Website: http://employees.oneonta.edu/thomasa/

WARNINGS

This course deals with drugs, the use of drugs, and the subculture of drug use.  Some may consider the material offensive.  Your continued enrollment in this class indicates your willingness to be exposed to this material.

Under no circumstances should the material discussed in class be understood as condoning the use or abuse of illegal substances.

Some of the material discussed in the course can be emotionally difficult.  If you are feeling like you would like someone to discuss past or present issues, contact the SUCO Counseling Center at 436-3368.

Course Description & Objectives

Perhaps no issue has become so politically charged as that of drug use and abuse.  Beyond the news magazines and the campaign speeches, however, there lies the reality of drugs and society.  Thus, the aim of this course is to examine the realities, myths, and policies that arise from and influence drug use in American society.

By the end of this course, you will be familiar with the major drugs of choice in the United States and how American culture relates to drug use.

Course Format & Policies

1.       You are expected to attend all classes and read all assigned materials.  You may expect to be tested on all assigned reading whether discussed in class or not.  Similarly, materials discussed in class but not in the assigned reading should also be expected on exams.

2. In the event that you miss an exam, you have one opportunity to take a make-up exam at a mutually agreeable time.  The exam may not be the same exam given to the rest of the class.  Exams must be made-up within one week of the exam date.

3. Assignments are considered due at the beginning of class.  Late assignments are lowered a grade for every class period late.  Missing a class and turning in an assignment later the same day is still late.  Similarly, exam times are the beginning of class. No work can under any circumstances be accepted after the last day of class.

4. Always save a copy of any work submitted for your own records.

Students Diagnosed with a Disability

All individuals who are diagnosed with a disability are protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. As such, you may be entitled to certain accommodations within this class. If you are diagnosed with a disability, please make an appointment to meet with Student Disability Services (SDS), 209 Alumni Hall, ext. 2137. All students with the necessary supporting documentation will be provided appropriate accommodations as determined by the SDS Office.

It is entirely your responsibility to contact SDS and concurrently supply me with your accommodation plan, which will inform me exactly what accommodations you are entitled to. You will only receive accommodations once you provide me with an SDS accommodation plan.

Any previously recorded grades will not be changed.

Grading

Required Reading

Goode, Erich.  2004.  Drugs in American Society.  Sixth Edition.  New York:  McGraw-Hill.

Hoffer, Lee.  2004.  Junkie Business.  New York: Wadsworth.

Moynihan, Roy and Cassels, Alan.  2006.  Selling Sickness.  New York: Nation Books.

Course Schedule*

*Dates are subject to change

FINAL EXAM @ 8:00 AM Thursday May 8, 2008

Research Paper

Pick a specific drug commonly used in the United States.  Research your topic and write an 7 to 10 page paper that addresses the following issues:

1)      What are the objective effects of the drug?

2)      How do most members of society perceive the drug?

3)      How do societal norms influence individuals taking the drug?

4)      What types of policies, if any, should be implemented to control the drug?

The paper should include relevant statistics and at least five references from a refereed scholarly journal, in addition to other sources, such as statistics from the internet or books, etc.  If you do not know what a scholarly journal is, you should ask me or the staff at the library.  You may not use the popular press (e.g., newspapers, magazines, television, etc.) as a reference.  You may only use the internet websites listed on the Center for Social Science Research website (below) as references, available through the Milne Library website, or by approval of the instructor.

http://www.oneonta.edu/academics/ssr/

This assignment will be collected in two installments.

Installment One: The Draft Paper should include a started (but not necessarily a finished) of at least four pages.  The paper should include at three references from a refereed scholarly journal in addition to other sources, such as statistics from the internet or books, etc.  The draft will be graded on the following criteria:

1)      Appropriate Topic

2)      References – Number and appropriateness

3)      Writing – Formal (Expository) writing only

4)      Citations correctly formatted according to ASA (or APA) style

5)      The draft is stapled or otherwise securely attached (paper folding does not count)

Draft paper due April 3, 2008 in class, or sooner

This draft is worth 1/3^rd of the grade for this assignment

Installment Two:  The Final Paper will be graded on the above, plus:

1)      Content: How accurate is your information

2)      Analysis: How well do you interrogate the data

3)      Conclusions: Are they supported by the evidence and analysis

4)      References: You need five journal articles, plus other sources as noted above; popular media sources must be used in an appropriate fashion; paper must be stapled or otherwise securely attached

Final paper due April 29, 2008 in class, or sooner

This draft is worth 2/3^rd of the grade for this assignment