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You are required to number your responses, submit your work as a PDF, and to be detailed and
thorough in all your responses. I expect it will take at least one paragraph to answer each
question.
Expectations for Written Work
1. Number your responses if the questions/prompts are numbered.
2. When completing any writing assignment, keep in mind the point of all the assigned tasks in this
course: to demonstrate knowledge about the subject, to demonstrate your ability to think critically,
to demonstrate the use of your sociological imagination, and to demonstrate your ability to write
clearly and effectively. Before submitting your work, be sure that all your responses do each of
these things.
3. All written work should be well-written and well thought-out meaning it should utilize full
sentences with proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation and demonstrate critical thinking skills
and subject knowledge.
4. Longer responses on written work typically receive higher scores because they usually
demonstrate deeper thought, more critical thinking and analysis, and better content mastery.
However, lengthy “fluff” responses that don’t actually say anything meaningful will result in a loss
of points.
5. Skipping a question or questions on any assignment will result in a significant drop in your score
for that assignment because it shows a lack of effort. You should always attempt to answer every
question.
6. Similarly, be sure you fully answer all the questions asked. Often there are multiple parts and it is
critical that you do everything that is asked of you and fully answer all questions.
7. Neglecting to follow directions may result in a 0 for the entire assignment.
On Artificial Intelligence (AI) Specifically:
In this course, we will utilize an AI detection tool when we score your written work and this tool is
incredibly accurate. The chances of anyone getting away with using Artificial Intelligence (AI) are
essentially nil. Students who utilize AI or who engage in any other form of academic dishonesty —
plagiarism, collusion, etc. — will first be given a 0 on the assignment. NO CHAT GPT
Assignment 4 instructions on PAGE 2
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Assignment 4 Read the following articles and external links
● Watch this video :
● Read the powerpoint
● Relevant Details about ARTICLE: Framing the Fat Body
● Explanation of Framing Theory: “Framing theory and frame analysis build on the basic tenets of
social constructivism, providing a theoretical and methodological tool for the study of social
problems in the public arena. As a sociological concept, framing has its roots in Goffman’s work.
According to Goffman (1974:25), framing is an attempt to define “What is it that’s going on here?”
As cognitive shortcuts, frames enable actors to make sense of everyday social experiences;
actors can arrive at a “definition of a situation,” organize and interpret experience, and act
accordingly (Goffman 1974). In other words, frames enable efficient information processing,
suggesting what is at issue and a course of action. The process involves selection and salience;
selecting some aspect of a perceived reality and making it salient so as to promote a particular
definition of the problem (Entman 1993). It also involves diagnosing causes, making moral
judgments, and suggesting policy remedies (Gamson 1992; Iyengar 1991; Ryan 1991).”
● Article Abstract: “Sociologists have long recognized that social problems do not derive solely from
objective conditions but from a process of collective definition. At the core of some social issues
are framing competitions, struggles over the production of ideas and meanings. This article
examines competing cultural meanings about the fat body. Through frame analysis of
organizational materials, I map the contested field of obesity and document three cultural
frames—medical frame, social justice frame, and market choice frame— as represented by the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Association to Advance Fat
Acceptance (NAAFA), and the food industry group the Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF),
respectively. Using the “framing matrix,” I explore each frame’s key signature elements and
discuss its social and cultural significance. Notably, each frame leads to different outcomes for
social equality and how society thinks about fat bodies, health, and public policy.”
Questions:
1. What is a recent event that “just happened” but became culturally meaningful? Why did this
event become meaningful while many other things that “just happened” did not? Be very specific
and detailed.
2. How is the Black Lives Matter movement framed? Be specific and discuss at least two ways it is
framed. (This may require you to do some research on BLM!)
3. Look over the editorial secction of the Houston Chronicle
(
Links to an external site.) and use it to identify a social problem that is currently capturing public
attention. Describe how this social problem came to be identified and how it is being constructed
in the editorial you selected. What are some other ways it could have been constructed? Do you
think the way it is being constructed in the editorial is catching on/will catch on? Why or why not?
Consider and utilize the course material on which problems/constructions of
problems/movements tend to gain traction and why.
