Course Description
Pharmacologic basis of psychotropic drugs and their associated abuses. Theories of case and treatment of abusers are reviewed.
Course Credits: 3
Prerequisite: PSYC 1301. Prerequisites for this course are junior or senior level standing and completion of The University's general education requirements. Exceptions will be made if the student has completed two of the general-education basic English composition courses and one literature course, and comes prepared and willing to write.
Student Learning Outcomes
The general goal of this course is to learn drug-related issues and concepts and skills which will prove useful in everyday life, reading research reports and journal articles, and critiquing research studies and readings in other courses. Some specific outcome goals follow:
- To describe the direct effects of drugs in one's body, such as the internal physiological/pharmacological effects.
- To describe the indirect effects of drugs, such as their effects on cognitive processes, personality, family, and society (i.e., driving fatalities, crime, prenatal effects, and long-term care, etc.).
- To demonstrate your access to, and familiarity with, the internet library data bases for new and evolving research and information regarding drugs and drug treatment in peer-reviewed academic journals.
- To verbally and critically interpret the lay, internet, and 'expert' findings regarding this or that drug, drug treatment, or treatment regimens.
- To demonstrate a broader perspective of the complexity of the problems and issues involved in the quest for objectivity and balance in dealing with drug misuse, dependence, and treatment.
- To be able to find full-text academic journal articles in the virtual library on topics related to drug research and treatment.
- To demonstrate, in writing, knowledge of American Psychological Association documentation style in research papers.