For this week’s assignment we will focus on framing a social Problem. Purpose: To provide the opportunity for you to apply the social construction of social problems perspective to a current social issue

Framing a social Problem.

Assignment #1 option A: Framing Analysis social issue (4 pages double spaced) Purpose: To provide the opportunity for you to apply the social construction of social problems perspective to a current social issue; Tasks involved in this assignment: A. Choose a social or political issue; purported social problem; or controversial event or development on which to focus this assignment. Examples of issues/problems /events around which we often see strategic framings might be: B. Find a small number of “documents” about your topic that you will analyze in terms of how the issue may be being framed in strategic ways by certain parties with an interest in how the issue is addressed:

Framing a social Problem.

C. Analyze your written documents / videos / notes with an eye to how authors or speakers are FRAMING the issue/problem/event that you are interested in. Essential Elements of the Paper: 1. Briefly summarize the issue/problem/event of interest. 2. Identify an Individual / Group who has an interest in the issue/problem/event and how it will be addressed. Explain what this interest is. Why do they want the audience to think a certain way about the issue? 3. Describe how the individual/group is framing1 the issue. [NOTE: framing can occur or be accomplished in a couple different ways; it might be helpful to be aware of what exactly is getting framed]:

Framing a social Problem.

a. Advancing a particular causal story around an issue – how does the story direct or deflect blame or responsibility onto/from one party vs. another. b. Advancing a particular depiction of one of the parties in the debate so as to enhance or degrade their reputation (i.e. their integrity, believability, credibility, authority to speak on said topic). 4. Explain how the framing advances the individual’s/group’s goals. That is: illustrate how the framing fits with the way the individual or group in question wants the targeted audience to think about the issue/ problem/event in question. 5. Assess whether you think the framing is likely to be successful (or show how it has been successful….)

Framing a social Problem.

Notes: Attach the newspaper article(s) you used for the assignment to the back of your paper. Addendum Examples of issue where framing is relevant: a. Recent Legislation at the Federal or State level: for example… i. Trump’s Tax Reform Legislation ii. The Affordable Care Act (or proposals to repeal and replace it). iii. Immigration Reform and DACA b. Economic Problems, such as high unemployment rates, low economic growth rates, financial crises. c. Environmental issues, such as Global Warming or concerns over air and water quality. d. Other Social Problems: these can be helpfully divided between.

Framing a social Problem.

a. i. Troubling social conditions that represent long-term problems that change relatively slowly, such as youth violence and/or delinquency; substance abuse & related problems; homelessness and related problems; high rates of crime (or high crime in certain areas of a city or other geographic region; teen pregnancy, infant & child health conditions… a. ii. Troubling events that are connected to social problems, such as: a recent spate of gang related killings; a riot or other violent event; a heinous situation that offends community norms (a neglected or abused child or elder);

Framing a social Problem.

a toxic spill effecting the environment (water, air, ground water); a spate of industrial accidents or products malfunctioning (think Toyota brakes, Ford Pintos exploding; fires in sweat-shop factories…) e. Institutional Problems, such as: school failures (high dropout rates, bullying, poor test scores); terrible conditions in prisons and jails; terrible handling of child welfare cases; evidence of bias &/or discrimination in a variety of institutional settings (policing; justice system; education systems; admissions to colleges…) What types of documents / materials can one use for finding examples of issue framing? https://youtu.be/6HRZodXXmVI

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