Framing Pandemic paper

Sociology of Health and Illness
Fall 2020 | Professor Washburn
Framing Pandemics Paper Assignment
Important Dates
September 9: Names of the epidemics/pandemics you will you use for your analysis due
September 16: List of articles you will use (around 10) due
September 30: Paper due
Background: This assignment supports the overarching learning goal of the class by asking you to
compare and contrast how two different epidemics/pandemics have been depicted in newspaper
articles. You should use the COVID-19 pandemic as one example and then select another from
the nineteenth or twentieth century. A major premise of this assignment is that newspaper
reporting not only works to “frame” how the public understands social phenomena, but also
reflects the culture in which the reporting takes place. In your analysis, you will pay particular
attention to how journalists depict the causes, consequences, and cures/solutions of the two
pandemics/epidemics.
Details: Your paper should be approximately 5 pages in length (double spaced).
Contents
I. Introduction (1 paragraph). Provide a basic description of the pandemics/epidemics you will be
analyzing in the paper and provide a basic roadmap. Your description can include some basic facts
about the disease, including when and where it occurred and how many people it affected.
II. Methods (1-2 paragraphs). Describe how you gathered the articles. Which database did you
use? How did you decide on the set of approximately 10 articles you ultimately selected?
III. Analysis (4 pages). Provide an analysis of the news coverage of the two epidemics/pandemics
focusing on similarities and differences in how the journalists describes the causes, consequences,
and cures/solutions to the epidemics/pandemics. Some things you might think about are the
following:
§ How are the origins of the epidemic/pandemic depicted? Is it clear or mysterious? Are scientists
unsure about key facts? Is there debate among experts?
§ Who is affected? Who are the victims? Does this include only those affected by the disease or
others (including all of society)?
§ Are there individuals or particular practices that are blamed for spreading the virus? How are
they depicted?
§ Are cures/solutions discussed? If so, how are they discussed? Is the virus stoppable or
preventable? Will it take massive efforts? Who will offer these cures/solutions? Government
agencies, scientists, doctors, others?
IV. Conclusion (1-2 paragraphs). What are the big takeaways from your analysis?
V. References. Please follow the guidelines below for formatting your references. I am not terribly
picky, but you need to make sure that all critical elements are there.
Citation Guidelines
Please use Chicago style for formatting your references. See example below:
Blakeslee, Sandra. “A Pregnant Mother’s Diet May Turn the Genes Around,” New York Times,
October 7, 2003.
Note: You are welcome to include photos or images in your paper, but please make sure that your
text meets the guidelines noted above.