SOC 252 - Drugs and Society

Credits: 5
A theoretical exploration of drugs and drug use from a sociological perspective; we will cover the history of racialized drug policies, as they relate to systems of social control and mass incarceration, with a focus on the War on Drugs and the Opioid Epidemic. We will also look at the social meaning behind drug use and how it is influenced by culture and the socialization process. Other key components include the medicalization of drugs, drug use for ritual purposes, drug subcultures, and both legitimate and illegitimate systems of drug production and distribution.

Satisfies Requirement: Satisfies a social science requirement.
Course Outcomes:
Students who successfully complete this class will be able to:

Describe how drug policy has created mass incarceration in America.
Apply sociological theory to drug use and policy in America.
Identify the dimensions that shape our perceptions of drugs.
Critique how punishments for drug use are shaped by inequality and privilege.

Program Outcomes
Apply a structural analysis to course-specific content.

College-wide Outcomes

Critical Thinking - Critical thinking finds expression in all disciplines and everyday life. It is characterized by an ability to reflect upon thinking patterns, including the role of emotions on thoughts, and to rigorously assess the quality of thought through its work products. Critical thinkers routinely evaluate thinking processes and alter them, as necessary, to facilitate an improvement in their thinking and potentially foster certain dispositions or intellectual traits over time.