Honors Biobehavioral Analysis of Addiction

Catalog description

Addiction is a ubiquitous problem, yet understandings of addiction and opinions on the causes of addiction vary greatly. This course will apply a biobehavioral approach to examine addiction from historical, societal, behavioral, neurobiological, and genetic contexts to identify causes, challenges, and comorbidities that associated with addiction that affect individuals and populations. Some of the course topics will include: theories of addiction, the impact of developmental exposure to substances of abuse, comorbidity of substance abuse with other mental disorders, the role of genetics in addiction, the neural substrates of addiction, and treatments for addiction. Questions that will be raised include: Can addiction be cured? Is addiction one disorder or an amalgam of disorders? What is the impact of addiction? Learning objectives include: students will be able to locate, critique, and synthesize empirical research on topics related to addiction; students will engage in discussion on topics and theories of addiction and relate research to real world situations; Students will effectively communicate on a specific addiction-related topic and include research evidence, theories, and implications.