Masters Theses

Date of Award

8-2025

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Major

Sociology

Major Professor

Jon Shefner

Committee Members

Bill McClanahan, Lois Presser

Abstract

This practicum thesis explores the practice of grassroots organizing through the lens of applied sociology, focusing on the Public School Strong campaign in Tennessee during the 2024–2025 academic year. In response to escalating legislative threats—particularly HB 793, a bill targeting immigrant students—this work examines how local and statewide organizers mobilized to defend public education and immigrant rights. Through embedded participation in coalitions such as the Knox County Education Coalition (KCEC), Statewide Organizing for Community eMpowerment (SOCM), and Tennessee for All, I engaged directly in planning events, supporting public actions, and documenting organizing practices.

Rather than relying on traditional research methods, this project is grounded in field notes, sociological theory, and lived experience. It reflects on how decentralized campaigns like PSS use visual solidarity, coordinated messaging, and moral framing to build collective power. Drawing from theories by Goehl, Blee, Barber, and Draut, the thesis analyzes how coalition work, community leadership, and strategic storytelling sustain movements under political pressure. Ultimately, this practicum demonstrates that applied sociology is not just a tool for analysis—it is a way of acting in the world. Organizing is shown here as both method and outcome: a collective process through which democracy is practiced and reimagined from the ground up.

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