Addiction Science to Society

Catalog description

Addiction is commonly defined as set of compulsive behaviors that cannot be stopped despite negative consequences. The term itself is controversial and defined differently by various disciplines. This has resulted in skewed perceptions of addiction by society as a whole. This course aims to inform students on the biological, psychological, and sociological viewpoints of addiction and how they interact to form an integrated perspective (the biopsychosocial model). By understanding the current knowledge on the biological and psychological bases of addiction, students will be better prepared to make knowledgeable decisions on their own behaviors, understand the behavior of others, and generate informed opinions on the social aspects of addiction. We will begin by comparing and contrasting the different ways addiction has been defined in various fields and exploring the debate on which substances/behaviors are actually considered addictive. Throughout the course, students will broadly explore basic concepts in biology (cells, neural communication, brain anatomy, use of animal models, pharmacology, genetics, epigenetics, and comorbidity), psychology (memory, conditioning, reward, expectancy, bias, and mental health) and sociology (family systems theory, stress theory, developmental theory, feminist theory). These concepts will be practically applied to various questions concerning 1. The status of addiction as a disease. 2. How addiction is or should be treated. 3. The effects of addiction on family and society. 4. Policies concerning the criminalization of drugs and compulsive behaviors. In addition, methods and data from primary research in all three domains of the biopsychosocial model will be analyzed. Several assignments using various forms of communication will serve to illustrate the connections and asses integrated learning.