Department of Psychology, Trinity Western University, Langley, BC, Canada
Abstract
Whereas many students in Christian universities have had little to no direct experience with drugs, drug abuse, or drug treatment in their everyday lives, others have had much, leading to a variety of different ideas, expectations, and perceptions in a drugs and behavior class. In addition, lack of exposure to scholarly Christian perspectives on drugs and addiction can limit students’ personal beliefs, attitudes, and opinions toward addiction and treatment. Here I report my experience with integrating a popular media series, Painkiller, as well as a field trip to a local Christian addiction treatment facility, into a senior undergraduate psychology course. I report specific teaching practices and resources and describe my experience while using these methods across two sections of the course. I also include several examples demonstrating the effectiveness of using them—particularly for encouraging students’ Christian faith integration and ongoing spiritual formation. Results from both quantitative and qualitative evaluations, as well as reflections in course assignments, reveal that my approaches were effective in helping students learn course content but also in stimulating critical evaluation, personal application, and spiritual formation for students. Together, my experience demonstrates the effectiveness of real-world exposure to drug use, abuse, and treatment in enhancing student learning in a Christian university. Suggestions are made for using this approach in future classes.
Keywords. media, film, drugs and behavior, pedagogy, Christian, addiction, substance abuse
Drugs and Addiction in Real Life: Using Film and Field Trips to Teach Drugs and Behavior in a Christian University Classroom
Substance abuse is a major problem in North America, with most recent statistics demonstrating that approximately 22% of Canadians met the criteria for a substance abuse disorder (SUD) (Statistics Canada, 2012). In fact, young people are the most highly represented demographic among those who use drugs and alcohol. In 2019, 14% of adults aged 20-24 reported using an illegal drug in the past year, and 14% of those reported experiencing some harm (e.g., physical health, mental health, legal problems, financial position) resulting from that drug use (Health Canada, 2023). Thus, it is not surprising that most colleges and universities have programs and policies aimed at regulating, managing, and reducing drug and alcohol use on campus. Most Christian universities implement codes of conduct that discourage and restrict substance use; interestingly, though, Glanzer et al. (2025) found that most (84% for alcohol, 87% for drugs) of these codes appeal to authority and morality, rather than Christian reasoning, in their justification. Although it is possible that Christian universities address substance use and abuse in other areas of campus life, these data suggest that many students are not being exposed to Christian perspectives on substance use and/or abuse.
In a recent review of the literature, Grant Weinandy and Grubbs (2021) found very little evidence for a relationship between religious beliefs and attitudes toward substance use and SUDs among Christian students. In fact, one study showed that Christian affiliation was associated with negative views of tobacco and cannabis use, but not alcohol (Pedersen & Von Soest, 2015), suggesting that students perceive addictive substances differently. One possible reason for this is that students are exposed to alcohol and drug use in their daily lives, which conflicts with Christian perspectives they may have heard previously. Indeed, Fledderjohann (2010) found that of 347 freshman students enrolled in Christian colleges, 21% reported alcoholic beverages, 3% reported illegal drugs, and 12% reported tobacco being present in their family homes. Students may also be exposed to substances and varying attitudes toward them through friends, workplaces, and media.
Fledderjohann’s data also suggest, however, that a large majority of students in Christian universities are not exposed to substances and/or substance abuse at home or in their daily lives. Lack of exposure to real-world examples that would allow students to analyze and integrate their Christian beliefs could also lead to simplistic views on substance use and SUDs. Indeed, across all studies, Grant Weinandy and Grubbs (2021) found most support for a relationship between Christian affiliation and belief in a moral model of addiction. They also reported a positive association between religious beliefs and negative attitudes toward SUD, as well as a strong belief that spiritual approaches to SUD treatment are necessary. The problem is that strict adherence to a moral model can result in lack of appreciation for the complexity of addiction, which can increase stigmatization and dehumanization of those experiencing SUDs. For example, in a review of the literature, van Boekel et al. (2013) found that among health care professionals (e.g., physicians, nurses), adherence to a moral model of addiction increased blame, judgment, and discrimination toward those with SUDs. Those who perceived discrimination from health care professionals were also more likely to perceive dissatisfaction with and discontinue SUD treatment. Further, health care professionals who held negative moral judgments about those with SUDs were more likely to provide suboptimal care to them. Inspiring students to appreciate Christian approaches to drugs and addiction could therefore be crucial in forming healthy student attitudes about substances and substance use and also in generating positive, practical outcomes for those using drugs and/or experiencing SUD.
As Christian educators, we strive to develop students who will go out to the world and serve others in ways that Christ commanded—to have them see the inherent value in every human being. Variability in experience with, as well as exposure to Christian perspectives on, drugs and addiction among undergraduates creates an opportunity for faith-based educators to engage with students in both their understanding of drugs and their spiritual development regarding substance use and SUDs. Such pedagogical approaches are particularly appropriate for a psychology program, where in addition to alignment of content, many students plan to work directly with people in a helping capacity after graduation. That said, psychopharmacology can be a difficult topic for students to master. Understanding drug mechanisms requires some underlying knowledge of biological psychology. Too much focus on the biological mechanisms, however, can take away from the human side of drugs and addiction, which is arguably one of the most fascinating components of the topic.
Recently, educators in secular institutions have begun integrating popular media, such as books, case studies, and film, into their psychology courses (e.g., Gunther, 2011; Gill, 2024; Kennedy et al., 2011; Meil, 2007; Mickey & Hoyt, 2010; Tagsold & Decuir-Gunby, 2012; Wilson & Berg, 2021). These approaches have been successful in not only increasing student interest and accessibility to course material, but also in assisting students to understand the complexity of the whole person when discussing psychological mechanisms. Interestingly, popular media materials can also be used to introduce scientific concepts, such as research methods, ethics, and translation of data to the public.
Non-fiction memoirs may be particularly effective in teaching drugs and behavior courses. Pollack (2015) had students read two personal stories as part of her senior level psychopharmacology course over two semesters. She used these readings to stimulate student learning in various ways. For example, as part of one of the readings, students were asked to complete two assignments—one where they kept a diary and wrote a reflection essay on how the restrictive components of treatment might feel in their own lives, and one where they discussed and wrote a paper on how pharmacology principles applied to the main character’s feelings of craving, getting high, and withdrawal. In addition to effectively helping students connect and apply the course material to human behavior, students found the assignments particularly meaningful for helping them understand the difficulty and complexity of substance abuse.
Together, these studies demonstrate that popular media can be an effective pedagogical tool not only for imparting and conceptualizing content but also for stimulating empathy, compassion, and understanding for real people. This suggests they may also be useful for encouraging spiritual formation in a Christian university context. Indeed, others have effectively used film to teach Christian ethics and understanding in business travel studies (e.g., Filby, 2010). To my knowledge, however, no one has reported on the effectiveness of teaching drugs and behavior using popular media in a Christian university context. Here, I describe the ways in which I incorporated current, real-world stories of drugs and addiction into a senior-level undergraduate psychology course. My goal was to expand students’ thinking by exposing them to authentic narratives that would encourage thoughtful examination of their pre-existing beliefs and ideals as well as an integration of Christian values and perspectives with secular approaches to addiction and recovery.
Background and Course Overview
PSYC 390: Drugs and Behavior is a special topics course that I developed as an elective offering for 3rd and 4th year psychology majors at Trinity Western University, Langley, BC, Canada. I had been wanting to offer the course for some time: students had long expressed interest in taking additional biological psychology classes, and many of our students work or plan to work in applied settings where they would be exposed to drugs and their effects on users. In addition, the growing opioid crisis in North America had been gaining widespread attention in the media (e.g., https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/opioid-young-people-1.7174098), and harm reduction policies were a major topic of political discourse in Canada (e.g., https://globalnews.ca/news/9731516/safe-supply-drugs-house-of-commons/) and more specifically, in British Columbia (e.g., https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/2024-unregulated-drug-deaths-1.7450367). Timing was apt.
I first offered the course in Spring 2024, and then following some changes to the design and syllabus, again in Spring 2025. Course syllabi are provided in Supplementary Materials. In both offerings, the course was capped at 30 students. The first cohort had 22 students enrolled and the second had 11. The course is designed for senior-level psychology majors, and thus, the content is aimed at students with proficiency in psychology basics (e.g., basic breadth of knowledge of major psychology topics, research methods, statistics). Although the course covered basic psychopharmacology for all major classes of drugs, it did not go deeply into neuroscientific concepts, and biological psychology was not a required prerequisite. The course learning objectives can be summarized as: 1) to define and describe the biological and behavioral effects of the major classes of legal, illegal, prescription, and non-prescription drugs; 2) to examine the historical, social, and cultural contexts involved in the development, use, and treatment of drugs; 3) to critically evaluate the main models of drug abuse, addiction, and treatment; 4) to consider the value of Christian perspectives in understanding drug abuse, addiction, and treatment in society; and 5) to evaluate one’s own perspective on drug abuse, addiction, and treatment, and how it informs beliefs about drug users, addicts, and their families.
To achieve the first and second objectives, I used a textbook (Drugs: Mind, Body, and Society, Canadian edition, Rosenthal & McKay, 2023) and classroom lectures to relay basic course content (e.g., Pharmacokinetics, Stimulants, Hallucinogens, Opioids, Sedatives, Tobacco, etc.). The first and second objectives were assessed with a midterm that included short-answer and multiple-choice questions. Students also worked in small groups to produce a content-based board game for a drug of their choice, which they then played with peers on “game day.” I assessed each game for content, difficulty, and creativity. Finally, they completed an essay-based final exam, where they were given a real-world example of a societal implication of a drug and required to critically evaluate it using knowledge from the course. I assessed each response for content as well as the logical flow and quality of the argument. In the first course offering, this exam was done at home and during the second, it was completed open book, in person. Both versions offered choice where students could complete the question(s) they preferred from a list of options.
As the remaining objectives (3-5) focused heavily on real-world application of knowledge as well as engaging in critical thinking about substance abuse in biological, psychological, sociocultural, and Christian context, I included opportunities for exposure to personal narratives using popular media and later, a field trip. I also engaged students with various secular and Christian perspectives on substance abuse and treatment. My goals were to expose students to examples of historical, societal, and personal factors that influence addiction, encourage them to reflect on their own ideas and perceptions about addicts, addiction, and treatment, and have them consider the ways in which Christians might view these things.
For both cohorts, I included required viewing of the Netflix mini-series, Painkiller (www.netflix.com), a six-part docudrama that covers the development and sales, impact, and aftermath of Purdue Pharma’s opioid product, Oxycontin, in the United States. Classroom discussion followed the viewing of each episode. Throughout the semester, I also had students read literature on leading secular and Christian perspectives on addiction and treatment (see Supplementary Materials for full reading list). I included a book chapter by May (1988, pp. 21-41) that outlines the complexity of addiction and argues that virtually anything we feel attached to and compelled to use can be considered an addiction. I used it to encourage students to see that anything can become an idol, even if the consequences don’t seem as harmful as traditionally viewed addictive substances. The goal was to have them self-reflect, noticing areas of their own lives that might exemplify some components of addiction according to May’s (1988, pp. 21-41) position. The idea was to have them consider that all humans can be drawn toward worldly things and away from God.
Assessment of objectives 3-5 was accomplished through class discussion and a series of three formative short reflection papers. Students were provided with the assigned readings and consideration prompts in preparation for each paper. For the second cohort, I also facilitated a field trip to a local Christian-based women’s treatment facility. Students then worked together in groups to complete a term project where they summarized and critically assessed the organization’s approach to treatment, compared this with that of other leading approaches to treatment, and developed a hypothetical “practical giving project” aimed at meeting a need they noticed during their trip the facility. Groups also met regularly to pray (or engage in equivalent mindful consideration if not self-identified as Christian) for the women in treatment and the facility. Together, Painkiller, the assigned readings, and in the second cohort, the field trip, allowed for ample discussion and reflection on the neuropharmacological mechanisms, behavioral effects, psychological factors, social, cultural, and historical impacts of drugs and addiction.
Overall, the course was successful. Most students (61%) obtained final grades in the A to B range. In addition, student evaluations of the course were very positive, with almost all respondents reporting favorable outcomes including intellectual challenge and stimulation, critical thinking and communication, and a foundation from which to develop competence in the discipline (Table 1).
Table 1. Quantitative data from students’ course evaluations.
Using Painkiller to Teach Fundamentals and Encourage Critical Thinking about Drugs
The six-episode series called Painkiller tracks the opioid crisis from the development of Oxycontin to the present day and follows the stories of several fictional individuals involved. Examples include administrative officials employed by Purdue Pharma, sales and marketing staff, legal professionals, political staff, healthcare professionals, and users and their families. Although fiction, I was struck by the multitude of elements that could be used to prompt learning and discussion in an undergraduate class, including neurological mechanisms of opioids, behavioral effects of opioid use over time, sociopolitical factors involved in drug development, regulation, and marketing, as well as potential connections to Christian values that could be highlighted and considered. Throughout the semester, I noted to students that the show includes strong adult content (e.g., language, sexual scenes, drug use) and highlighted the option to complete an alternative assignment. To view the series, students required an active Netflix account.
Students viewed each episode outside of class, with scheduled class discussions for each. They were provided with a list of discussion/homework questions and required to prepare a written response before the beginning of each scheduled discussion. A brief overview of each episode’s content and a selection of associated questions, as well as their links to the course material/objectives, are shown in Table 2. Each student came to class prepared with their responses, ready to discuss them in groups. Following group discussion, we contributed ideas as a class. For example, in response to a question on opioid pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics, one student said:
Dosage has an incredibly important impact on the effect of the drug… With a higher dosage, the drug’s concentration in the body increases, and the acute effects can be wildly different than at a lesser dosage. The doctor increases [Glenn’s] dose because his tolerance to the drug was increasing. This could have been through downregulation of opioid receptors, faster metabolism through the liver, or possibly behavioral through setting. Higher dosage is generally associated with a greater chance of addiction as well as greater dependence.
At the beginning of each discussion session, I also had students freewrite for two minutes in response to the following question: “What Christian value, principle, concept, or idea stood out to you in this episode? Explain your answer.” My goal here was to generate some ideas about how Christianity might link to the concepts they had worked on, as well as to get their minds working and ready to discuss. When time was up, I had them put their answers aside until the group discussions were finished. Before the end of class, we took up responses to this last question and discussed our ideas about how faith can integrate with what we see in society regarding drugs, drug use, addiction, and treatment. This also allowed me to supplement with other Christian themes when necessary. For example, during Episode 4 of Painkiller, where much of the focus was on aggressive Oxycontin marketing and sales, several students wrote about deception and how it can lead to devastating outcomes. I further suggested students think about greed and how it can overwhelm us to the point of being unable to see the consequences of our actions.
My decision to use Painkiller as part of the course was effective in meeting objectives 1-5. Course evaluations demonstrated that most students (63%) across two cohorts found the class discussions contributed most to their learning. One student said:
My favorite parts of the course were watching the series Painkiller and writing the reflection papers… they were always helpful in making me recognize and apply knowledge acquired in the class, as well as seeking research for things to write about and finding supporting arguments. Watching the series Painkiller… wasn’t a waste of time or turning the brain off activity. I actually had to be aware of what I was watching.
A second student further described the class discussions as particularly helpful:
My favorite part of the course was the group discussions regarding the Painkiller Netflix series. This was an entertaining but important and informative way for us to engage with course material. It also gives real world examples of addiction and forces each of us to evaluate how we view addicts.
Together, student responses to discussion prompts, quantitative course ratings, and narrative reports on course materials suggest that using Painkiller as a basis for analysis, application, and critical thinking about course content was both an entertaining and valid method for teaching about drugs and behavior.
Table 2. Painkiller episodes and their associated links to course content.
Using Field Trips to Evaluate Addiction and Treatment Approaches
During my second offering of the course, I decided to include a field trip to a local Christian women’s treatment facility, Talitha Koum Society (TK) (https://talithakoumsociety.org). This inpatient facility follows a 12-step approach to treatment. Clients live in community with other women in recovery, where they complete all activities of daily living together as well as attend group therapy sessions and engage in other targeted activities (e.g., Bible study). As a class, we visited the facility during a full morning at the end of the semester. In smaller groups, we attended an actual one-hour group therapy session, received a tour of the facility, and then participated in Q and A sessions with staff and administrators. In addition to hearing firsthand the experiences of women in treatment, the later Q and A sessions allowed students to understand some of the real-life challenges of not-for-profit organizations including staffing and funding, which was helpful for students considering careers in these environments. In preparation for the trip, students reviewed TK program materials and literature on 12-step approaches. Groups also met for prayer (or mindful consideration). Following the field trip, students completed a term project in groups, where they met regularly to pray and prepared a written document that summarized the facility’s approach to treatment, compared it to other approaches, and presented a hypothetical “giving project” aimed at meeting one of the facility’s needs.
Group projects were well done with most students (55%) receiving A and B grades. Written reports demonstrated insightful analyses of the facility’s approach compared to others, including strengths and weaknesses of 12-step programs which are often faith-based. Students also came up with several thoughtful “giving projects” such as the construction and development of a community garden and greenhouse for client use and an outdoor movie night fundraiser. Students also provided reflections on their group prayer times, which showed the experience enhanced their understanding of and compassion for women in treatment. For example, one student said, “I remember [the women] speaking about misconceptions regarding what society thinks about addicts. How society may view them as addicts but less as people due to it [addiction]. We shared that the visit significantly changed our thoughts of programs and the people in [them].” Prayer themes included strength and perseverance for the women, as well as blessings for the facility.
Student course evaluations also showed the field trip was effective for student learning. Many respondents (56%) mentioned the field trip contributed most to their learning and 88% reported the class discussions, reflection papers, and/or the field trip contributed most to their spiritual formation. One student said, “The trip to Talitha Koum contributed significantly to my learning. Getting to actually see the things we learned in lectures be brought to life and hear the stories of women who have struggled with addiction was really beneficial and created much more depth of understanding.” Another student simply stated, “The fieldtrip to TK was incredibly meaningful to me.” Clearly, the field trip impacted students pedagogically, personally, and spiritually.
Real-World Exposure Enhances Student Spiritual Formation
Importantly, exposure to personal narratives through Painkiller and the field trip had major impacts for students’ spiritual formation. Student course evaluations, qualitative comments, and reflection paper responses[1] demonstrate that two course objectives—to consider the value of Christian perspectives in understanding drug abuse, addiction, and treatment in society, and to evaluate one’s own perspective on drug abuse, addiction, and treatment and how it informs beliefs about drug users, addicts, and their families—were met. In addition to most students reporting that the course provided opportunities for thoughtful engagement with Christianity (see Table 1), more than 90% of students also reported that the course helped them achieve a clearer understanding of, and growth in, their personal faith values. Two students’ comments exemplify the impact of the course on them spiritually. One student wrote:
[What stood out to me was] the need to help those who are struggling with addiction. Most often, it is not something that can be overcome by an individual on their own. Galatians 6:2-5 talks about bearing one another’s burdens. This points out the need for Christians to love people well by taking their struggles and hardships on and committing to helping others,” followed by “This class has given me a greater understanding of this issue and the importance of doing practical things to help those in need.
Another commented:
[I learned] how complicated addiction is and how our understanding of God, faith, etc. can shape our perception of addiction. Previously, I viewed addiction solely as a choice, a choice that I could not understand why people chose to make and continued to make. Now… I have a deeper understanding of the biological and psychological mechanisms behind why addiction continues to be a problem even when it presents with so many side effects. Likewise, I learnt that while some have a greater predisposition for addiction, ultimately it can happen to anyone, and quite often people have addictions of their own, we just don’t deem them to be “bad” (i.e, caffeine, exercise, social media, etc.).
Students’ reflection papers also demonstrated thoughtful integration of Christian perspectives. In the final paper, I prompted students to evaluate, integrate, and apply what they learned in May’s (1988) argument on empowerment to their own lives. Here are three exemplary student responses:
- The assigned chapter… provides significant insight into the characteristics of addictions and how all addictions, big or small, negatively impact life and love (May, 1988). The features of tolerance, withdrawal, self-deception, loss of willpower, and distortion of attention characterize addictions. These addictions can look vastly different, but the common factor is that all addictions restrict human freedom and willpower and draw people away from God… Many people believe that addictions are always the more serious and obvious things like substance addiction, but according to this article, everyone is an addict, we all just have different types of drugs…
- To God, I believe the lines are blurred between a cocaine addiction and a self-image addiction. He longs for us to consecrate ourselves to Him and entertain desires that “are concerned with becoming [free] from attachments in general, for the sake of love” (May, 1988, p. 150). The object or manifestation of the addiction does not change His longing for reconciliation and invitation to create healthy connections that replace attachment.
- May’s perspectives opened my eyes to the reality of my own addictions and how they function in a similar way to substance addictions, even if the consequences and social implications are vastly different… This immediately changed how I thought of addicts that I encountered in my life. Instead of seeing drug users as an alienated outgroup that is greatly different from me, I now have a link that helps me to empathize with the nature of addiction and what it means to be trapped in it. I now better understand how spiritual attachments form bonds that become addictions… Watching Painkiller demonstrated to me how worshipping idols, whether it is money, relief from pain, or other things, can lead to addictions… Given my desire to work in human services, and potentially in a role where I am specifically working with addicts, this shift in perspective has felt monumental for both my current life and my future professional path. It has also been spiritually transformative for me, as I now pray about some issues in my life from the perspective of being trapped in an addiction and needing deliverance, rather than viewing these struggles as incidental issues.
These responses also show that the reflection papers were effective in giving students an opportunity to thoughtfully reflect on their own, as well as other, Christian perspectives on drugs and behavior. In doing so, they could apply their learning and develop their own ideas and beliefs about the course content and how to approach drugs, drug abuse, and treatment in their own lives. In fact, 59% of student course evaluations reported that the reflection papers contributed most to their spiritual formation.
Strengths, Limitations, and Suggestions for Future Courses
One of the most enjoyable parts of teaching this course was the level of student interest I observed across two semesters. There is no doubt that including popular media into the course provided an opportunity to engage students in a way that traditional lecture methods cannot. This is a strength which garners student engagement and makes teaching easier in general. Another strength was that being able to observe women in treatment also provided an invaluable opportunity to see life through another person’s eyes. This is not easily accomplished in the classroom or through use of popular media. Hearing the personal stories of women who were struggling with substance abuse required empathy, understanding, and humility in ways that even I was not expecting. There is no doubt that such exposure was clearly influential for student spiritual formation.
Although my evaluation suggests that the Painkiller series and the field trip were effective for student learning, engagement, and spiritual formation, I suspect that in the second offering of the course, the combination of both components may have been too much material, which precluded me from going into real depth with some of the concepts. There was also less time and opportunity available for student assessment in the form of tests and exams. It is important to note that I did not receive any student feedback that reflects this; however, in the future, I may include one or the other, or possibly develop a subsequent course that covers addiction and treatment more thoroughly and only includes the field trip as a final project.
Painkiller is quite graphic and includes strong adult content. Therefore, some educators may have concerns about using it and may wonder about the availability and accessibility of other popular media sources for their courses. Indeed, there is a growing body of literature showing how memoirs have been used to teach psychology content, both in the form of film and books (Gunther, 2011; Gill, 2024; Kennedy et al., 2011; Meil, 2007; Mickey & Hoyt, 2010; Pollack, 2015; Tesgold & Decuir-Gunby, 2012; Wilson & Berg, 2021). I encourage interested colleagues to seek out these options. Relatedly, some may experience difficulties finding a treatment facility that would allow students to visit and interact with clients. In these cases, some alternative options include spending time volunteering with local organizations that provide practical support to the people experiencing homelessness (e.g., shelters, churches) or inviting guest speakers to come and talk about their own experiences. Any opportunity for students to hear and interact with individuals who may be struggling with drug abuse would be invaluable.
A final consideration for educators in offering this type of course is to consider the number of students enrolled in each section. I noticed a large gap in discussion quality and student involvement when I went from 22 students in my first offering to 11 in my second. Although the smaller size of the second group made it easier to facilitate the field trip, I found there were fewer perspectives, and as a result, lower enthusiasm levels in this cohort. If possible, I would suggest waiting for a larger class, perhaps by offering the course less frequently. In contrast, I would warn against attempting to facilitate Painkiller and/or a field trip with a group larger than 25 to 30, as it would be difficult to engage with all student perspectives and or logistically coordinate the student interaction during the field trip. Intermediate class sizes are likely best.
Conclusion
Looking at both sections of my Drugs and Behavior course together, I believe that Painkiller and the field trip were instrumental in helping me to inspire personal application of course content, critical thinking about substance abuse and treatment in biological, psychological, sociocultural contexts, thoughtful evaluation of Christian perspectives, and individual spiritual formation in students (course objectives 3-5). Both quantitative and qualitative student course evaluations demonstrate that students learned a lot—both in terms of course content and personal beliefs and attitudes. Further, student reflection papers as well as comments show that exposure to Christian perspectives provided an opportunity for them to critically evaluate ideas about substance use, abuse, and treatment in society as well as in their own lives.
In summary, my experience teaching PSYC 390: Drugs and Behavior over two semesters suggests that real-world examples of drugs and how they impact society provide an important pedagogical opportunity to engage students in learning. Pedagogical tools such as popular media depictions of drugs and exposure to substance users in treatment can be effective methods for teaching this content at a Christian university. As I describe here, opportunities for critical reflection and personal application can be effective for enhancing students’ spiritual growth and development.
Acknowledgements
I sincerely thank the clients and staff at the TK Society for allowing my class to attend their facility, observe their session, and learn about their approach to treatment.
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[1] Students provided informed consent for me to use their qualitative responses as well as reflection paper excerpts, in anonymous form, for this paper. All procedures were reviewed and approved by the Trinity Western University Human Research Ethics Board (HREB) (Approval #24ED03).