Purpose:
The main purpose of the assignment is to give students an opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of the bio-psycho-social plus (BPS+) model by applying it to a character in piece of contemporary media. The focus of this assignment is addiction to a substance: eg. alcohol, tobacco, caffeine, another drug. Your assignment needs to address the biological/physiological, social, psychological, cultural, and spiritual aspects of addiction as they appear in the subject material you have chosen. Focus your analysis on the BPS+ model!
Task • From the list below, select your media piece (film, book, television series). If you have an idea other than on the list, please email me well in advance for approval. • Provide an introduction and a brief and concise summary of the film/series. • Clearly define and explain the BPS+ model of addiction – in general and each aspect of the model. • Analyze the character you have chosen in your piece through each aspect of the BPS+ model and by drawing on all the relevant materials from the course to support your examples (readings, videos, posted material etc.) • Conclude your report with a statement of your personal take away learning from having completed the assignment • Do not spend all your effort on a mere summary of the book/film/show you are exploring. Do that briefly – no more than half a page. Reserve most of the space for demonstrating your understanding of the BPS+ model through detailed explanation of each aspect of the model and through your analysis – with solid connections to a wide variety of course resources.
Options for media selection:
A Star is Born
Grey’s Anatomy
Leaving Las Vegas
Queen’s Gambit
Flight
Indian Horse
28 Days
Beautiful Boy
Walk the Line
When a Man Loves a Woman
Devdas
Euphoria
The Glass Castle
Shameless
Mad Men
This is Us
