NCJ Number
189069
Journal
Journal of Criminal Justice Education Volume: 12 Issue: 1 Dated: Spring 2001 Pages: 117-126
Editor(s)
N. Prabha Unnithan
Date Published
2001
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This article suggested various techniques for integrating historical research methods into the drug education classroom.
Abstract
With little historical perspective on the roots of the drug problem, students in U.S. classrooms are often left with a one-dimensional perspective. This article proposed a historical approach to drug education in the classroom using historiographic research methods, such as government documents, manuscript collections, and newspapers to lead to a better understanding of the cyclic nature of U.S. drug policies over the past century, and the social, economic, and political ramifications of one of America’s most enduring social problems. The study suggested drawing attention to the historical dimensions of the drug problem through classroom lectures and discussions on a weekly basis, as opposed to segregating the historical context of the problem as a static ingredient of the drug problem. The study also found that most textbooks examined the historical dimensions of the drug problem in static fashion. Professors and educators are encouraged to supplement textbooks with alternative strategies for studying the drug problem. The hope is for students to gain new and more realistic insights into the drug problem of the past century.