“Drug and Alcohol Addiction: A Bio-psycho-social Approach” is a one unit DeCal course that introduces students to the dominant discourses surrounding drug addiction and the popular methods utilized by healthcare professionals in addressing the issue. During this course, students will explore a variety of themes including: stigma of addiction, comorbidity of mental health issues and addiction, relapse, biological processes of addiction, and a number of other topics. The purpose of this course is to provide students with a basis for understanding underlying causes of drug addiction and critically analyzing misconceptions that stem from this often contentious topic. This course is intended for anyone who has an interest in learning more about drug addiction, including those who have personally been affected by the issue and/or those who wish to work with individuals suffering from addiction.'

Students will complete one presentation on a specific drug, read weekly articles or watch videos and write weekly reflections, and write one short essay at the end of the semester. Students are allowed 2 excused absences.

Students must attend the first meeting of the semester (tentatively January 30), to be accepted into the course. If more than 20 students attend this first meeting, they will write a short application in class.