Project Description
Background:
“By the early 1990’s, the tobacco companies have been protecting their turf for decades. They had Congressmen in their pocket. They had corrupt scientists who made excuses about nicotine, cancer and addiction. They had hordes of lawyers to threaten anyone—inside the industry or out—who posed a problem. They had a whole lot of money to spend. And they were good at getting people to do what they wanted them to do. After all, they had already convinced millions of Americans to take up an addictive, unhealthy, and potentially deadly habit.” - A Question of Intent: A Deadly Battle with an American Industry
During 1990 - 1997, David Kessler, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner had to find clues and investigate the tobacco industry with his team in order for the F.D.A. to gain jurisdiction over the tobacco industry.
During this project, you will be a part of Kessler’s team. You will investigate how tobacco is made, research harmful side effects of nicotine’s both addictive and carcinogen nature, collect evidence of what nicotine does to the human body, and analyze target audience propaganda and media.
Overview:
During the next six weeks you will be learning about the myths that the tobacco industry created in order to convince the American public to consume their products and their target audiences. You will learn about the role that science played in investigating tobacco products and cancer research in order to discover interventions in preventing, diagnosing, and treating cancer due to nicotine addiction.
Concepts Covered:
Objectives:
Within the Group Product, there will be four focus areas:
Within the Individual Product, #LOSTMOMENTS will focus on a personal story:
Individual Product: #LOSTMOMENTS Piece
Over winter break, you will be interviewing a person who has cancer or someone that knows someone who had cancer and is no longer with us. Students will record interview and transcribe it to a google document.
You will create an art piece that will fight back against the tobacco companies, illustrating the reality of its products and the harmful long term effects it has on the human body such as carcinogens which cause cancer. You will also need to have an artist statement with your piece.
Group Product: Research Paper and Public Service Announcement (PSA)
As a group, you will be researching how tobacco is produced, different types of carcinogens that are in tobacco products, and their effects on the body. In your paper, you will focus on how the tobacco industries market to one target audience. Each of you will need to include scientific evidence and/or tobacco awareness organization statistics, graphs, and information in your paper. You can use online and book sources from the library.
In addition, your group will be creating a public service announcement that shows a lie/myth concocted by the tobacco industry in its true light. The public service announcement will focus on your group’s specific target audience.
Challenge Option:
To join Edmodo group, use this Group Code: euhx6u
Background:
“By the early 1990’s, the tobacco companies have been protecting their turf for decades. They had Congressmen in their pocket. They had corrupt scientists who made excuses about nicotine, cancer and addiction. They had hordes of lawyers to threaten anyone—inside the industry or out—who posed a problem. They had a whole lot of money to spend. And they were good at getting people to do what they wanted them to do. After all, they had already convinced millions of Americans to take up an addictive, unhealthy, and potentially deadly habit.” - A Question of Intent: A Deadly Battle with an American Industry
During 1990 - 1997, David Kessler, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner had to find clues and investigate the tobacco industry with his team in order for the F.D.A. to gain jurisdiction over the tobacco industry.
During this project, you will be a part of Kessler’s team. You will investigate how tobacco is made, research harmful side effects of nicotine’s both addictive and carcinogen nature, collect evidence of what nicotine does to the human body, and analyze target audience propaganda and media.
Overview:
During the next six weeks you will be learning about the myths that the tobacco industry created in order to convince the American public to consume their products and their target audiences. You will learn about the role that science played in investigating tobacco products and cancer research in order to discover interventions in preventing, diagnosing, and treating cancer due to nicotine addiction.
Concepts Covered:
- Chemistry of Living Systems
- Body Systems
- Cell Functions
- Treatments
Objectives:
Within the Group Product, there will be four focus areas:
- What tobacco is produced
- How nicotine affects the body
- What cancer is and current research/treatment
- Personal stories/impact of cancer
Within the Individual Product, #LOSTMOMENTS will focus on a personal story:
- Students will have a connection with cancer and create an individual product (poem, art piece, propaganda, etc). If students cannot interview, maybe it’s a story that they’ve read.
Individual Product: #LOSTMOMENTS Piece
Over winter break, you will be interviewing a person who has cancer or someone that knows someone who had cancer and is no longer with us. Students will record interview and transcribe it to a google document.
You will create an art piece that will fight back against the tobacco companies, illustrating the reality of its products and the harmful long term effects it has on the human body such as carcinogens which cause cancer. You will also need to have an artist statement with your piece.
Group Product: Research Paper and Public Service Announcement (PSA)
As a group, you will be researching how tobacco is produced, different types of carcinogens that are in tobacco products, and their effects on the body. In your paper, you will focus on how the tobacco industries market to one target audience. Each of you will need to include scientific evidence and/or tobacco awareness organization statistics, graphs, and information in your paper. You can use online and book sources from the library.
In addition, your group will be creating a public service announcement that shows a lie/myth concocted by the tobacco industry in its true light. The public service announcement will focus on your group’s specific target audience.
Challenge Option:
- Read Question of Intent by David Kessler
To join Edmodo group, use this Group Code: euhx6u
- Contact and coordinate an event with a tobacco prevention organization
- What is nicotine derived from?
- How is tobacco grown, harvested, cured, and processed?
- How did the tobacco industry use knowledge as a social construction?
- Why is nicotine both addictive and a carcinogen?
- How is the tobacco industry affecting families, friends, and loved ones?