Abstract
The purpose of this research is to investigate hidden health narratives on campus regarding the use of tobacco products to contextualize the legitimacy of smoke-free and tobacco-free university initiatives. This academic endeavor will also reveal the structural and institutionalized violence of the tobacco industry which targets marginalized communities to entice the uptake of regular smoking habits. An analysis of biopolitical power, structural violence, and social theory will help to reveal the hidden narratives of these populations, twice-targeted by the social stigmatization of tobacco use and the manipulative advertising of the tobacco industry. By exposing, analyzing, and deconstructing patterns of profit-driven tobacco marketing directed at student demographics, it is possible to examine geographies of blame regarding tobacco use, impact of tobacco use on non-smoking populations, and the misleading agendas behind the dominant narratives of tobacco industry advertising. By identifying and bringing to light these messages, it is possible to legitimize the anti-smoking and anti-tobacco movements happening at the University of Washington, and U.S. universities at large, with a critical analysis of the health risks involved.
Methodology
Given the subversive nature of tobacco use on campus, I will use a combination of personal interviews with smoking and non-smoking university students and staff, as well as tobacco-cessation support personnel, and student government members both in favor and against a student senate resolution to ensure the UW becomes a tobacco-free university. This examination will be grounded in biopolitical theory through textual analysis promoting the tobacco-free movement as a student-supported initiative while simultaneously linking it to the global effort of combating and delegitimizing the power of the tobacco industry. If the tobacco-use status quo is not significantly altered, severe economic, social, and biological consequences will continue to impact the overall health of University of Washington students and staff.
This digital humanities exploration of hidden health narratives includes a paper component. I chose to incorporate a digital aspect to this project due to the fact that more students would likely be familiar with the online format of a research project. Also, since online media is much more popular with college students than reading peer-written research papers, the digital portion of my project is intended to help me reach a wider audience so that curious classmates have an easily accessible way of accessing the work I have undertaken during this research endeavor. The paper and digital media component are largely identical in content, though the digital representation of my work includes more images related to the selected topic. They may be used as intellectual tools separately or as a complimentary means of receiving an overview of the smoke-free initiative at the University of Washington in a written and illustrative manner.
Clearing the Air - University of Washington 