposal narrative and itemized cost list for the FOEL Senior Project grant  via e-mail by Friday, April 13th at 5:00 PM.  Late entries will not be considered. The E-mail address is: friends@evergreen.edu
*This proposal must include the following information to be considered valid:
Name, current address, active e-mail address, phone #. Student ID #.  

*You will need to include:

1. A brief project description with timeline
2. An explanation of the projects significance: What questions will the project attempt to answer or show? What will be the project’s legacy? What meaning does this project have for you?
3. What education or experience qualifies you to complete the project?
4. How will it further your goals for future academic work or employment?

*You must provide a separate itemized list of costs connected with the proposed project in addition to the two-page proposal.

*You will need your faculty sponsor to send an e-mail of support for your project or thesis to the above e-mail by the deadline.

You will be notified by e-mail, by Friday, April 20th, 2007, 5:00 PM, whether or not you have received an award.

The award will range from $100.00 to $250.00 depending upon merit.

For winners:
You will be required to sign a form, which lets the college create a check in the amount of the award.
*You must sign this form located in the Library administration office (Library 3508) within 7 days of notification or forfeit your award.
*The check is then created and mailed to your currently listed address within 7 days of your signing the form. (So the sooner you sign the form, the sooner you will get your money!)

Follow up requirements:
You will be required to present your receipts at the conclusion of the project, to the grant committee along with a short verbal report/presentation display.  The presentation materials will be put on display within the library or out in the lobby during Evaluation week and Super Saturday weekend. (June 11 - 18th)

If you have questions, contact Jane Fisher at fisherj@evergreen.edu. or 360-867-6087