Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon Portland Community College

CCOG for AD 184 Spring 2024

View archive version »
Course Number:
AD 184
Course Title:
Men & Addiction
Credit Hours:
3
Lecture Hours:
30
Lecture/Lab Hours:
0
Lab Hours:
0

Course Description

Provides an in-depth view of the biological, cultural, and sociological origins of male roles and behavior. Explores the implications of this for understanding mental health, sexuality, addiction, and behavior of men and non-binary populations. Develops a framework for the essential elements of gender-specific treatment. Audit available.

Intended Outcomes for the course

Upon completion of the course students should be able to:

  1. Articulate gender-specific treatment options, interventions and processes for men and non-binary populations.
  2. Articulate strategies for incorporating trauma and wellness-informed services including medication-assisted treatment into the counseling process specific to men and non-binary populations.
  3. Articulate strategies for working through countertransference when working with men and non-binary populations.
  4. Use cultural humility when working with men and non-binary populations.

Course Activities and Design

  1. Utilize critical thinking strategies to analyze gender specific information.
  2. Identify gender specific communication styles. Describe how these differences could influence addiction treatment strategies.
  3. Compare and contrast the "Stage 1" male to the "Stage 11" male as described in the book The Myth of Male Power.
  4. Identify definitions of violence and sexual abuse and outline in terms of statistical evidence incidence rates among men relative to women from both perpetrator and victim perspective. 
  5. Describe health issues specific to men including gender differences in utilization of health resources.
  6. Describe the relationship between gender and suicide and factors which contribute to male suicide.
  7. Describe cultural conditioning relative to the male roles of provider and protector and the impact this has on the "modern male" as described in the book The Myth of Male Power.
  8. Describe the disparity in life expectancies between the genders relative to men being viewed as "success objects" and as the "disposable sex". Outline how addictive behaviors may be related to this disparity.
  9. Identify recent research on male specific addiction treatment and the implications this research has for future treatment models.
  10. Identify community resources which provide male specific services.
  11. Describe the male experiencing in terms of parenting including examination of legal and social bias against fathers relative to custody issues.

Outcome Assessment Strategies

At the beginning of each term, the instructor will detail the methods used to evaluate the student acquisition of the targeted competencies. The methods used may include one or more of the following tools: examinations, quizzes, homework assignments, research papers, small group projects, oral presentations or maintenance of a journal.

Course Content (Themes, Concepts, Issues and Skills)

  1. Critical Thinking Skills and Gender Specific Research
  2. Cultural Bias prohibiting focus on male experience
  3. Historic Male and Female Gender Roles
    1. Gender roles and communication patterns
    2. Man as protector and provider
    3. Emotional expression as a function of gender
    4. Parenting including legal bias against fathers
    5. Male relationships
  4. Violence and sexual abuse
    1. Men as perpetrators
    2. Men as victims
    3. Social sanctions against disclosure of sexual abuse
    4. Social sanctions supporting male violence
       
  5. Male specific health issues
    1. Factors effecting life expectancy
    2. Suicide risk and prevention strategies
    3. Male utilization of health resources
  6. Addiction
    1. Patterns of addiction
    2. Contributors to addiction
    3. Male specific treatment approaches
  7. Community Resources which provide male specific services
  8. Multicultural (including sexual orientation) implications of course content
  9. History and current status of "Men's Movement"