What if? Movements, Organization Logics, & the Politics of Possibility

How do people come to see something as unjust—and decide it can change? How do they imagine new solutions and alternative futures? Blending theory from social science on law, movements, and organizations with works of speculative literature as thought experiments into the possible, students examine how collective grievances form, how movements mobilize, how new organizational logics emerge, and how individuals and groups envision structural change. Informed by theory and analysis of fictional works that explore alternative realities, students then apply course content by conducting interviews or focus groups to explore how movements and organizations envision and pursue social transformation.