DEADLINE March 16 for March 24 - April 20, 2025 Online Course

Movements and Power: Civil Resistance in the 21st Century

For over a decade, the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict has hosted our People Power online course.

Now, with new case studies, quantitative research, and practitioner insights, ICNC is launching our inaugural Movements and Power course.

In Movements and Power: Civil Resistance in the 21st Century, several dozen highly motivated and collaborative participants from around the world will join with selected moderators to:

• Learn from curated videos and readings from experts and practitioners addressing key aspects of nonviolent resistance campaigns and movement building;

• Discuss course content with peers in moderated online forums and live sessions

• Build a collaborative learning community with other learners by sharing experiences, reflections, and stories.

Basic Details and Application Info

This 4-week online course provides an interactive, in-depth, and evidenced-based perspective on nonviolent civil resistance movements and campaigns. Here are the details:

Course Dates

The course will run from March 24 – April 20, 2025.

Applications are due: End of day, Sunday, March 16, 2025.

Participants will be notified of their application status by March 19.

Course Content and Schedule*

Module 1. Understanding Power and Resistance
Unit 1: What is Civil Resistance?
Unit 2: Power Dynamics and Theories

Module 2. Turning a Trigger Event Into a Movement
Unit 1: Transitioning from Protest to Movement
Unit 2: The Movement Cycle and Ecosystem

Module 3. Waging the Struggle
Unit 1: Choosing Tactics
Unit 2: The Trifecta of Civil Resistance

Module 4. Ensuring Success
Unit 1: Catalyzing Defections, Increasing Participation, and Creating Alliances
Unit 2: Repression Management and Backfire

Course Moderators

Moderators will include selected members from the ICNC staff and select alumni from previous iterations of the course.

Types of Activities

The course will involve an international learning community in a number of activities to be completed within specific timeframes, including readings, viewing videos, and active engagement with weekly discussion forums and optional live sessions.

Online Platform

The course will take place on ICNC’s online learning platform and begins with a live orientation webinar on Monday, March 24, that guides admitted participants through signing up, logging in, interacting in the online space, and getting the most out of their online learning. The live orientation will happen twice, at 9 AM and 4 PM EST (14:00 and 21:00 UTC) to allow for participants from around the world to fit the one-hour session into their schedules.

Time Zone Flexibility

Participation in the class is not restricted by time zone. Course content, forums, and posts are all accessible to participants at any time of day. Outside of the introductory webinar and optional live sessions, people do not have to be online at the same time as others. You can log in to the course each day to read and watch material and participate in discussions as it best fits your own schedule.

Who Should Apply

We encourage any movement activists, organizers, scholars, educators, members of civil society, policy professionals, and journalists to apply to take this course—if you think the course will help you participate in, support, or analyze nonviolent peoples’ movements for human rights, political freedom, social justice, and environmental sustainability more effectively.

In past years, we have had over 150 people apply for our courses. On average, we only accept 50 participants. For this class, we are looking for participants from all over the world who:

• Have strong personal motivations to learn and apply their knowledge of what makes civil resistance struggles effective;

• Are willing to engage with other participants and share their knowledge and experience about nonviolent movements and campaigns in respectful and collaborative ways, even when they disagree;

• Are comfortable with writing, reading, and speaking in English; and

• Are committed to meeting the work expectations and the participant code of conduct as outlined below.

Learn more and apply here (no info on cost; appears to be free or by donation request) ICNC Moderated Online Course Begins March 2025 | ICNC