Abstract

A college campus can serve as a reflection of the larger issues occurring within society. In working to address topics such as racism, sexism, classism, or homophobia, student activism plays a critical role in an individual’s experience in higher education. The need for a safer campus, the desire to change university policies and various other factors contribute to the motivation for students to join campus organizing groups, but such activism is a practice that has significantly contributed to the college student experience. What may not be as apparent, however, are the strategies that are used by students to organize on college campuses, especially when those strategies might be identified as feminist techniques. In addition to the techniques students use to organize, the spaces they create for addressing racial and social justice issues are worth examining. Coalitional spaces offer an opportunity for diverse students to gather to discuss their lived experience in hope of creating social change on campus. This thesis expands upon previous feminist research on student activism and organizing on college campuses and examines the types of strategies students use to engage in racial and social justice activism. In this study, I explore the strategies and organizing techniques used by students to mobilize around racial and social justice issues at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Recommendations for future research and implications on student activism are also discussed.

Advisor

Ana Perez

Committee Member

Laura Harrison

Committee Member

Kellian Clink

Date of Degree

2016

Language

english

Document Type

Thesis

Degree

Master of Arts (MA)

College

Social and Behavioral Sciences

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

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In Copyright