Drug Use and Abuse
PSY 4930
Section 07B2
INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Donald J. Stehouwer
OFFICE:
310 Psychology Building
HOURS:
Thursdays, 2:00-4:00 p.m.
or by appointment
PHONE:
273-2168
EMAIL:
steh@ufl.edu
TEXT:
Fall 2013
ASSISTANT:
OFFICE:
HOURS:
Mr. Kyle Stratis
339 Psychology Building
Tuesdays, 10:00 a.m.-Noon
or by appointment
EMAIL:
kstratis@ufl.edu
Levinthal, C.F. Drugs, Behavior and Modern Society, 7th Edition.
This course is designed to give students a thorough introduction into the use of drugs in our
current society. The scope of the course is very broad. We will examine the history of drug use,
beginning in antiquity, and see how our use and attitudes toward the use of drugs have changed
during the course of history. We will examine the use of both licit (legal) and illicit (illegal) drugs.
We will examine the use and abuse of prescriptions from the perspectives of the issuance of
prescriptions, role of advertising, medical ethics and the human and financial costs of abuse.
We will examine ethical issues surrounding drugs. Irrespective of their legality, are there
moral questions surrounding the use of drugs to enhance human performance, be it physical or
intellectual? What costs, both monetary and humanitarian, are we willing to accept in order to
secure beneficial effects of drugs?
We will examine legal and law enforcement issues surrounding the use of drugs. How do drugs
contribute to the commission of other crimes, and to what extent? What are the different ways in
which convicted drug offenders can be sentenced, and what are the costs and benefits? How
successful is drug rehabilitation? How rehabilitation is best accomplished?
We will examine the neurobiological bases of drug use and addiction. Are there biological
differences in the susceptibility to drug abuse? What are the neurobiological bases of drug
addiction? Is drug addiction a disease, does it result from moral decay or is it a consequence of a
weak will?
The course will consist of lectures, discussions, guest presentations and student group
presentations on topics chosen by the groups.
There will be four in-class examinations and a final exam, which will serve as make-up should one
of the hourly exams be missed. Each hourly exam will consist of 50 multiple choice questions.
The final exam will have the same weight as an hourly exam, but will consist of 100, rather than
50, multiple choice questions. If all four hourly exams have been taken, the final exam is optional
and may be taken to replace the lowest score on your hourly exams. There will be a voluntary
review session on the Sunday afternoon prior to each exam.
Student presentations are to be 15 minutes in length followed 5 to 10 minutes for audience
discussion. Students must submit an outline of the presentation, including a bibliography, at least
one week before the presentation date. References must be from scholarly (i.e. peer-reviewed)
journals or books and not from the popular press or online sites such as Wikipedia. A copy of the
presentation must be submitted at the time of the presentation. Detailed instructions for the
presentations can be found on the Presentations link from the main course page.
Students will be evaluated on the basis of their four best scores on exams, the presentation
and class participation, all of which are weighted equally. Thus, there are six total components to
your grade, which will be determined according to the scale at the bottom of the syllabus.
Hourly exams plus final exam
Class presentation
Participation
Basis for final grade
Participation extra credit
Four best scores
Max. 400 points
Max. 100 points
Max. 100 points
600 points
Max. 20 points
Criteria used to evaluate the presentations can be found in the Guide to Student Presentations for
this course.
Finally, student participation is essential to the success of the course and the quality of your
experience. Participation and extra credit will be based on student responses to questions posed
in class. These questions will be based on lectures or on student presentations. We will use the
i>clicker system that is used in many other courses at UF. You will get two points automatically
for each class period in which you answer a question and additional points can be earned for
answering questions correctly. There will be more than 120 possible points to be earned
throughout the semester based on participation, but no more than 120 points (100 + 20 E.C.) will
be included when calculating your total score.
You must register your i>clicker so that you can participate in class and receive credit for it. Go to
http://www.iclicker.com/registration and complete the fields with your first name, last name,
student ID, and remote ID. The i>clicker will be used every day in class, and you are responsible
for bringing your remote daily. Failure to do so will reduce the total number of participation credits
you can earn.
If you have more questions about registration, please visit www.iclicker.com or contact the
technical support line at 1.866.209.5698 or via email at support@iclicker.com. If this fails, then
ask for help from students on the Sakai site for this course, or see either Kyle or Dr. Stehouwer
for assistance
Bringing a another student’s i>clicker to class and using it to obtain credit for that student is a
violation of the UF Honor Code. Doing so will result in a loss of 50 participation points for both
students involved. A second offense will result in dismissal from the class with failing grade.
Your final grade will be based on your total points as a percentage of 600 points, plus whatever
extra credit you may have earned.
POLICIES AND EXPECTATIONS
1. No hats may be worn in class. This is neither Florida Field nor Texas. Yee-haw!
2. Please turn off your cell phones during class periods. Do not use electronic devices for
texting, surfing the web or using social media sites during class
3. If you arrive late on an exam day, you may NOT take the exam if any students have left the
room.
4. All electronic devices must be turned OFF during exams.
5. If you miss an hourly exam, the cumulative final will serve as your make-up exam.
6. We will gladly correct any errors in grading we may make; but any such errors in grading must
be corrected before the next exam is taken; after that the exam grade is final.
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT
1.
2.
3.
4.
The instructor and T.A. will be available outside of class.
Our willingness to help you is directly related to the strength of your effort.
Every effort will be made to ensure that the tests are fair.
Grading will be fair.
Grading Scale
Grade
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
Score (percent)
93%
90%
87%
83%
80%
77%
73%
70%
67%
63%
EXAM SCHEDULE
FIRST EXAM: Monday, September 16
SECOND EXAM: Monday, October 7
THIRD EXAM: Monday, October 28
FOURTH EXAM: Wednesday, December 4
FINAL EXAM: Thursday, December 12, 12:30- 2:30 p.m.
Rm. 130 Psychology Bldg.
COURSE SCHEDULE
TOPIC
Drugs and Behavior Today
Drug-taking Behavior
How drugs work
Cocaine and Amphetamines
Opium, heroine and synthetic opiates
LSD and other hallucinogens
Marijuana
Alcohol: Accepted use
Alcohol: Abuse
Depressants and inhalants
Prescription drugs
Psychiatric use of drugs
Prevention of abuse
Treatment of abuse
Performance-enhancing drugs
Nicotine and tobacco
Caffeine
READING
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 12
Chapter 10
Chapter 11