Framing and Temporality in Political Cartoons: A Critical Analysis of Visual News Discourse*

Les caricatures politiques constituent une forme visuelle du discours des médias. Les sociologues rejettent généralement leur valeur idéologique en raison du fait qu'elles offrent aux lecteurs des exposés absurdes des conditions du « problème » putatif et ne doivent pas être prises au pied de la lettre. Toutefois, c'est par l'humour que les caricatures se sont emparées du bon sens et l'ont renfoncé, et par conséquent ont permis au public de classifier, d'organiser et d'inter‐préter activement ce qu'ils perçoivent ou vivent relativement à l'actu‐alité dans le monde à un moment donné de façon significative. Dans le cadre des théories interactionnistes de Goffman et de Mead, deux caricatures illustrant la dernière « crise » des « vagues d'immigration » déferlant au Canada seront étudiées. Political cartoons are a form of visual news discourse. Sociologists normally dismiss their ideological import on the grounds that cartoons simply offer newsreaders absurd accounts of putative “problem” conditions and are not likely to be taken very seriously. Nevertheless, it is through comedic conventions that cartoons seize upon and reinforce common sense and thus enable the public to actively classify, organize and interpret in meaningful ways what they see or experience about the world at a given moment. Informed by the interactionist theories of Goffman and Mead, two cartoons illustrating the recent “crisis” of “migrant waves” to Canada will be examined.     

Gender Differences in Risk Perception: Effects Differ in Stressed vs. Non-Stressed Environments

Contrary to previous reports that women are more concerned about environmental risks than men, we hypothesized that men and women residing in neighborhoods stressed by multiple hazards would demonstrate similar concerns about local environmental conditions. Analysis of a national data base and an aggregate of ten local data bases found greater female than male concern about local technological, behavioral, and land use hazards in good neighborhoods, but, as expected, not in stressed ones. We urge analysts to conduct more studies in stressed neighborhoods in order to better understand the perspective of those who live with environmental risks.     

“Kids and Fires Are No Match”: Fire and Trauma Prevention for Teen Parents

The purpose of this work was to adapt findings from current research into a clinical intervention. A structured, prevention oriented presentation/discussion was developed along with a brief pre and post test measurement tool. The intervention goal was to help teen parents (N = 124), from high schools and job training centers, focus on the preventive issues of fire safety and trauma prevention for themselves and their children after a difficult life event. Findings included a significant increase (<.001) from pre to post test on intent to make their homes fire safe and to understand the importance of emotional support for themselves and their children at differing developmental ages. Unexpectedly, the comparison group of 81 adults from community programs, though starting with higher scores (p < .01) also showed significant improvement (p < .001) on these measures. It is important for social workers to adapt clinical research findings for dissemination.     

Applying Process Knowledge for Yield Variation Reduction: A Longitudinal Field Study*

The widespread recognition of the detrimental effects of high yield variation in advanced manufacturing technology settings, both in terms of cost and management of production processes, underscores the need to develop effective strategies for reducing yield variation. In this article, we report the findings of a longitudinal field study in an electromechanical motor assembly plant where we examined how the application of process knowledge by production work teams can reduce yield variation. We propose and provide an operationalizion of a strategy to identify the sequence of particular types of actions—actions to control the mean followed by actions to control the variance—that work teams should pursue over time to apply process knowledge for reducing yield variation. The results of our empirical analysis show that yield variation was significantly reduced on three of the four production lines at the manufacturing plant that served as our research site. Differences in strategies for applying process knowledge help explain the different results on each of the production lines.     

最初·印象

1872年,一个名叫克劳德·莫奈的法国画家在勒阿弗尔港创作了一幅写生画,描绘的是港口的日出景象.因为日出的美丽转瞬即逝,莫奈为了追上太阳的脚步,只能大略描绘,因此作品显得粗糙与潦草.这种风格遭到了很多评论人士的鄙夷,一名新闻记者甚至讽刺这幅画是“对美与真实的否定,只能给人一种印象”.这幅画本来没有名字,正是因为有了这样一种评论的声音,莫奈干脆将画作命名为《日出·印象》.谁也没有料到,这幅画引申出了“印象派”这一新的艺术流派,并成了印象派的开山之作.     

Full-service community schools: a strategy--not a program

The concept that drives the emerging full-service community school movement is this: Schools cannot address all the problems and needs of disadvantaged children, youth, and families. Community schools are operated jointly by school systems and community agencies, are open extended hours, and may provide the site for after-school programs, primary-care health services, mental health counseling, parent education and involvement, and community development. No two community schools are alike. They grow out of a planning process that involves all stakeholders, school personnel, community-based organizations, city and county government, parents, and students. The Quitman Street Community School in Newark, New Jersey, exemplifies this approach.     

Gambling decisions: an early intervention program for problem gamblers

An implementation and one-year follow-up of the Gambling Decisions program attempted to answer several important questions. First, is controlled gambling a viable treatment option for some gamblers? Can earlier stage problem gamblers be separated for treatment from those with more severe problems? Finally, would problem gamblers utilize a community health agency for treatment of their excessive gambling? A pretest/posttest design was chosen where the efficacy of the program was assessed using repeated measures ANOVA analysis. Results showed that an average loss of $608 over a 4-week period was reduced to $113 immediately after the 6-week program and to a loss of $73 at 12 months. The average number of hours spent gambling per 4 weeks was significantly reduced from 23.5 at pretest to 6.5 at the 12 month posttest. Significant decreases were also observed in the number of days per week that clients gambled, and clients reported significant reductions in everyday life problems related to gambling after completing the program.     

Using Integrated Geospatial Mapping and Conceptual Site Models to Guide Risk-Based Environmental Clean-Up Decisions

Government and private sector organizations are increasingly turning to the use of maps and other visual models to provide a depiction of environmental hazards and the potential risks they represent to humans and ecosystems. Frequently, the graphic presentation is tailored to address a specific contaminant, its location and possible exposure pathways, and potential receptors. Its format is usually driven by the data available, choice of graphics technology, and the audience being served. A format that is effective for displaying one contaminant at one scale at one site, however, may be ineffective in accurately portraying the circumstances surrounding a different contaminant at the same site, or the same contaminant at a different site, because of limitations in available data or the graphics technology being used. This is the daunting challenge facing the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), which is responsible for the nation's legacy wastes from nuclear weapons research, testing, and production at over 100 sites in the United States. In this article, we discuss the development and use of integrated geospatial mapping and conceptual site models to identify hazards and evaluate alternative long-term environmental clean-up strategies at DOE sites located across the United States. While the DOE probably has the greatest need for such information, the Department of Defense and other public and private responsible parties for many large and controversial National Priority List or Superfund sites would benefit from a similar approach.     

A Terror Management Perspective on Ageism

In the present article, we present a theoretical perspective on ageism that is derived from terror management theory. According to the theory, human beings manage deeply-rooted fears about their vulnerability to death through symbolic constructions of meaning and corresponding standards of value. We extend this perspective to suggest that elderly individuals present an existential threat for the non-elderly because they remind us all that: (a) death is inescapable, (b) the body is fallible, and (c) the bases by which we may secure self-esteem (and manage death anxiety) are transitory. We review some recent empirical evidence in support of these ideas and then discuss possible avenues for combating ageism.     

Housing characteristics and adequacy of the physical care of children: an exploratory analysis

This study explored the relationship between housing conditions and the adequacy of the physical care of children. The sample included 106 caregivers who were participating in a neglect prevention demonstration project in a low-income, inner-city neighborhood. Children who lived with caregivers who had unsafe housing conditions were less likely to receive adequate physical care. Findings confirm the importance of addressing concrete housing conditions as part of an ecological approach to preventing child neglect.