This seminar will examine social science approaches to addiction. We begin by examining the current opioid addiction in historical context. We will also explore how different social science approaches can be useful in understanding both why the current epidemic developed, how it did, and its consequences for those with addictions and their families. Among the approaches we will examine include theories of stigma, suicide, stress, resilience, social integration, and social interaction and mental and physical health behavior. We will focus as well on personal narratives of those at the intersection of the epidemic and loss.
As with many social issues, there are differences of opinion about how best to remedy the opioid crisis. These differences are visible in our currently polarized country, as politicians take starkly different public policy approaches (e.g., incarceration vs. harm reduction). We will examine these and other policy approaches.
About Professor Roos
PATRICIA ROOS is a Professor of Sociology. She received her BA and MA in sociology from the University of California, Davis, and her Ph.D. in sociology from UCLA. She currently teaches courses on inequalities and research methods. One of her teaching goals is to convince students that social research methods can be both fun and exciting. In search of the sociological imagination, one links theory and method as critical tools to learn about social behavior and attitudes. Prof. Roos has published widely in gender and work, the feminization and masculinization of occupations, and work/family. For AY 2018-19, she will be a fellow in the Institute for Research on Women’s seminar on Public Catastrophes, Private Losses. As part of that program, she is working on a project entitled Public Catastrophe, Private Loss: Grief and Resilience in the Midst of the Opioid Epidemic. Email: roos@rutgers.edu; Web page: http://patroos.com/