Pharmacology of Illicit Drugs  (BIO 113)

 

Instructor: Donald F. Slish                             http://www.plattsburgh.edu/faculty/slishdf

Office: 304B Beaumont Hall                                                        Phone: (518) 564-5160

Email Address: donald.slish@plattsburgh.edu

                   
Textbooks:    A Primer of Drug Action,  Robert M. Julien (2001) 

          Drugs and Society, 9th Edition, Hanson, Venturelli, and Fleckenstein (2006)
Office Hours: Mon., & Fri. 1-2 P.M., Tues. 10-11 A.M.

 

Syllabus:

Section I

Introduction

Pharmacokinetics: How does the body handle drugs? (Julien, Chapter 1, Hanson Chapter 5)

            Absorption – different routes of administration - kinetics of absorption

            Distribution – Cardiovascular system, capillaries and the blood-brain barrier

            Metabolism – liver

            Elimination – Physiology of the kidney - kinetics of elimination (half-life)

-     Drug distribution and elimination - Steady state levels

Section II

Pharmacodynamics: How do drugs act? (Julien, Chapter 2, Hanson, Chapter 4)

Nerves (Hanson p. 116-118, Julien p. 38-41)

-  Cellular structure - Function – the action potential

 

Exam I   (September 19th)

Pharmacodynamics:

Drug / Receptor interaction

-  Receptors and their effect on ion channels

-  Regulation of receptors

-  Dose / response curves

Neurobiology – the structure of the brain

            - specific neurotransmitters and functions are associated with each structure

 

Exam II (October 17th)

Section III 

-  Marijuana and Hallucinogens (Hanson Chapters 12 & 13, Julien Chapters 11, 12 & 13)

            -  Ethyl Alcohol and Inhalants (Hanson Chapters 7, 8, 14, Julien Chapters 4 & 5)

                                   

Exam III  (November 14th)

Section IV

-  CNS Stimulants (Hanson Chapter 10 & 15, Julien, Chapters 7 & 8)

-  Illicit stimulants:  Amphetamines, Cocaine, Ecstasy (MDMA)

-  OTC Stimulants:  Caffeine, Nicotine, Herbal Supplements

 

Final Exam

 

This schedule is may change. We may not cover all of this material or we may cover more, depending on how the semester goes. Also, the timing of the exams may change in order to keep them spread out evenly over the semester.

 

            Grading                                          

The final grade will be based on the three exams during the semester, the final exam, a research paper, and a biological essay.   

          100 pts.                Exam #1             

          100 pts.                Exam #2          

          100 pts.                Exam #3              

          100 pts.                Final Exam          

            50 pts.                Quizzes                   

          100 pts.                 Attendance               

          550 pts. ÷ 5.5  =   Final grade                                

             

Grading Scale:

A      > 93

A-         90 - 92

B+        87 - 89

B          83 - 86

B-         80 - 82

C+          77 - 79

C         73 - 76

C-         70 - 72

D+        66 - 69

D         62 - 65

E              < 62      

                                 

 

Attendance

Attendance in the class is mandatory.  Tests will be based the on material presented in class and may differ from the way it is presented in the books. You are allowed 2 absences and every absence after that (excused or not) will cost you 5 points of your Attendance grade.  

Absence from an exam for sickness will only be excused when documented by infirmary staff or physician. Absence from an exam because of death in the immediate family will be excused when documented by the Office of Student Affairs. Absence because of religious observation must be brought to my attention before that test date.  Do not schedule yourself to be out of town the Monday before Thanksgiving break. There may be quiz or test that day and you will not be excused. If an exam is missed, notify me, preferably before, but within 5 days after the exam date. Students without a test grade after this period will receive zero for that test.

 

Withdrawal Policy

My withdrawal policy in this class is the same as the University's policy, i.e., withdrawal from a class is permitted until the last day of course selection for the fall semester. Withdrawal after this time will only be allowed for grave illness or other serious difficulty. Withdrawal after this point will not be given due to poor grades. If you have failed the first two tests, seriously consider whether or not you can pass the course with a reasonable grade. There's no penalty for dropping before fall registration is over.

 

Email

I will often need to communicate with you and will be using email.  Be sure that you check your Plattsburgh account daily for important announcements or have email from your Plattsburgh account forwarded to your personal account

 

Writing Standards for Department of Biological Sciences

 

The goal of the department is to produce graduates who both understand the important concepts in biology and are able to communicate their knowledge effectively.  To increase awareness of writing skills, written answers on tests as well as written reports will be graded for spelling, grammar, syntax, organization, and other standards of good writing. 

 

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the willful representation of another’s work as your own.  The Internet has made plagiarism very easy and it is tempting to copy instead of actually doing to work.  This has been a major problem in the past.  In response to this problem I have decided to award a 0 to the first assignment that I can prove has been plagiarized.  A second offense will result in failure for the class.  There will be no discussion of or exceptions to this rule.

 Assessment of Student Learning:  Analytical skill development

and understanding of fundamental biological principles

 

 

The faculty of the Department of Biological Sciences are committed to providing students with a first-rate educational experience as articulated in the Departmental Mission Statement:

 

            “The Department of Biological Sciences strives to provide students with the fundamental understanding of the principles and methods of the life sciences within the context of a sound liberal arts education.  Emphasis is on the development of the student’s ability to analyze problems, apply scientific method, communicate biological information, and interpret current advances in research.”

 

Student progress toward attaining the goals set forth in the Departmental Mission Statement will be assessed in part by an exam or quiz question that has been selected for this purpose by the faculty of the Department of Biological Sciences.

 

 

Writing Standards for Department of Biological Sciences

 

It is the position of the Department of Biological Sciences at Plattsburgh State that all students must learn to write in a clear and intelligent manner.  We recognize that this goal cannot be achieved by depending only on the efforts of others to foster good writing. We further believe that the general quality of student writing will not improve unless we as a department are willing to state explicitly the standards we expect students to meet and to enforce those standards.  Therefore, in courses taught by the Department of Biological Sciences, in addition to grading the content of written assignments, all faculty will also grade assignments for writing.