East Carolina University
College of Allied Health Sciences
Department of Rehabilitation Studies
REHB 4796 Contemporary Issues for Substance Abuse
Instructor: Mary Crozier, Ed.D., 252-744-6299, crozierm@ecu.edu, www.ecu.edu/rehb
Office & Hours: Weekdays 9:30 – 11:30 AM or by appointment
Allied Health Sciences Building, Room 4425
Class: Wednesday 2 – 5 PM in the Allied Health Building, Room 3405
ECU emergency weather information: http://www.ecu.edu/alert/ or 252-328-0062
Required Text:
Goldberg, R. (2010). Taking sides: Clashing views on controversial issues in drug and society
(9th ed.) Dubuque, Iowa: McGraw-Hill. ISBN-13 9780078127564
Course Objectives:
At the completion of this course the student will be able to:
1. Describe the pros and cons of Americans public and social policies regarding illicit drug use.
2. Describe the pros and cons for scheduling drugs as either legal or illegal.
3. Demonstrate the positive and negative arguments for various drug prevention efforts.
4. Demonstrate the positive and negative arguments for various drug treatment efforts.
5. Identify the criteria for determining the effectiveness of a drug treatment approach.
Course Outline:
1. Pros and cons of drug testing
2. Pros and cons of drug interdiction
3. Pros and cons of drug laws, policies, and enforcement
4. Pros and cons of second hand smoke and the pros and cons of smokeless tobacco
5. Pros and cons of providing services to pregnant addicts
6. Pros and cons of a legal drinking age
7. Pros and cons of the disease model of addiction
8. Pros and cons of alcoholism being hereditary
9. Pros and cons of health risks of caffeine
10. Pros and cons of legalizing marijuana and pros and cons of over-prescription of drugs
11. Pros and cons of ADHD medications
12. Pros and cons of medical marijuana
13. Pros and cons of advertising medications
14. Pros and cons of drug treatment and pros and cons of abstinence
Course Assignments:
Mid-Term and Final Examinations
There will be 2 closed book/note exams of equal weight. Exams will be short answer,
true/false, and multiple choice. Grading for the short answer will be based on ability to: outline
contemporary positions presented in class and in the text; convey personal point of view with
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logic and reason; and use supportive, objective data. Exams will cover the assigned readings,
videos, PowerPoint’s, and lectures.
Term Paper
The term paper must have a current substance abuse/addiction theme. Research one side of a
topic in depth however you can add the other side of the debate to reinforce your point. Sample
topics include: supply vs. demand side drug reduction strategies; lowering the legal drinking
age; making alcohol and nicotine illegal; prosecuting pregnant drug users; making marijuana
legal for medical purposes; the use of drug testing in the workplace; drug testing all students in
universities; militarizing the drug war; etc; see the complete list of suggested topics. Students
cannot use a topic or paper from another course. The paper must be 6-8 pages, double spaced,
typed, 12 inch font, and one inch margins with a minimum of 5 peer reviewed references cited
throughout the paper using American Psychological Association [APA] format. Papers must
reflect the quality of a professional in the rehabilitation field. Grading will be based on
thoroughness, relatedness, critical thinking, the degree to which points made are supported
effectively, APA, and writing. Submit all work in word; avoid PDF files. For tips on APA
criteria, visit the ECU Joyner Library at http://www.docstyles.com/apacrib.htm.
Discussion Board for Online Students or Debate for Lecture/Onsite Students
Discussion Board: Students are expected to make at least two lengthy, well researched
submissions per week in the Discussion Board. These weekly forums are an opportunity to:
communicate with classmates; synthesize the material; integrate academic content with
personal thoughts; and learn from a public, albeit virtual, discussion. Submissions should be in
reaction to the readings; for example the required text and any additional articles/videos shown.
All Discussion Board submissions should use APA referencing; see the aforementioned
website for APA guidelines. All submissions should be well thought out, well written,
academically sound, honest, and appropriate for this scholarly forum. They should be
approximately 250 words with references. Students are encouraged to also make shorter, nonreferenced responses to course colleagues. It is suggested that you compose your response in
word first then copy/paste into the discussion forum; try to avoid attachments.
Debate: Students will be assigned to debate teams and will be assigned a debate topic. Two
individuals/teams will present in a given class period on either the “yes/pro” side or the
“no/con” side of a topic. Debates are meant to provide insight on controversial topics and be
applicable to rehabilitation counseling, special populations, different environments, and future
conditions/trends. As part of the preparation for the class presentation, each debate team will
provide a one page outline describing the upcoming debate and copies of 2 articles which
supports his or her side of the debate to the instructor. Each team will be given 20 minutes to
present their argument to the class followed by rebuttal time. Students in the audience will
evaluate the effectiveness of each team’s presentation.
Grading:
Percent of total points
90 – 100%
80 – 89%
70 - 79%
Below 59%
Grade
A
B
C
F
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Assignments
Mid-term Exam
Final Exam
Term Paper
Discussion Forum/Debate
Total
25%
25%
25%
25%
100%
Term Paper Grading Template:
Elements to be Evaluated
Depth and breadth of writing on this
contemporary issue.
Critical approach to the issue with strengths/pros
and limitations/cons.
Explain how you, as a future professional, might
use this information on substance abuse and
personal reaction to this topic
Possible
Points
20
25
20
Length: 6-8 pages, not counting title page,
references, etc.
5
Use of at least 5 professional references (peer
reviewed journal articles & books). In addition
you can use credible websites which excludes
Wikipedia
10
Writing skill: grammar, sentence structure, flow,
spelling, punctuation, creativity, etc.
10
APA: which includes abstract, title page,
citations, reference page, Safeassign, etc.
10
Subtotal
Points
Earned
100
Deduction of 1 letter grade for each day turned
in after due date
Final Grade
/100
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Discussion Board Grading Template:
Areas to Address
Possible
Points
Content (accuracy of information, ability to address/answer the question,
depth and breadth of critical response, infusion of personal attitudes) for
each posted question
6
Referencing (number of references and use of APA to reference text,
lecture, video, articles etc.) for each posted question
6
Length of response (at least 2 paragraphs long or approximately 250
words) plus breadth and depth of thought for each posted question
6
Writing ability (use of APA, professional grammar, and creativity)
2
Number of postings
Minus 10 points if you only respond to 1 of the posted questions
Responses to the postings of colleagues can be informal & can add extra
points
Deduction for late work (-5 per day)
Total
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