Research Paper Handout

Sociology of Drugs: Why do we do what we do? HTHI 12th grade Government/Sociology Research Paper Outline Overview: For our Sociology of drugs unit, every student will be required to write a short research paper on a drug that they choose to focus on. Their subject could be everything from over the counter medications, prescription drugs, to caffeine or controlled substances. Once your topic has been approved, you will need to research and write a paper analyzing why people choose to use the drug you’re studying. Looking at this through the sociological lens of conformity and deviance may be helpful in your analysis. You also will want to gain a greater understanding of the history, uses, effects, addictive nature, sociological context (is/was the drug used in ritualistic ways, in a common way in the society, for health reasons), etc. The research paper will be used to guide the short story you will be writing later in this unit. You must have some background information and factual knowledge to create a believable plot and storyline. Our ultimate goal with this project will be to answer the question of why we do what we do. Why do we, as a society and as individuals, make the choice to use drugs that may be unhealthy and/or illegal? Why do we rely on prescription medications so much when preventative health may be able to minimize this necessity? Why do people go to such great lengths risking life, employment, family, etc. to feed an addiction to an illicit substance? What are the sociological factors at play that enable and/or inhibit people in our society from making these choices? These are all the over-arching questions we will be exploring in this unit. Paper guideline For the research paper, you must answer the following questions. I will be looking for papers that show in-depth knowledge, well thought out structure and a high level of synthesis and analysis in the paper. I don’t simply want a regurgitation of facts you find on a website. I’m looking for you to take those facts, think about them, and use them to develop ideas as to why people make the choices they do. This is a complex, interesting issue. The answer as to why a person or a group of people make the choices they do to use or abuse a drug can be varied, complex, and interesting. Your paper should reflect that.

The paper should address the following: 1. History and development of the drug a. Where did the drug come from? What are its uses historically? Has it always been an accepted and commonly used drug in the societies that cultivated/manufactured it? Trace its use from discovery until present day.

2. Uses of the drug a. For what purpose was the drug originally cultivated/developed/manufactured? How has that changed if at all since its original development? 3. Effects of the drug a. What are the effects of the drug on a human? How does it affect the central nervous system? Other parts of the body? How does the active component of the drug react chemically in the body? b. Is the drug addictive? Why? 4. Present Context a. How is the drug currently used in modern U.S. society? Is it accepted as part of the norms of our culture? Is the use of it considered deviant? Why or why not? What are the effects of its use on the society at large? Has its use created a drain on resources (efforts to control/enforce laws, i.e.)? How might that be remedied? b. What is the economic impact of the sale of this drug on the U.S. market (whether black market or not)? 5. Why do people or groups of people choose to use/abuse the drug you have in question? a. Your paper should include an intro and closing paragraph with a thesis statement that answers this question. Your thesis should be supported by the analysis of your research (synthesis of what you found). Resources: http://www.sandiego.gov/public-library/ http://www.facts.com http://www.sac.edu/students/library/nealley/websites.htm http://www.questia.com/library/sociology-and-anthropology.jsp http://www.procon.org You must use at least 4 outside sources (articles must be submitted with your paper), and should probably be approximately 4 pages. You must also have a works cited page. It is due on Monday, March 16th. Rough drafts should be submitted on Wednesday, March 11th. The research paper is worth 75 points.