SOC 1900 - Addictive Society

This course will analyze why addiction, broadly conceived, is not the pathological state of a few, but has become a driving force in our culture and daily lives.  As we explore the complex links between addiction, culture, and social structure, we will use the sociological imagination to analyze: the rapid growth and harmful effects of addiction to substances, digital technologies, food, shopping, gambling, love, and sex; the social conditions and cultural beliefs fueling addictive behaviors in the U.S.; and the personal and social changes needed to reverse the alarming escalation of addictive behaviors. The course is based on the assumption that learning, at its best, opens minds, changes lives, and is fun.  Instead of analyzing abstract ideas that are often hard to relate to, we will constantly connect the issues we explore to your questions, beliefs, and dreams.