Sociology Notes 2 and 3 - Chapter 2-3 PDF

Preview

Summary

Chapter 2-3...

Description

The structure of social problems claims 



Components of claims are: o Grounds - Information and evidence about the troubling conditon o Warrants - justifications, appeals to values - reasons why somehting must be done about the troubling condition o Conclusions Frames: o Diagnostic frame (grounds) - diagnosing the problem o Motivational frame (warrants) - calling to action o Prognostic Frame (conclusions) -predicting the future of the problem  If unchanged  If change comes

Grounds and the recipe of rhetoric   



   

Identify a troubling condition. Assertion of "facts" Provide supporting evidence Three ingredients: o A typifying example - Though not usually typical, rather it is something extreme to capture people's attention o Naming the problem/ condition - naming does not mean defining o Presenting statistics - describes the scope of the problem, be critical of the numbers, eyeballing it or current stats, pay attention to the base numbers, need to know what is being measured, how it is being measured, who measured it Worsening on the problem o Epidemics o Inequality o Drug use Familiar type - provides a frame of reference Kinds of people involved - victims or villains Range of people affected - narrow or broad Challenge to older interpretations - related to politics and research, old frames and new frames

Warrants 

Explain why people should care o A claims warrants justify doing something o Cultural values are key here - opposing sides, claiming same values

Conclusions   

Conclusions are statements about what should be done wuth respect to the trouling condition The proposed solutions must be in line with the grounds and warrants Conclusions can iclude both short term and long term goals and policy changes

Claims and Audience







Valence issues o Conditions most agree are social problems  There may still be dimensions of the problem that some focus on more than others, t=but there is general agreement Position Issues o NO consensus, controversial topics  In this case, claims-makers target sympathetic audiences Audience segmentation or differentiation o Social Differentiation  End up categorizing people via social statuses (positions we hold in society)  With the social statuses come social roles, these are expectations attached to statuses (positions)  Differentiate on age, class, gender, sex, race etc o People who are listening to your problem have different perspectives so you must frame your claims to appeal to the people you want on board

Social Problems Marketplace 

Marketing of social problems o Attention grabbing strategies  A typifying example  Naming the problem  Statistics o Evolution  Start with a narrow issue, domain expansion  "Piggybacking" How you add on problems to other problems

Counterclaims 

Most claims inspire counterclaims o Counterclaims are claims made by opponents of the initial claims  Typically attach the stats, "stats wars"  Role of Ideologies  Refinement of claims by initial claimants o Social Problem clusters

Project Instructions     

Writing - parsimonious - not eloquent - accuracy - completeness of thoughts, points and examples - efficiency - accurate, complete and supported (Author's last name, Year, Page number) Last name, First. Year. Book's Name, edition Number. Publishing city. Publisher. ASA citation Don’t follow the questions structurally

Journal Entries    

First 6 before Thanksgiving Last 2 after the final More instructions to come #1 - 9/27

 

#2 - 10/4 #3 - 10/11

Claimsmaking by Outsider and Insider Claimsmakers  

Outsider (Activists, Social Movements) - Media - Public - Policymakers Insider (Lobbyists, Pressure Groups) - Media and Public and Policymakers

Activists' concern in making effective claims    

Framing - Developing a way of looking at the world that others will adopt Resource mobilization Opportunity Structures Lead to Social movements which leads to ownership

Social Movements     

An organized effort at claims making that tries to shape the way people think about an issue in order to encourage or discourage social change Emergence - Initial claims made by a few Coalescence - Claims are publicized via rallies Formalization - Claims are recognized as part of political debate, from grass roots to a legally binding organization, formalizes to a social movement with a structure Decline - public interest wanes

Movements and Counter movements 



Social movements are seeking social change o Challenge the status quo o Can lead to the creation of social movement organizations (SMOs) Counter movements do not want change o Use counter movements to resist change, thus promoting social inertia o Conservative - resistant to social change

Framing and Cultural Resources 

Activists construct claims by framing them within a larger cultural context. o Kinds of frames 1. Diagnostic - identify the nature of the troubling condition 2. Motivational - discuss why individuals ought to care about the issue 3. Prognostic - explains what needs to be done to solve the troubling condition 4. Master frame - is one that has worked for other movements and can be applied to others

Frame Alignment  

Is the way activists adjust their frames to recruit potential members Four types of frame alignment o Frame bridging reaches out to people who hold similar frames and support similar causes

o o o

Frame amplification calls on widely held values to rally others to the cause. Plays on emotions Frame extension enlarges the cause's frame to encompass wider concerns. Can dilute the original intent of the movement. Frame transformation calls on people to adopt a new, different frame thus abandoning previous frame

Frame disputes 

Frame disputes often arise between different SMOs within the same movement o SMOs may think about and portray the social problem differently

Resource Mobilization   

Movements need money and donations, media coverage, members, skills and so on Movements use assemble the resources they need (resource mobilization) and use them effectively Many SMOs compete for resources

Players in resource mobilization   

Beneficiaries - those who stand to benefit directly from successful social movements Constituents - movement supporters Conscience Constituents - donors and participants, but do not expect to benefit from social change

Timing and Opportunities  

The ideal time for activists to push is when the obstacles or change are temporarily or permanently reduced The reduction of obstacles can be caused by cultural or political opportunities o Willingness to listen to new claims - news worthy events o Political opportunities can arise from shifting power, priorities, or when opposition to a movement becomes weaker

Ownership of the problem 

Activists can gain ownership of a movement o An individual or SMO can become dominant in political and cultural discourse...