HELP 2026-2027 Catalog (BETA) Cal State East Bay Print-Friendly Page (opens a new window) Facebook this Page (opens a new window) Tweet this Page (opens a new window) Add to Folder (opens a new window)

SOC 440 - Alcohol and Drug Use

1. Gain a historical perspective on U.S. drug laws and drug law reforms between the late 1800s to the present.
2. Analyze how various groups intersect with the U.S. criminal justice system in relationship to race, gender, and social class and demonstrate an understanding of the disparate impact of drug enforcement on racial minority groups in the U.S..
3. Understand social processes through which the mass media and political discourses shape public opinion about drugs and drug dependency and influence federal drug policies and laws.
4. Analyze how drug laws have reinforced race and class-based structures of oppression in the U.S., discuss and debate the relationship between crime-control racial and social control.
5. Write an evidence-based paper advocating for a drug policy approach that includes an alternative to drug criminalization.
6. Work in groups to analyze aspects of drug laws and effects on various cultural groups, and present findings to the class.

1. Describe the histories, experiences or views of one or more cultural groups.
2. Analyze the overlap or intersection of social identities of oneself and/or other cultural groups (e.g., culture, gender, class, sexuality, religion, disability, immigration status, and/or age).
3. Examine the impact of their own identity on their experiences with and/or views of other cultural groups.