SOCL : Drugs & Society Fall 2013

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1 Northeastern University SOCL : Drugs & Society Fall Shillman Hall Monday & Thursday 11:45 am 1:25 pm Instructor: Office: Office Hours: Lisa Ferruccio (best way to reach me) 512 Holmes Hall Mondays (1:30 3:30) and by appointment ( me to set up a time) COURSE DESCRIPTION The purpose of this course is to use the sociological perspective to examine drugs, drug use and drug policies. We will explore the social, cultural, political and economic influences that shape our understanding of the role of drugs in our society. We will also explore how the information we hold about drugs is often socially created specifically how culture and history influence our perceptions of drugs and drug users. In addition we will use various theoretical perspectives to interpret the causes and consequences of drug use and abuse. Illicit drugs such as heroin, cocaine, marijuana and many others are the source of controversy and debate as we saw with medical marijuana mandates during the last elections. These discussions often include distortions about the drugs and their users. In this course we will examine the cultural and socioeconomic factors that determine how drugs are defined and categorized as well as the processes through which drugs come to be criminalized. Similarly, we will consider the conditions under which drugs such as alcohol and tobacco as well as prescription medications came to be categorized as legal and their use socially accepted (for the most part). This course will address questions such as: How are our thoughts and understanding of drugs constructed? What factors account for the ways in which drugs are categorized? How does the regulation of drugs and drug users function as a mechanism of surveillance and control in society? What are the norms that govern legal drug use under what conditions is it acceptable (or not) to use legal drugs? Is American society pro drugs or antidrugs? We will use the textbook, class discussions, films and lectures to seek answers to these questions. 1

2 TEXTBOOKS There are two required textbooks that are available through the bookstore as well as online retailers such as Amazon. Inciardi, James A. and Karen McElrath The American Drug Scene: An Anthology. 6th ed. New York: Oxford University Press. Bourgois, Philippe and Jeff Schonberg Righteous Dopefiend. Berkeley: University of California Press. Righteous Dopefiend is on reserve at Snell Library. Additional readings will be posted on Blackboard (BB). ASSIGNMENTS & EXPECTATIONS This class requires weekly reading from the textbook and/or Blackboard and Righteous Dopefiend. In addition you will have two quizzes, one response paper and a final paper on Righteous Dopefiend. You are also expected to attend class and participate in our discussions and activities as appropriate. Quizzes: The quizzes cover the main topics discussed throughout the course and are each worth 20% of your final grade. The questions are drawn from class readings, lectures, films, discussions and Righteous Dopefiend. The quizzes are designed to assess your knowledge of the basic concepts presented in the course as well as your reading comprehension of Righteous Dopefiend. You will receive a review sheet approximately one week before the exam and a brief inclass review will be held the class before the exam. The questions are a mix of multiple choice, true/false and short answer. The first quiz is schedule for Thursday, October 17 th and the second quiz for Monday, November 25 th. In order to makeup a quiz or exam you must provide me with proper documentation (such as a note from a health care professional, court official, funeral director, or coach) confirming your absence no exceptions. Response Paper: You have a short writing assignment in the form of a response paper on the topic of moral panics/drug scares. Instructions and guidelines for the paper will be distributed the second week of class. The paper is worth 15% of your final grade and is due Thursday, September 26 th. 2

3 It must be 23 pages, 1inch margins, doublespaced and in a 12point font. You must use Turnitin on Blackboard to submit your paper. You are also required to bring a hard copy to class on the day it is due. Late papers: Please note that you will lose one letter grade (10 points) for each day your paper is late. Final Paper: Your final assignment in the course is a 57 page paper centered on the book Righteous Dopefiend. In this paper you will demonstrate your understanding of the sociological perspective on drugs and drug use as developed throughout the course. I will distribute the guidelines for the paper the second week of the course. It is worth 30% of your final grade. This paper is due during the exam block assigned to this class (TBA). You must read the following chapters from Righteous Dopefiend: Introduction: A Theory of Abuse Ch 1: Intimate Apartheid Ch 2: Falling In Love Ch 3: A Community of Addicted Bodies Ch 4: Childhoods Ch 5: Making Money Ch 8: Everyday Addicts Ch 9: Treatment Conclusion: Critically Applied Public Anthropology I don t assign specific days to read each chapter as you are expected to keep up with the reading at your own pace. See the syllabus to make sure you have read the appropriate chapters for each quiz. Attendance & Participation: Attendance and participation in class discussions are critical components of this class and therefore will count as 15% of your final grade. The participation aspect of your grade is designed to promote engagement with the course themes and to enhance our classroom discussions. If class participation is a challenge for you, please speak with me as soon as possible in order to identify alternative strategies. Your participation grade will be determined by: - Your participation in the class discussions and/or activities - Submission of discussion questions or significant insights from the materials, as assigned 3

4 - Attendance occasionally I will take formal attendance If you have an unexcused absence for a day when there is a participation activity or I take attendance you will not receive credit. Additionally, it is the diversity of students' ideas, experiences, and opinions that makes for interesting discussions and enriches our learning experience. Of course different ideas and opinions, especially regarding controversial topics, can also make for challenging discussions. In order to maintain an environment where all students feel welcome to participate I ask that you please show respect for all members of the class, regardless of their viewpoints. If you feel that you have been treated disrespectfully or that you have not been given the opportunity to express your viewpoint, please let me know right away so that we can work towards a solution. Also, I ask that you please keep personal anecdotes to a minimum, unless we are specifically discussing our individual experiences. Missed Lectures & Classroom Etiquette: Missed lectures are your responsibility; lecture notes must be obtained from fellow students. I do not provide copies of PowerPoint presentations or repeat lectures during office hours. Most often lectures will not cover the same information in your textbook, so attending class is critical in order to capture all necessary information. *During lectures, you must not use your cell phone (for talking or texting) or read materials unrelated to the course such as newspapers, readings/homework for other classes, or anything on the Internet. Although I believe that allowing laptops in the classroom can compromise student engagement (very difficult to resist Gmail, Facebook and online shopping!), I will allow them for note taking only. However, if I notice that this privilege is being abused, I reserve the right to disallow laptops at any time during the semester. Grading: Response Paper (Moral Panic) 15% Quiz #1 20% Quiz #2 20% Final Paper (Righteous Dopefiend) 30% Attendance & Participation 15% 100% 4

5 CLASS SCHEDULE All the readings listed below can be found in your textbook, Drugs in American Society (DAS), on Blackboard (BB) or in Righteous Dopefiend (RD). Please not that this syllabus is subject to minor revisions. You are expected to keep up with the readings on a weekly basis. Date Topic Readings for Week Week 1 Sept. 5 th Welcome to class; Introduction to Drugs & Society Week 2 Sept 9 th Drug Use: Sociological Perspectives Sept. 12 th Drugs in the Media Week 3 Sept. 16 th Sept. 19 th Week 4 Sept. 23 rd Sept. 26 th History of Drugs & Drug Use Theories of Drug Use Performance Enhancing Drugs: A Look at Steroids Film: Bigger, Stronger, Faster (2008) Response Paper Due Performance Enhancing Drugs continued Buy your books! Inciardi Ch. 4 Becoming a Marijuana User (also on BB) Inciardi Ch. 7 The Social Impact of Drugs and the War on Drugs: The Social Construction of Drug Scares (Supplemental) Drugs in the Media Erich Goode (2011) BB Inciardi Ch. 1 The Evolution of Drug Taking and Drug Seeking in America Inciardi Ch. 3 Why People Take Drugs (Supplemental) Theories of Drug Use Erich Goode (2011) BB Inciardi Ch. 11 Getting Huge, Getting Ripped: A Qualitative Exploration of Recreational Steroid Use TBA Adderall Week 5 Sept 30 th Legal Drugs: Pharmaceuticals BB: Bancroft: Lifestyle Medicines and Film: Big Bucks, Big Pharma Enhancements (BB) Marketing Disease & Pushing Drugs(2006) Oct. 3 rd Legal Drugs: Pharma Cont. Reminder to read RD Week 6 Oct. 7 th Legal Drugs: Alcohol Inciardi Ch. 9 Gateway to Nowhere: How Alcohol Came to be Scapegoated for Drug Abuse 5

6 Oct. 10 th Legal Drugs: Tobacco (Quiz Review) Inciardi Ch. 10 Gendered Dimension of Smoking Among College Students Week 7 Oct. 14 th Oct. 17 th No Class: Columbus Day Quiz #1 (Make sure you have read the Intro through chapter 4 in RD.) Week 8 Oct. 21 st Oct. 24 th Week 9 Oct. 28 th Oct. 31 st Week 10 Nov. 4 th Nov. 7 th Week 11 Nov. 11 th Nov. 14 th Illicit Drugs: Ecstasy Film: Ecstasy Rising Illicit Drugs(?): Marijuana War on Drugs Film: The House I live In (2012) WOD Continued WOD International Perspective: Bolivia & Coca Drug Trafficking Veteran s Day No Classes Legalization and Decriminalization Inciardi Ch. 28 Solidarity and Drug Use in the Electronic Dance Music Scene Inciardi Ch. 15 Medical Marihuana in a Time of Prohibition BB: Benavie excerpt from Drugs, American s Holy War Inciardi Ch. 22 African Americans, Crack, and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines BB: Supplyside harm reduction strategies: Bolivia s experiment with social control Farthing & Kohl (2012) Inciardi Ch. 21 Social Organization, From Wheeling and Dealing: An Ethnography of An UpperLevel Drug Dealing and Smuggling Community Reminder to read RD Inciardi Ch. 42 Clinical and Societal Implications of Drug Legalization Week 12 Nov. 18 th Nov. 21 st Week 13 Nov. 25 th Nov. 28 th Addiction Treatment and Education (Quiz Review) Quiz #2 Thanksgiving Break Inciardi Ch. 2 A Sociological Theory of Drug Addiction Inciardi Ch. 40 Commonsense Drug Policy (Make sure you have read chapters 5, 8, 9 and the conclusion in RD.) Dec. 2nd RD: Studentled discussion Righteous Dopefiend Paper: Due during exam block TBD 6

7 Academic Honesty Policy Academic honesty must be observed. According to the NEU Honor Code, any form of cheating or plagiarism provides grounds for course failure. This is serious! Please consult the Northeastern academic honesty policy at Disability Resource Center Students working with the Disability Resource Center on campus should let me know as soon as possible, so that we can work together to meet all individual accommodations. Blackboard: You are expected to regularly view Blackboard. The class syllabus, assignments, additional readings, grades, and special announcements, as well as other class documents will be posted on Blackboard. If you re unfamiliar with Blackboard, or have difficultly accessing it, you must consult with NU s Information Commons (Snell Library) for help. 7