Thank you for the info - can I post this information on the community college listserv (through ASA) too. I think it is so useful. I have had my intro students looking at material culture - including things like batteries (how many cars with abandoned, cell phones, gameboys, etc.)that get into flood water, landfills, etc.
Susan St. John, Assoc. Professor of Sociology Corning Community College 1 Academic Drive Corning, NY 14830 (607) 962-9526 or secretary 962-9239 ----- Original Message ----- From: Abdallah Badahdah <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Thursday, September 8, 2005 12:04 pm Subject: TEACHSOC: Fwd: [medical_sociology-announce] teaching about Hurricane Katrina > The information below is from the medical section. I thought it > might be > useful for those who are planning to talk about Hurricane Katrina > in their > classes. > > Abdallah > > > >I am in the process of putting together a web page on teaching > about > >Hurricane Katrina. In the meantime, I am sending the web page > materials > >out to everyone, since time is of the essence if these materials > are to be > >useful. I am sorry I don?t know how to format this so you can > easily jump > >to the different topics. I am also attaching this as a file, in > case that > >is easier to use. I hope you find some of this useful, and don't > mind the > >extra mail in your inbox. > > > >Teaching about Hurricane Katrina: > >Resources for Faculty (and Students) > > > >We welcome other materials and links for this web site. Please > send your > >suggestions to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > >Topics that follow: > > > >OVERVIEWS/SUMMARIES > >America?s Titanic > >THE CONTEXT: > >Social history of New Orleans > >The natural and unnatural Geography of New Orleans > >THE BROADER PICTURE > >Environmental Injustice: Not Just New Orleans > >Black, poor, out of luck: Disproportionate burdens of illness > >A BETTER WAY: > >Focusing Upstream: The case for primary prevention > >The case for ?Big government? > > > >OVERVIEWS/SUMMARIES > >America?s Titanic: Hurricane Katrina and Its Aftermath > >By Rose Weitz > >Professor of Sociology and of Women and Gender Studies, Arizona > State > >University > >Chair, Medical Sociology Section, American Sociological Association > > > > On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf > Coast of > > the United States. By the end of that week, thousands were > believed dead; > > people were still trapped and, in some instances, dying in fetid > > ?shelters? and on rooftops without shade, water, or food; and > the city of > > New Orleans had been declared uninhabitable for the foreseeable > future. > > The nation was riveted by photos of the dead lying in the > streets and in > > the water, and of refugees who had lost everything being > scattered around > > the country or still awaiting evacuation in dangerously squalid > > conditions. As the photos made clear, these victims > > were disproportionately very old, very young, chronically ill, > or > > disabled, and were overwhelmingly African American and poor (as > evident > > in the striking number of refugees interviewed on television who > had bad > > teeth, one of the surest markers that an American grew up poor > and unable > > to afford dental care). > > New Orleans?s rich cultural history was built on a > legacy of > > slavery, racial segregation, and racial discrimination. > Virtually since > > its founding, poor African Americans were relegated to housing > in > > low-lying areas near the coast, where flooding was most likely. > The > > chances of flooding have only increased with time, as the city > and > > nation?s power elite supported straightening the Mississippi > River?s > > channel and draining the marshes surrounding the city to aid > shipping and > > oil production, even though this increased the river?s force > while > > depriving the city of its natural protections from both river > and sea. > > Meanwhile, the system of levees that protected the city from > flooding was > > allowed to deteriorate by politicians who believed that taxes > should be > > kept to a minimum and that private enterprise could do a better > job than > > government of providing transportation, housing, emergency aid, > and other > > needs of the citizenry. Moreover, even though it was open > knowledge that > > the levees would collapse in a major hurricane, the city?s > emergency > > disaster plan called only for individuals to evacuate by private > car or > > to go to the city?s Superdome. Yet planners knew that at least > one-third > > of New Orleans residents lack cars and that in a catastrophe the > > Superdome would lack sufficient water, food, electric > generators, medical > > personnel, and other crucial goods and services. > > Once the hurricane struck, tens of thousands of city > > residents were unable to flee because they lacked cars in a city > with > > minimal public transportation, lacked money for gas (especially > at the > > end of a month when paychecks have been spent), or lacked a > means to pay > > for hotel rooms if they did leave. Not knowing how severe the > storm would > > be, many lost their lives because they incorrectly guessed that > they > > would be better off chancing homelessness in their own town, > among > > family, friends, and familiar surroundings, rather than > guaranteeing they > > would become homeless elsewhere among strangers. Others lost > their lives > > because they were too old or too young to flee or because, like > poor > > populations everywhere, they were disproportionately likely to > be > > disabled by diabetes, heart disease, and other health problems, > leaving > > them unable to flee and unable to survive without food, water, > > prescription drugs, and other basic necessities. > > Hurricane Katrina is America?s steamship Titanic. > When, > > almost a century ago, the Titanic hit an iceberg and sunk, less > than > > three percent of women and children traveling first class died. > In > > contrast, almost half of third class women and children > passengers died, > > not only because there were too few lifeboats but also because > the > > lifeboats were kept on the first and second class decks and > third class > > passengers were forcibly denied access to them. Similarly, the > horrors > > experienced by New Orleans residents stemmed not only from the > hurricane > > but also from decisions we have made as a society. As a result, > those > > horrors illuminate the social divisions in our nation and the > > disproportionate burden of illness, injury, disability, and > death > > experienced by those at the bottom. > > The fact that this hurricane disproportionately > injured, > > disabled, and killed persons who were poor, minority, and > elderly or very > > young is an all too common pattern. (Likewise, that women and > girls in > > the Superdome were especially vulnerable to rape, violence, and > attendant > > health risks is also a common pattern.) This web site is > designed to help > > students and teachers put the hurricane and its aftermath in > broader > > perspective, and grapple with the underlying issues in this > disaster.> > > > ><http://www.guardian.co.uk/katrina/story/0,16441,1560768,00.html>http:/ /www.guardian.co.uk/katrina/story/0,16441,1560768,00.html > >Howell Raines, ?I?m just glad I saw it.? Guardian > > > >THE CONTEXT: > >Social history of New Orleans > > > >?Money and motorcars: The difference between safety and despair.? > >Guardian, September 6, 2005 > ><http://www.guardian.co.uk/katrina/story/0,16441,1563533,00.html>http:/ /www.guardian.co.uk/katrina/story/0,16441,1563533,00.html > > > >The natural and unnatural Geography of New Orleans > ><http://www3.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0410/feature5/>http://www3.nati onalgeographic.com/ngm/0410/feature5/ > >Joel K. Bourne Jr., ?Gone with the water.? National Geographic, > October 2004. > > > >Ari Kelman, ?City of nature.? Slate Aug. 31, 2005. > ><http://slate.msn.com/id/2125346/>http://slate.msn.com/id/2125346/ > > > >PBS Nova. ?New Orleans and the Delta.? > >http://www.pbs.org/now/science/neworleans.html > > > >THE BROADER PICTURE > >Environmental Injustice: Not Just New Orleans > > > >Environmental injustice (or environmental racism) refers to the > >disproportionate burden of environmental pollution experienced by > >disadvantaged groups, including racial/ethnic minorities. > > > >Environmental injustice is made possible by: > > * Political weakness of disadvantaged communities, so they > cannot > > fight against the location of toxic industries or dumps in their > neighborhoods.> * Lack of representatives from disadvantaged > communities on > > decision-making bodies (city councils, government regulatory > agencies, etc.). > > * Regulatory agencies that only weakly enforce existing > environmental > > regulations in disadvantaged communities. > > * Extreme poverty and lack of job options which makes > disadvantaged > > communities welcome even polluting industries that promise to > bring jobs. > > * Lack of awareness or concern among majority groups > regarding the > > living conditions of disadvantaged groups. > > > >Examples of environmental injustice: > >· Since the 1920s, the city of Houston has located all of > its > >landfills and 75 percent of its garbage incinerators in African > American > >neighborhoods, even though those neighborhoods constituted only a > tiny > >fraction of the city. > >· Racial difference in levels of lead in the blood: Among > children > >under age 5 who are known to have high levels of lead in their > blood, 17 > >percent are white non-Hispanic, 16 percent are Hispanic, and 60 > percent > >are African American. Lead exposure leads to irreparable brain > and other > >neurological damage. > > > >Based on Rose Weitz, The Sociology of Health, Illness, and Health > Care: A > >Critical Approach, 4th edition (in press): > > > > > >Black, poor, out of luck: Disproportionate burdens of illness > > > >Social class: individuals? position within their society?s > economic and > >social hierarchy. Usually measured by looking at some combination > of > >individuals? education, income, or occupational status. > > > >Wealth vs. Income: An individual?s social position is determined > less by > >their income than by their wealth. > >Example: Two students work together at Starbucks, earning the > same income. > >One receives a new wardrobe and a trip to Europe from her parents > every > >summer, the other receives only a bus ticket home. > > > >How did wealth affect whether individuals left New Orleans before > the storm? > >How will wealth affect their ability to get back on their feet > about the > >storm? > > > >Linking Social Class and Health > >· Social class strongly predicts individuals? health. In > every > >culture and era, poor people experience more illness, more > disability, and > >shorter life expectancies. > >· Poverty leads to chronic stress, which weakens > individuals? > >immune systems. > >· Poor people lack the time, money, energy, and sense of > hope > >needed to seek health-preserving resources. > >· Poor people are forced to accept dangerous jobs, live in > >dangerous neighborhoods, and stay I dangerous housing. > > > >Examples: Heart disease occurs three times as often and arthritis > twice as > >often among low-income Americans compared to more affluent > Americans. > >Poor American children are almost twice as likely as other > children to be > >physically disabled by chronic health problems. > > > >Linking Race and Health: > >Although social class affects health more than does > race/ethnicity, the > >latter remains an important and independent factor in predicting > health > >and illness: > > > >Infant Mortality Rate by Ethnicity, United States > > > >Mothers? Ethnicity Rate > >African American 13.8 > >Native American 8.6 > >White non-Hispanic 5.8 > >Hispanic origin 5.6 > >Asian or Pacific Islander 4.8 > >(Source: National Center for Health Statistics) > > > >Life Expectancy at Birth and at Age 65, by Race/Ethnicity and Sex > > White > African > > American > > Males Females Males > Females>At birth: 75.0 80.2 > 68.6 75.5 > >At age > >65: 81.5 84.5 79.4 > 82.9 > > > >Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census > > > >Questions to think about: > >Think of the photos, television broadcasts, and other news you > saw from > >New Orleans. What evidence was there that those most affected by > the > >hurricane were already ill or disabled? > >What evidence did you see that poor people were most likely to be > killed, > >injured, or disabled by the hurricane? > > > >Based on Rose Weitz, The Sociology of Health, Illness, and Health > Care: A > >Critical Approach, 4th edition (in press): > > > > > >Nicholas D. Kristof, ?The Larger Shame,? New York Times Sept. 6 2005. > ><http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/06/opinion/06kristof.html>http://www.ny times.com/2005/09/06/opinion/06kristof.html > > > >A BETTER WAY: > >Focusing Upstream: The case for primary prevention > >Sociologist John McKinlay, in a widely cited article titled ?A > Case for > >Refocusing Upstream,? offers the following metaphor for the > modern > >doctor?s dilemma: > > > >Sometimes it feels like this. There I am standing by the shore of > a > >swiftly flowing river and I hear the cry of a drowning man. So I > jump into > >the river, put my arms around him, pull him to shore and apply > artificial > >respiration. Just when he begins to breathe, there is another cry > for > >help. So I jump into the river, reach him, pull him to shore, > apply > >artificial respiration, and then just as he begins to breathe, > another cry > >for help. So back in the river again, reaching, pulling, > applying, > >breathing, and then another yell. Again and again, without end, > goes the > >sequence. You know, I am so busy jumping in, pulling them to > shore, > >applying artificial respiration, that I have no time to see who > the hell > >is upstream pushing them all in. > > > >Primary prevention refers to strategies designed to keep people > from > >becoming ill or disabled, such as discouraging drunk driving, > lobbying for > >stricter highway safety regulations, and promoting vaccination. > In > >contrast, most medical efforts focus on secondary prevention > (early > >detection and treatment of disease) or tertiary prevention > (minimizing > >complications among those already quite ill). > > > >Focusing ?upstream? means looking beyond psychological or > biological > >characteristics that make some more people more susceptible to > ill health > >and instead focusing on the economic, cultural, social, and > political > >settings that make healthy behaviors possible. > > > >Example: Banning cigarette smoking in restaurants and workplaces > reduces > >smoking rates more effectively than educating individuals about > the > >dangers of smoking. > > > >Question: > >How can we focus upstream > >to prevent an environmental disaster like Hurricane Katrina? > > to make it easier for people to survive or escape? > > to make it easier for people to rebuild their lives > after a > > disaster? > > > >The case for ?Big government? > > > >Jonathan Freedland, ?Receding floodwaters expose the dark side of > America > >-- but will anything change?? Guardian September 5, 2005 > ><http://www.guardian.co.uk/katrina/story/0,16441,1562901,00.html>http:/ /www.guardian.co.uk/katrina/story/0,16441,1562901,00.html > > > > > > > > > > > > > >Rose Weitz, Ph.D. > >Professor of Sociology and of > > Women and Gender Studies > >Arizona State University > >Box 87-3404 > >Tempe, AZ 85287-3404 > > > >Phone: 480-965-6579 > >Fax: 480-965-2357 > >Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >
