Applying the Bio-Psycho-Social Plus

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
Leaving Las Vegas
Flight
28 Days
Walk the Line
When a Man Loves a Woman
Devdas
Euphoria
The Glass Castle
Shameless
Mad Men
This is Us
Grey’s Anatomy
Queen’s Gambit
Indian Horse
Beautiful Boy
2
The Details:
o The 7-9 page assignment is worth 35% of the course mark.
o Pages should be numbered.
o Use double-spacing between lines.
o Use one-inch page margins
o Use 12-point Arial or Times New Roman font.
o References should be in APA style.
o There should be a title page with:
§ Your name
§ Student number
§ Date of submission,
§ Instructor’s name
§ Course name and number
§ The title of the paper
Remember: The title page and references do not count in the page limit.
o You may use headings.
o You may use first person (i.e. I/my)
o The assignment will be submitted through Turnitin
o A late penalty of two marks per day will be applied unless an extension is granted
prior to the due date.
o Please use only the course resources for your research, no outside sources!
Marks will be awarded for:
1) How well you research the topic integrating the course texts and resources,
2) How clearly you are able to articulate your understanding of the BPS+ model,
3) How effectively you analyse and comment on the addiction issues present in the
character you are focussing on in your chosen media piece and
4) How clearly you organize and communicate your ideas in writing.
o Since this is an academic assignment, and not just an ‘opinion piece,’ it is essential to
cite your sources in the body of the paper in APA format; also, be sure to provide a
bibliography or list of references at the end of the report. When writing your
analysis, connect to your course research. Remember if you are using the work
and/or ideas of others, it is crucial to cite your sources! A good tip is to ask yourself
‘how do I know this to be true?’ and then cite your source. This is a helpful resource:
https://www.yorku.ca/laps/writing-centre/resources/videos-transcripts/ Pease
use only the course resources for your research, no outside sources!
SG 2024