Assignment: Social construction of alcohol problems and social control of alcohol
Points: 100 total (10% of the grade)
Expected length: 3-4 double spaced pages (2-3 single spaced), not more than 1000 words or an equivalent presentation. If you would like to create a presentation (slides) with or without audio instead of a short paper in order to take advantage of visuals, that’s also a possibility–but it should be the equivalent amount of presentation material.
Due: 12/8 on Canvas in lieu of weekly discussion.
This does not need to be a super formal paper, but you should show that you have examined your topic and thought carefully about moral entrepreneurship, power, and/or social control from different angles.
The assignment:
Briefly address an alcohol problem that has received significant public attention at some point in the past 150 years–OR that you think SHOULD be receiving significant attention, and which some have tried to call attention to, but unsuccessfully. This could be one of the suggested topics from the Week 12 or 13 materials (probably the easiest), one of the topics in the public health unit, or one that you are just interested in (anything outside of the Week 12 and 13 topics may require a little additional research). Please be as specific as possible—for example, if you choose the prohibition movement, you should pick a aspect, such as a specific place/time/actor and focus in on that, rather than trying to address 50+ years of a huge social movement.
Consider that social problems are often BOTH truly serious problems but are also socially constructed in specific ways that can be problematic.
Discuss the social construction of the problem. (30 points) This includes:
Describing the “true” nature of the problem, in your personal assessment (based on facts of some kind-citations are a good idea!)
You will also want to do at least some of the following to get at the social construction of the problem–what made it a hot topic? Or assess why it was NOT as hot of a topic as you would expect.
Discuss the actor(s) who brought public attention to the problem—who were they and what was their stake in this? Address whether they fit Becker’s “moral entrepreneur” model.
Describe the techniques the actor(s) used to do this and the way they emphasized the nature of the problem. Who, if anyone, is constructed to be a victim? Who, if anyone, is constructed as a villain or threat?
If there is no one easily identifiable moral entrepreneur, describe the nature of the problem as presented in popular news, public service accounts, or expressions of public concern.
If it was/is NOT a hot topic, assess whether any attempts to bring attention have been made. Why have these failed? OR consider what features of a “moral entrepreneur” might help make it a hotter topic.
Assess the social construction. (30 points) For example:
How accurate was the public concern raised, in your opinion? Or was there a lack of public concern that SHOULD have existed? If present, did the public concern accurately target the most important aspects of “the problem”?
Do you think the social position of the main actor(s) affect the way(s) that they understood and chose to socially construct the problem? How?
Were any people with less power targeted for social control in potentially problematic ways in either the creation of the “problem” or the possible solutions?
Discuss to what extent social control measures were implemented due to this public attention-raising. (30 points) For example:
What were the measures? Were they formal (eg laws and policies) or informal (eg norms)?
Who was the target of these measures?
What behaviors were targeted?
In your opinion, were the people and behaviors targeted appropriate for the true nature of the problem as you see it? Are there behaviors or individuals that would be more on point for a target?
How were the choices of targeted people/behaviors influenced by formal or informal power structures in society?
