ipl-logo

Discourse Analysis In Substance Abuse

1096 Words5 Pages

Three sources have been chosen for this study; 1. RAPt Research and Policy Briefing 2. UKDPC Reducing Drug Use, Reducing Reoffending 3. Ministry of Justice Gender differences in substance misuse and mental health amongst Prisoners. These represent two policy papers and a case study. I will be using discourse analysis (DA) as the method of analysis. ‘In the end, discourse analysis is one way to engage in a very im-portant human task. The task is this: to think more deeply about the meanings we give peo-ple 's words so as to make ourselves better, more humane people and the world a better, more humane place’ (J P Gee, 2004, pg3). Discourse analysis covers all forms of communication (Bryman, 2012, pg528). In particular it ‘emphasises the ways …show more content…

In other words: certain people and social groups create and formulate ideas about our world, which under certain conditions turn into unquestioned truths and start to seem normal’. His analysis focused on power relationships in society as expressed through, in particular, the written word. Conducting such an analysis offers a means of challenging the way the world has come to be constructed as it is and how it may be constructed differently. For instance, the way people think about crime can vary greatly and what is viewed as socially acceptable can change over time depending on the influence that various pressure groups can have on public policy – as Florian Schneider points out, “it is a continuous negotiation process on what the “correct” view should be” Discourse the-ory helps us think about the connection between communication and politics and the world we live in, and asks us to slowly and systematically put together the puzzle pieces that make up social relations”. (Politics East Asia, 2013). Of course, there are differing interest groups involved in such issues as criminal justice, all with their own particular vestige interests. It is important to try and unravel these differing motivations and pressures to help determine where and to what extent policy changes might …show more content…

I was worried about using primary data, as this could have caused biased answers from interviewees from drug programmes etc and I wanted to construct a honest and clear presentation of the analysis. An advantage of using secondary data is that it is cost efficient and more accessible, as this dissertation relies heavily on prison data and government practices. It would be harder to access this infor-mation on a primary basis. For my study it has proven to be the best analysis approach for this research question as the data I have analysed was accessed from the university library and internet access. When accessing the internet for certain data I have been extra cau-tious that the information has come from a reliable source, due to the data being available from a variety of government departments, I know that the information is accurate and relia-ble. Bryman also confirms this type of data is notably advantaged as ‘government depart-ments and their various representatives, collect data that are presented in statistical form and that may be usable by social scientists’. (Bryman, 2012, pg

Show More
Related
896 Words | 4 Pages

When looking at a scholarly journal or other form of report pertaining to controlled substances, the theme is usually pretty clear; “drugs are bad, people that do drugs are bad, and it’s only getting worse.” Moore challenges this theme by breaking the mold in his article, “The Other Opioid Crisis” by implementing several rhetorical devices to add a more human aspect to the not so black-and-white issue. (Summary goes here) The article starts out with the story of a woman named Lauren Deluca.

Read More
340 Words | 2 Pages

A discourse community has yet to have a solid definition; though some have come close. One of the people who have attempted to define discourse community is John Swales. Swales, rather than use a standard definition, chose to create a set list of criteria. With the help of the criteria and my interview of Dane (a member of my chosen discourse community) I will discuss how my chosen group, Communications 101, is a discourse community. Communications 101 (Comm. 101) is a college credit class that helps the students in the class learn the “fundamental principles of verbal, nonverbal, written, and visual communication with an introduction to relational and organizational communication, public communication, and media studies.

Read More
189 Words | 1 Pages

In James Paul Gee’s essay “What Is Literacy?’ , he uses the key term ‘discourses’. Gee explains discourses as a placement in society or the belonging to a group in society. Gee states that it come from an individual’s saying, doings, or just their identity. As Gee elaborates on discourses he breaks them down into different areas in which relate to one another.

Read More
1033 Words | 5 Pages

Thao Tran Professor Aboulian English 1C 21 March 2017 The War on Drugs: A Rhetorical Analysis The War on Drugs, which was declared by President Nixon in 1971, efforts to control drug use and sales in inner-city neighborhoods. The government has been recently targeting poor communities of color. In 1980, the skyrocketing drug arrests reflected a surge in illegal drug activity. In The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander, the author also stated that “huge cash grants were made to those law enforcement agencies that were willing to make drug-law enforcement a top priority” (73).

Read More
480 Words | 2 Pages

Losing a battle to illness is devastating and utterly heartbreaking. With addiction, it is quite often that people fail and fall into their old habits. Others simply don’t want to be sober. In How to Help Someone with an Opioid Addiction, published by the Chicago Sun Times, the author lists ways for friends and family members to assist in the process of sobriety. But, what if it doesn’t work?

Read More
728 Words | 3 Pages

In the article "The Concept of a Discourse Community" by John Swales (1990). He aimed to define the meaning of a discourse community; then he carefully deconstructs discourse community into six fundamental attributes that are important for recognizing a discourse community. Swales’ definition of a discourse community is a group that has objectives or purposes, and utilize communication to accomplish those objectives. He states that a discourse community is presented as a more practical and purposeful gathering than speech fraternity or speech group. The six essential characteristics that Swales (1990) belief to be the core of a discourse community are its goals, intercommunication, participation, genres, Lexis, and expertise.

Read More
1059 Words | 5 Pages

The way communication changes when talking to an audience or talking to fellow people in the field is something that occurs in each. Though each of these discourse communities use different sets of jargon. The idea of making an idea easier for an audience of common people is something that happens with both communities. Another important aspect that is the same among the discourse communities is the cost. Though the cost comes from different areas, the bottom line the cost is great.

Read More
1300 Words | 6 Pages

Introduction According to Dowden & Andrews (1999), since 2010, there has been a growing concern over the increasing rate of incarceration for women: an alarming rate of 3.4 percent annually. Some experts like Kruttschnitt (2010) explain that the growth of incarcerated women population is due mainly to two major factors; one contributor to this phenomenon is the war on drugs. As politicians are passing more aggressive anti-drug policies and as police are cracking down on drug offenders, increasing amounts of women are being caught with illegal substances. The second reason is the the switch from indeterminate sentencing to determinate sentencing which is forcing women to stay in prison for longer than is necessary.

Read More
1021 Words | 5 Pages

A time that I felt out of place was my first few days at college. My parents had just left and I knew no one. I was in a strange environment and didn't know what to do. I felt this way because I was used to my same routine for almost 18 years. To feel comfortable in this new environment, I had to find a place where I could be myself but also find a new routine.

Read More
697 Words | 3 Pages

We communicate in many ways, either by email, telephone, text, face to face, social media or letters and the language we use allows us to get things done, nonetheless the language and communication method in which we chose to use can vary depending on the discourse community. Much like John Swales suggests a discourse community involves a group of people who share the same common public goals, such as shared interests, rules, structure, and vocabulary. When thinking about the several discourse communities I am evolved in, which include family, coaching football, college student, and a few friends. These discourse communities have influenced me, given me insight of where I come from and tell who I am as a person. I also believe much like Swales,

Read More
1554 Words | 7 Pages

You are either in it or you’re not.” (Gee 487). Swales and Gee obviously agree on the idea of communication but surprisingly, Porter does too. Porter writes that, “A “discourse community” is a group of individuals bound by a common interest who communicate through approved channels…” (porter 400) All three of these journalist agree that communication is vital to a discourse

Read More
1567 Words | 7 Pages

More people get incarcerated for non-violent crimes and crimes caused by mental illnesses or drug abuse (Webb, 2009) and because these people get put in regular prisons, instead of in mental health facilities or facilities to help against drug addiction, where they could be treated to further prevent crimes driven by their illness (Webb, 2009), the prisons get overfilled and cannot hold the more ‘important’ prisoners that needed to be locked away from the public. A strong link of the criminal justice process is that the system tries to keep it fair for everyone. Every defendant has the right to an attorney so they can be defended properly and fairly and “Only judges who are adequately informed about a case can effectively control the proceedings and examine evidence” (Tochilovsky, 2002) It is also important for the criminal justice system that those involved show discretion and although this is not always the case, discretion by the judges, police, etc.

Read More
1274 Words | 6 Pages

Based on Stuart Hall’s (2006) discussion of Foucault’s theory of discourse, a discourse is generally consisting of a group of statements that together offer a way of talking about a par-ticular knowledge on a certain topic. Many individuals can produce it together, in different institutional settings. The discourse thereby enables the construction of a topic in a specific way which at the same time limits other constructions of the same topic. A discourse is made up not only from one but a multiplicity of statements that all share the same style to talk about the same topic. However, it is not a closed off system, it draws statements from and into other discourses.

Read More
845 Words | 4 Pages

The term discourse analysis is very ambiguous. It refers mainly to the linguistic analysis of naturally occurring connected speech or written discourse. Roughly speaking, it refers to attempts to study the organization of language above the sentence or above the clause, and therefore to study larger linguistic units, such as conversational exchanges or written texts. It follows that discourse analysis is also concerned with language use in social contexts, and in particular with interaction or dialogue between

Read More
855 Words | 4 Pages

Therefore, the discourse analysis is not restricted only to written texts, as it could seem, it covers also talk, conversation, communicative event, etc. Brown and Yule (1983:3) stated that “The analysis of discourse is, necessarily, the analysis of language in use”. From this point of view it is clear that only the language in its authentic natural form must be analyzed. In addition, Brown and Yule (1983: 26) stated that ‘Doing discourse analysis’ certainly involves ‘doing syntax and semantics’, but it primarily consists of ‘doing pragmatics’. Moreover, they refer to the context as to the ‘environment’ or ‘circumstances’ in which language is used.

Read More

More about Discourse Analysis In Substance Abuse

Related Topics

Open Document