Drugs and Society Online Course

This course examines the social factors affecting use and control of self-administered psychoactive drugs including alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana and more illicit substances.

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About SOC 355: Drugs and Society

This course provides the opportunity to explore social factors affecting the use and control of self-administered psychoactive drugs, including alcohol, tobacco, marijuana and other illicit substances. After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

• Find information about illicit drugs and drug use statistics using reputable government websites.
• Evaluate the impact of drug use on individuals and communities.
• Identify examples of the ways responses to illicit drugs are socially constructed.
• Evaluate the differences between criminalization and public health approaches to drug use.

Students have 3 to 9 months to complete this course from the time of enrollment. You may work at your own pace and complete lessons on your own schedule, submitting up to three items per week for grading. This course contains 15 lessons designed to focus your study of drug use and abuse and to assist you in achieving the course learning objectives/outcomes. You will work through a combination of required readings, PowerPoint presentations, recorded interviews, films, and writing assignments. 

 Lesson topics include:

• Introduction to Course, the Sociological Perspective, and Drug Use in the US
• Alcohol
• Tobacco
• Narcotics/Opioids
• Meth and Cocaine
• Hallucinogens
• Marijuana
• Prescription, Over-the-Counter Drugs, and Inhalants
• Paper 1 – Drug Impact Argument
• How Drugs Impact Marginalized Groups
• Psychological Theories of Drug Use and Abuse
• Drug Abuse as a Public Health Problem
• Drug Regulation and Criminalization
• Drug Treatment and Prevention
• Paper 2 - Evaluating Public Health versus Criminalization Approaches to Drug

Required Textbook and Materials

The texts we will use for this course will be made available for free as PDFs on Blackboard or as links to online articles. You will also watch several films, some of which may require a small fee to rent. The films that will require a fee can be found below:

• “The Business of Drugs” (2020)
• “The House I Live In” (2012)
• “Guest House” (2018)

How will the course appear on my transcript?

You may enroll at any time and have up to 9 months to complete this online course. The credits earned will be recorded on your UND transcript based on the date you registered for the course. It will appear on your transcript in the same way as a course taken during a regular semester. There is no indication that the course was taken online or that you completed it at your own pace. 

Why Take Online Classes at UND?

Here are a few reasons why you should take an online enroll anytime course at UND:

• Great customer service – Our registration team is ready to answer questions quickly so you can focus on your coursework.
• Affordable – UND's enroll anytime courses are priced at North Dakota's affordable, in-state tuition rate.
• Accredited – UND is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
• Easily transfer credits – Transferring credits is always at the discretion of the institution to which the credits are being transferred. In general, credits from schools/universities that are regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission transfer to other regionally accredited institutions. UND's online courses appear on your UND transcript in the same way as other courses.

Flexible 100% Online Course

You'll take this online course at your own pace. Some students thrive in this environment, while other students may struggle with setting their own deadlines. If you have successfully taken an independent study or correspondence course previously, UND’s enroll anytime courses may be right for you. Still not sure? Take our online quiz to help determine if online enroll anytime courses are right for you.

Course information including tuition, technology requirements, textbooks, lessons and exams is subject to change without notice.