Welcome To Week 2 Of Drug Use, Abuse, And Trafficking

Welcome To Week 2 Of Drug Use Abuse And Traffickingthis Week You Ar

Welcome to week 2 of Drug Use, Abuse, and Trafficking. This week you are required to read Zilney, "Chapter 1: Framing Drugs and Their Use." (I have provided you with a copy of Zilney's textbook, in PDF, from our homepage. I recommend you download and print the chapters you are required to read. Take me seriously on this point, please: like it or not all of us read differently when there is a physical copy of text in front of us.) I highly recommend you download and print a copy of Zilney's Table of Contents and the Index to her book. On Wednesday, I will release the discussion board to you.

I release the work for the week on Wednesdays. This is to get you into the habit of reading first and doing the work for the class after you have done the reading. You can prepare for this week's discussion board in a number of ways: 1. Do the reading required for the week. 2. In this particular week think about what "framing" an issue means. Also, why don't you look up the Rashomon effect? Try to think about how the issues of drug use, abuse, and trafficking are "framed." Ask yourself questions about how the issue of "drugs" (whatever that word means to you) has been framed for you. What effects has that framing had on you? When you think of "drugs" are you thinking about "caffeine"? If so, why? If not, why not? In a related note, how do you think of Rashomon? Do you recognize that the only common fact among the divergent stories is that the man died? Or, do you immediately fall into the trap of thinking that the film is a whodunnit and that Tajomaru murdered the man? Or that the man committed suicide? (Neither of these two possibilities are facts. Rather they are interpretations of the man's death.) 3. Read the Sway webpage on the requirements for Writing a Discussion Board. (Print this out!) 4. Read the rubric I will use to grade the discussion board. (Print this out!) 5. The discussion board prompt will be released to you here on Wednesday before 12pm MT. If you are on the UTEP campus consider coming to my office hours for this week: Tuesdays from 2pm to 4pm in BEN 304. You can also meet with me virtually via Zoom during the same time period -- just send me an email to let me know that you want to meet via Zoom. The Zoom link is at the bottom of this Blackboard page.

Paper For Above instruction

This week’s discussion centers on the concept of “framing” issues, particularly in the context of drug use, abuse, and trafficking. Students are encouraged to critically think about how such issues are presented to the public and how this influences perceptions. To develop a nuanced understanding, students should explore the notion of framing as discussed in Zilney’s Chapter 1, “Framing Drugs and Their Use,” and relate it to their personal perceptions of drugs, including whether they associate the term with substances like caffeine. An additional point of reflection involves the Rashomon effect, which illustrates how different perspectives can interpret the same event divergently. Students should consider how this effect applies to the multifaceted narratives surrounding drug issues and their personal framing of these issues.

Preparation for this assignment involves multiple steps. First, complete the required reading in Zilney’s textbook, being sure to download and print the necessary chapters, Table of Contents, and index for better engagement. Second, contemplate the meaning of “framing” and how it influences your understanding of drug-related issues. Consider looking up the Rashomon effect to comprehend how subjective perspectives shape narratives, especially regarding the death of the man in Kurosawa’s film. Reflect on how initial assumptions—such as whether the man was murdered or committed suicide—are interpretations rather than facts.

Further, students should review the specific requirements and grading rubric for the discussion board by reading the provided webpage and rubric explanations. The discussion prompt will be released on Wednesday before noon Mountain Time, providing ample time for preparation. For students on the UTEP campus, visiting office hours or scheduling a Zoom meeting is encouraged to clarify any questions regarding the discussion or assignment requirements.

The goal of this week’s activity is to develop a critical understanding of how issues are framed and perceived through different narratives, which is essential for analyzing the social construction of drug problems and their portrayal in media and policy.

References

  1. Zilney, T. (Year). Chapter 1: Framing Drugs and Their Use. In Title of the Textbook. Publisher. URL or DOI (if available).
  2. Kurosawa, A. (1950). Rashomon [Film]. Daiei Film.
  3. Entman, R. M. (1999). Framing Bias: Media in the Distribution of Power. Journal of Communication, 49(1), 7–23.
  4. Gamson, W. A., & Modigliani, A. (1989). Media discourse and public opinion on nuclear power: A constructionist approach. American Journal of Sociology, 95(1), 1-37.
  5. Entman, R. M. (2007). Framing bias: Media in the distribution of power. Journal of Communication, 49(1), 7–23.
  6. Li, Y., & Tedesco, J. C. (2012). News framing of gun control: The influence of race and political ideology. Communication and the Public, 18(4), 506-523.
  7. Nelson, T. E., Clawson, R. A., & Oxley, Z. M. (1997). Media Framing of a Civil Liberties Conflict and Its Effect on Tolerance. American Political Science Review, 91(3), 567–583.
  8. Reese, S. D. (2001). Prologue— Framing public life: A bridging model for media research. In S. D. Reese (Ed.), Framing public life: Perspectives on media and our understanding of social processes (pp. 7-31). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
  9. Scheufele, D. A., & Tewksbury, D. (2007). Framing, Agenda Setting, and Priming: The Evolution of Media Effects Theory. Journal of Communication, 57(1), 9–20.
  10. Entman, R. M. (2004). Projections of Power: Framing News, Public Opinion, and U.S. Foreign Policy. University of Chicago Press.

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