Studying ‘Alcohol, Drugs, and Society’ from a Sociological Perspective

ABSTRACT

This study compares the academic performance of two distinct types of students enrolled over a five year period in a Sociology class entitled “Alcohol, Drugs, and Society.” Roughly 30% of enrollees take this course as part of their training to become certified addictions counselors through the College of Human Sciences. The remainder come from a wide range of other courses of study, largely through the College of Arts and Sciences. These majors include, but are not limited to, sociology, social work, psychology, history, political science, and journalism. Data reveal that the difference in average grades between the pre-professionals and all others is not statistically significant.

Key Words:

• Professionals
• addiction studies
• sociological perspective
• alcohol and drug problems
• other disciplines