79-335 Banned Substances: Drugs and Alcohol in American History

9 units, Carnegie Mellon University

This course traces the development of laws, policies, and social movements related to alcohol and drugs in the United States. By highlighting the ideas proponents and opponents used to justify or oppose prohibition, students will examine how responses to drug and alcohol use has as much to do with ideologies of gender, race, ethnicity, and class as they do with the effects of the substances themselves. This course will also analyze how attempts at prohibition have been historically contingent and explore the ways debates surrounding drug and alcohol use can deepen our understanding of American history. Some topics to be considered include the proliferation of alcohol abuse in the early Republic, temperance and prohibition movements, criminalization of drugs, the war on drugs, and legalization debates.

Prerequisites: none listed

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