Opiate Addiction in America

Catalog description

Opiate addiction causes profound social, familial, and individual harm and pain. It affects all populations across the lifespan. We will explore opiate addiction and societal and medical responses to addiction in the present and in the past. We will discuss common themes and persistent questions surrounding addiction. To what degree and in what ways do we understand addiction, including opiate addiction, as having genetic and environmental components? Can a disease model for addiction help us develop effective treatments? If addiction is a disease, should non-prescription use of opiates be decriminalized? How does the stigma associated with addiction complicate efforts and confound strategies to address addiction? What treatment approaches exist, and how are they available to vulnerable populations and in different communities? How would you design a policy to change the course of the addiction epidemic and the collateral damage that addiction creates? Throughout the course, students will seek to explore the multi-factorial nature of addiction and gain an understanding of the tenacious and impactful nature of the disorder of addiction. Counts as a Communication Intensive course.