Freewriting About the Research Topic

Recently the use of concentration stimulants on college campuses has dramatically increased.  One such stimulant, Adderall, is a prescription medication that increases the user’s attentiveness and focus.  Adderall is commonly used to treat people who suffer from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, but has now come the drug of choice for college students who want to increase their focus in their studies.  In this paper I will discuss exactly what Adderall is, how it works to increase focus in the human body, and the many side effects associated with the drug.  I will then introduce the increasingly controversial topic of Adderall use on college campuses by describing the arguments that support Adderall use and the arguments that oppose Adderall use.  One topic I will examine is how Adderall use affects not only the user, but also other students.  As Adderall use increases, people with normal attention become pressured to keep up with the increased performance of stimulant users.  This pressure leads to students buying Adderall from others and using it without a prescription, a matter that could be considered cheating, but has not yet become clearly incorporated into academic integrity statements.  Finally I will discuss the long term affects Adderall has on regular users and how these side effects can be dangerous.  Hypothesis: Although Adderall effectively treat people suffering from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, the illegal use of Adderall as a stimulant among college students has dramatically raised causing increased awareness of the dangerous side effects and fairness of using stimulants to increase academic performance.  

To research this topic, I plan to examine medical materials, such as publications and websites, which provide explanations of how Adderall works as a stimulant and what side effects it causes.  I will also find newspaper articles and journals from various colleges that describe how Adderall use has increased and what affects it causes on college campuses.  In addition, I will find firsthand studies which have findings which support the idea that Adderall does increase focus and academic performance.  Lastly, I will find articles and statements from credible authorities that provide insight into the two opposing view of the fairness of using Adderall on college campuses.  I will also need secondhand sources which provide further research and support for these main points.

The most difficult part of the assignment will be to remain unbiased in my presentation of the argument of whether it is fair for college students to use Adderall, if they have a prescription or not.  The sources I find may lean toward supporting argument more, but I will have to present this argument objectively.  Also, I will need to describe the medical background and terminology involving Adderall in a manner that is understandable to an average reader. 

Sources for Research Paper

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0000166/

http://www.webmd.com/drugs/drug-63163-Adderall+Oral.aspx?drugid=63163&drugname=Adderall+Oral

These first two sources are a government site and a medical site.  They provide all of the medical information that is associated with Adderall, such as how it works and what its side effects are.


http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/74786/1/j.1360-0443.2005.00944.x.pdf

This source is a research paper that describes the use of stimulants among college students.  This article describes what type of people are more likely to use stimulants, such as Adderall, and what other things stimulant use is correlated with, like alcohol use.


http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/31/education/edlife/jacobs31.html?pagewanted=all

This newspaper article describes Adderall use in colleges.  Some people believe that Adderall gives students an unfair advantage, especially those students who use the drug without a prescription.  Also, more students are feeling pressured to use Adderall to "keep up with" the rest of their class.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=100254163

This article describes how Adderall use is becoming more prevalent among college students.   This spread of use is becoming a problem because there can be many negative side effects.

Research Topic Ideas

My two topic ideas for my research paper are Adderall use in college and ephedrine use in athletes. 

The first topic, Adderall, is a drug used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.  In simple terms, adderall is a stimulant that helps people to concentrate.  I am a pre-pharmacy major and I currently work in a pharmacy so I often see prescriptions for Adderall.  Currently, so many people want Adderall that it is actually on back-order.  Because of its ability to help people focus, Adderall is commonly used by college students, but these student users do not always have their own prescription and use Adderall from other people.  Adderall can have negative long term side effects and can be dangerous to take without talking to your doctor first.  Giving your prescription Adderall to another person is against the law.  Some people argue that using Adderall gives students an unfair advantage on exams and other school-work because they are using a stimulant to help them concentrate.  This argument becomes especially important when the Adderall user does not have their own prescription.  Non-users may feel that they have to take Adderall just to keep up with the improved work of their classmates do to their Adderall use.  So, whether or not you personally take Adderall, use of this drug on college campuses affects all students.

The second topic, ephedrine, is a stimulant drug that is sometimes used to give athletes a physical advantage in sporting events.  Similarly to Adderall, some people claim that drugs like ephedrine provide athletes with an unfair advantage.  Ephedrine use was banned in athletic events because of negative side effects related to its use.  However, some people claim that ephedrine products should not be banned because if they are used properly, then they can be safe.  Therefore, an argument could be made over whether performance-enhancing drugs, such as ephedrine, should be allowed in sports. 

Thesis for Visual Image Paper

The following Advertisement for Pedigree dog treats exemplifies the use of logos, pathos, ethos, and kairos for the purpose of persuading viewers that giving their dogs Dentastix will make them strong like American soldiers.

Advertisement Examples

The Negativity of Beauty Advertisements

Throughout recent years, campaigns and advertisements have created a distorted image of what true beauty is for women.  Although companies want women to believe that using their products will allow them to reach this distorted idea of beauty, women continue to fall short of the look they so desperately want to achieve.  This relentless desire to achieve perfect beauty has caused psychological problems for women that have led them to develop potentially deadly eating disorders and self-esteem problems.  With the help of companies like Dove promoting campaigns for real beauty, the goal of transforming society’s view of beauty and ultimately restoring women’s self-esteem has become attainable.

All women constantly feel the pressure to look thinner, younger, and more like the women seen in beauty ads.  This pressure begins for girls at a young age when they are most vulnerable to the opinions of people around them.  Every time a young girl picks up a magazine, sees a television commercial, or simply goes to school she feels the need to change herself to look like the image of what is considered beauty.  Instead of embracing their diversity, girls are obsessing over how to change themselves to fit the media’s definition of beautiful. 

Today, people have become so accustomed to seeing beauty advertisements and trying to look a certain way that they do not realize that their differences are what makes them truly beautiful.  Young girls are conditioned at a young age to set high beauty standards that always leave them unsatisfied.  Therefore, both girls and women struggle with dangerous eating disorders and self-esteem problems.  These problems are perpetuated by the advertisements and campaigns run by companies.  Most executives of these companies do not stop to think how their messages impact women of all sizes and age.  If these executives knew the damage that beauty advertising causes to their own daughters, mothers, and wives, then maybe they would think twice before they attempted to promote more unrealistic beauty goals. 

Attempting to change the definition of beauty that is so deeply ingrained in a society is a seemingly impossible act.  However, with companies like Dove showing the world that beauty comes in all forms, women can begin to understand that they do not have to try to treat themselves like an artist’s canvas that is covered and painted over to achieve a certain look.  If people would take a moment to reflect on how their actions negatively impact women, then perhaps repairing the damage caused by beauty advertisements could begin to save women’s lives.