Dr. Isaac Campos
This course examines the business, culture, policy, legal, and public health implications of drugs and the broader category of addiction since 1980. Over the course of the semester, we will delve deeply into the high point of the “War on Drugs” beginning in the 1980s.
Topics here will include the emergence of “crack” in the United States and “cartels” in Mexico and Colombia, the ties between the War on Drugs and the Cold War, the War on Drugs and the “prison industrial complex”, the militarization of police in the name of fighting drugs, and how all of this eventually led to calls for reform that resulted in part in the legalization of both medical and recreational marijuana, and a more public-health oriented approach to the more recent opioid epidemic. At the same time, the course will explore other forms of addiction that have exploded since the 1980s principally the various “digital addictions ” from online gaming to smart phones and social media.
All 4000-level courses must culminate in a significant historical research paper (at least 12 pages, no more than 15 pages), including primary and secondary sources. Assignments leading to the final product must include a primary source analysis and either an annotated research bibliography or a historiographical essay.
Prerequisite: To take this course, students must earn a C or higher in Hist3000.
