Unit Guide

General Information

Unit convenor and teaching staff	Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit Convenor Lisa Wynn lisa.wynn@mq.edu.au Contact via lisa.wynn@mq.edu.au Unit Convenor Marina Gold marina.gold@mq.edu.au Contact via marina.gold@mq.edu.au W6A 714 Fridays 11 am- 1pm
Credit points	Credit points 3
Prerequisites	Prerequisites
Corequisites	Corequisites
Co-badged status	Co-badged status Not a co-badged unit
Unit description	Unit description Using anthropological and ethnographic studies, this unit focuses mainly on the social and cultural contexts of drug use, both legal and illegal. This includes the economic and political factors influencing the production and distribution of drugs and the way in which these processes are enmeshed in a global economy. This unit also examines psychological theories of addiction and the neurology of drug use. Topics include: the international traffic in opium/heroin and cocaine in the Golden Triangle of mainland South–East Asia and in South America and the way this traffic intermeshes with regional politics and local tribal, peasant and commercial systems of production and exchange; the social history of drugs in the USA, UK and Australia; youth culture and drugs in the West; AIDS and intravenous drug use; addiction and treatment; drugs and the law; the global political economy of pharmaceuticals, particularly contraceptives, erectile dysfunction drugs, and antiretrovirals in the age of AIDS; and the placebo effect.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

acquire a basic understanding of the pharmacology of legal and illicit drugs and the physical, psychological and social aspects of addiction
gain familiarity with ethnographic approaches to drug use i.e., drug use in small group / community settings, including the ritual and symbolic aspects of drug use
understand the impact of broad social, political and economic forces on drug use and on social perceptions of drugs, including the influence of gender, class and race on public images of drugs and on legislation as well as the influence of local, regional and global factors on drug production and distribution
clarify your own position on drugs and to make informed and responsible decisions about social policies and strategies relating to drug use
apply and adapt anthropological knowledge to real world issues

Assessment Tasks

Name	Weighting	Due
Weekly Online Quizzes	30%	Weekly, Quiz open for one week
Final Two Quizzes	10%	Weeks 12 and 13
Critical Essay 1	25%	3 April, 5:00 pm
Critical Essay 2	35%	5 June, 5:00 pm

Weekly Online Quizzes

Due: Weekly, Quiz open for one week
Weighting: 30%

Weekly quizzes, starting in Week 2, are open-book and will help you keep up to date with lectures. After each week’s lecture you will have to complete a 5-question online quiz on iLearn. These quizzes are based on lecture materials and weekly readings.

You will NOT find the answers in lecture slides. You will need to listen to lectures and read the required readings each week in order to find the answers. But these are open-note quizzes, so if you take the time to listen to lectures and do the readings, you’ll be able to ace them. You will have 5 hours to finish the quiz, which will give you plenty of time to listen to the lecture again, if necessary, and consult the weekly readings. You can take the quiz any time during the week following the lecture, but only within that week. Once the new lecture is up, the link to take the quiz will be closed and you will miss your chance.

On successful completion you will be able to:

acquire a basic understanding of the pharmacology of legal and illicit drugs and the physical, psychological and social aspects of addiction
gain familiarity with ethnographic approaches to drug use i.e., drug use in small group / community settings, including the ritual and symbolic aspects of drug use
understand the impact of broad social, political and economic forces on drug use and on social perceptions of drugs, including the influence of gender, class and race on public images of drugs and on legislation as well as the influence of local, regional and global factors on drug production and distribution

Final Two Quizzes

Due: Weeks 12 and 13
Weighting: 10%

The quizzes in Weeks 12 AND 13 are different from the rest of the quizzes. They test your cumulative knowledge through the semester, not just the lecture material from that week; they will be made up of 10 questions instead of 5; and together they will count as 10% of your final mark (i.e. each quiz in Weeks 12 and 13 is worth 5% of your final grade). (There are no exams for this subject during exam week, but you can regard the last two quizzes as constituting a final exam as they assess cumulative knowledge.)

On successful completion you will be able to:

acquire a basic understanding of the pharmacology of legal and illicit drugs and the physical, psychological and social aspects of addiction
gain familiarity with ethnographic approaches to drug use i.e., drug use in small group / community settings, including the ritual and symbolic aspects of drug use
understand the impact of broad social, political and economic forces on drug use and on social perceptions of drugs, including the influence of gender, class and race on public images of drugs and on legislation as well as the influence of local, regional and global factors on drug production and distribution

Critical Essay 1

Due: 3 April, 5:00 pm
Weighting: 25%

In no more than 1000 words (not including references) write a critical essay providing an analysis of a case study on drugs. Choose your case study from the following options:

Option 1:

Dwyer, R. 2011. ‘Chapter 1: The social life of smokes: Processes of exchange in a heroin marketplace’ in Fraser and Moore (eds), 2011. The Drug Effect: Health, Crime and Society. Melbourne: Cambridge U Press.

Option 2:

Race, K. 2011. ‘Chapter 2: Party animals: The significance of drug practices in the materialisation of urban gay identity’ in Fraser and Moore (eds), 2011. The Drug Effect: Health, Crime and Society. Melbourne: Cambridge U Press.

Option 3:

Boyd, S. 2011. ‘Pleasure and pain: Representations of illegal drug consumption, addiction and trafficking in music, film and video’ in Fraser and Moore (eds), 2011. The Drug Effect: Health, Crime and Society. Melbourne: Cambridge U Press.

Option 4:

Reinarman, C. 2011. ‘Cannabis in cultural and legal limbo: Criminalisation, legalisation and the mixed blessing of medicalization in the USA’ in Fraser and Moore (eds), 2011. The Drug Effect: Health, Crime and Society. Melbourne: Cambridge U Press.

Option 5:

Any chapter from Marc Lewis. 2011. Memoirs of an Addicted Brain: A Neuroscientist Examines His Former Life on Drugs. PublicAffairs.

Use the following questions to guide you in writing your essay.

- What issues are raised by your case study?

- How do they relate to topics covered in class and weekly readings so far?

- What are the complex social processes and relations that surround the production and consumption of drugs?

On successful completion you will be able to:

acquire a basic understanding of the pharmacology of legal and illicit drugs and the physical, psychological and social aspects of addiction
gain familiarity with ethnographic approaches to drug use i.e., drug use in small group / community settings, including the ritual and symbolic aspects of drug use
understand the impact of broad social, political and economic forces on drug use and on social perceptions of drugs, including the influence of gender, class and race on public images of drugs and on legislation as well as the influence of local, regional and global factors on drug production and distribution
clarify your own position on drugs and to make informed and responsible decisions about social policies and strategies relating to drug use
apply and adapt anthropological knowledge to real world issues

Critical Essay 2

Due: 5 June, 5:00 pm
Weighting: 35%

Instructions:

In no more than 1500 words (not including references) write a critical essay providing an analysis of a case study on drugs. Choose your case study from the following options (which are the same options provided for the first assignment). You can’t choose the same case study as you did in the first essay.

Option 1:

Option 2:

Option 3:

Option 4:

Option 5:

Any chapter from Marc Lewis. 2011. Memoirs of an Addicted Brain: A Neuroscientist Examines His Former Life on Drugs. PublicAffairs.

Use the following questions to guide you in writing your essay.

- What issues are raised by your case study?

- How do they relate to topics covered in class and weekly readings so far?

- What are the complex social processes and relations that surround the production and consumption of drugs?

- Did your understanding of the issues surrounding drug use and production change throughout the semester? If so, how?

This second essay should reveal a more mature analysis of your case study, it should incorporate topics covered in later lectures and readings, and it should demonstrate that you have read feedback from the first essay and learnt from it.

On successful completion you will be able to:

acquire a basic understanding of the pharmacology of legal and illicit drugs and the physical, psychological and social aspects of addiction
gain familiarity with ethnographic approaches to drug use i.e., drug use in small group / community settings, including the ritual and symbolic aspects of drug use
understand the impact of broad social, political and economic forces on drug use and on social perceptions of drugs, including the influence of gender, class and race on public images of drugs and on legislation as well as the influence of local, regional and global factors on drug production and distribution
clarify your own position on drugs and to make informed and responsible decisions about social policies and strategies relating to drug use
apply and adapt anthropological knowledge to real world issues

Delivery and Resources

Class Times, Study Sessions and Venues

Lectures:

Fridays: 1-3 pm and 4-5 pm W2.4A Macquarie Theatre

Repeat Lectures:

Fridays: 6-9 pm W6D Lotus Theatre

NOTE: All lectures are recorded on Echo (formerly iLecture) and can be accessed via iLearn. There are no tutorials in this unit.

Study Sessions:

Although there are no tutorials for ANTH106 there are optional study sessions, where you can discuss questions, readings and quizzes with other students. These sessions are optional but have been very popular in the past and are highly recommended if you need a little extra help understanding the material. The study groups are run by Elizabeth Hagan (elizabeth.hagan@students.mq.edu.au) on the following days:

Wednesdays: 3pm – 4pm in C5A 407 Soft Space Room

Thursdays: 5pm – 6pm in C5A 407 Soft Space Room

Fridays: 12pm – 1pm in C5A 407 Soft Space Room

UNIT WEB PAGE

The Unit Homepage can be accessed through iLearn. The iLearn page for this unit should be your first source of information about this unit. It is ESSENTIAL that you regularly check the iLearn page, forums and announcements, as these will be the main means of communication between you and your convener.

Assignments will be posted and submitted via iLearn, questions can be asked via the forum and additional resources will be uploaded throughout the semester.

NOTE: REGULAR INTERNET ACCESS IS A REQUIREMENT FOR THIS UNIT. IT is YOUR responsibility to procure a reliable and accessible Internet connection throughout the semester. This will be essential for you to complete weekly quizzes, submit assignments and obtain your readings. Lack of Internet access or an unreliable Internet connection will not be a valid excuse for incomplete assessments.

Guest lecturers (see iLearn for short biographies of the lecturers):

Ms Lily Ainsworth, MRes Student, Macquarie University

Dr Paul Cohen, Associate Professor Emeritus, Anthropology Dept, Macquarie University

Dr Greg Downey, Associate Professor, Anthropology Dept, Macquarie University

Dr Nadine Ezard, Clinical Director, Alcohol and Drug Services at St Vincent's Hospital and Associate Professor, UNSW

Dr Sebastian Job, Anthropology Department, Sydney University

Ms Niree Kraushaar, Psychology Department, Macquarie University

Dr Ross MacKenzie, Dept of Environment and Geography, Macquarie University

Dr James Martin,Centre for Policing, Intelligence and Counter Terrorism, Macquarie University

Mr Jason Smith, Detective Inspector, Drug Squad, State Crime Command NSW Police Force

Mr Tony Trimingham, Founder and Director of the Family Drug Support Group

Dr Alex Wodak, President of the Australian Drug Law Reform Foundation and former Director, Alcohol and Drug Services, St Vincent’s Hospital

Dr Lisa Wynn, Associate Professor, Anthropology Dept, Macquarie University

WEEKLY READINGS

You will need to complete a set of readings for each lecture. All of these readings are available electronically online through eReserve (https://www.library.mq.edu.au/reserve/).

Hard copies of the reader are available to purchase through the Co-op Bookstore (on campus or online via https://www.coop.com.au/) if you prefer to have a printed copy.

TEXTBOOKS:

There is one required text and four recommended books for this course:

Required:

1) Suzanne Fraser and David Moore (eds), 2011. The Drug Effect: Health, Crime and Society. Melbourne: Cambridge University Press.

Recommended:

2) Marc Lewis, 2013. Memoirs of an Addicted Brain: A Neuroscientist Examines His Former Life on Drugs. New York: PublicAffairs.

3) Alison Ritter, Trevor King, and Margaret Hamilton (eds), 2013. Drug Use in Australian Society. Melbourne: Oxford University Press.

4) Jacob Sullum, 2004. Saying Yes: In Defense of Drug Use. New York: Tarcher / Penguin.

5) Kuhn, Swartzwelder, & Wilson (eds), 2008. Buzzed: The straight facts about the most used and abused drugs, from Alcohol to Ecstasy. 3^rd edition. John Wiley & Sons Australia.

Unit Schedule

Week Date Topic Lecturer

1. Fri 7 March Drugs, Pharmaceuticals and Anthropology L. Wynn

Hallucinogens L. Wynn

2. Fri 14 March Cannabis L. Wynn

Film: Psychedelic Science

Tobacco and Shamanism L. Wynn

3. Fri 21 March Ethnographies of Drug Use P. Cohen

Drug Symbolism P. Cohen

Essay-Writing Workshop M. Gold

4. Fri 28 March Tears of Hope: A Family Perspective on Drugs T. Trimingham

Film: Ben: Diary of a Heroin Addict

Thursday 3^rd April, First Critical Essay Due 5:00pm

5. Fri 4 April Drug Pharmacology and Addiction N. Kraushaar

Neuropharmacology N. Kraushaar

6. Fri 11 April Political Economy of Tobacco R. MacKenzie

Film: Tobacco Wars

**No class from 4-5pm / 8-9pm: enjoy the start to your semester break!**

Mid-Semester Break Monday 14^th April – Friday 25^th April

7. Fri 2 May Placebo Effect L. Wynn

Ethics and Drug Trials L. Wynn

8. Fri 9 May Political Economy of Opiates P. Cohen

Film: Raw Opium

9. Fri 16 May Drugs on the Digital Frontier J. Martin

Film: Coca Mama

Cocaine L. Wynn

10. Fri 23 May DMT and Ecological Consciousness S. Job

Ayahuasca Tourism in South America L. Ainsworth

Essay-Writing Workshop M. Gold

11. Fri 30 May Drug Law Reform A. Wodak

A Law Enforcement Perspective on Drugs J. Smith

War on Drugs L. Wynn

Thursday 5^th June, Second Critical Essay Due 5:00pm

12. Fri 6 June Alcohol Abuse on the Thai-Burmese Border N. Ezard

Film: Health for Sale

Steroids G. Downey

13. Fri 13 June Emergency Contraception L. Wynn

Erectile Dysfunction Drugs L. Wynn

Learning and Teaching Activities

Guest Lectures

Through the wide scope of guest lecturers students are exposed to different perspectives on the subject, as well as experts from very different fields of knowledge, from criminology, to psychology, neuroscience and anthropology.

Films

Students get a chance to consider the complex issues raised by this course through various documentaries that represent personal experiences, the historic trajectory of the topics and geographically and socially diverse settings.

Quizzes

Weekly quizzes help students manage the workload, monitor their learning experience and organise their weekly reading material.

Critical Essays

Critical essays provide students with the opportunity to develop their critical skills, apply their knowledge and enhance their research capacity and communication skills.

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html

Assessment Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy.html

Grading Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grading/policy.html

Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html

Grievance Management Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grievance_management/policy.html

Disruption to Studies Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html The Disruption to Studies Policy is effective from March 3 2014 and replaces the Special Consideration Policy.

In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Learning Skills

Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.

Student Services and Support

Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

Student Enquiries

For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://informatics.mq.edu.au/help/.

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Graduate Capabilities

Capable of Professional and Personal Judgement and Initiative

We want our graduates to have emotional intelligence and sound interpersonal skills and to demonstrate discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgement. They will exercise initiative as needed. They will be capable of risk assessment, and be able to handle ambiguity and complexity, enabling them to be adaptable in diverse and changing environments.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

acquire a basic understanding of the pharmacology of legal and illicit drugs and the physical, psychological and social aspects of addiction
understand the impact of broad social, political and economic forces on drug use and on social perceptions of drugs, including the influence of gender, class and race on public images of drugs and on legislation as well as the influence of local, regional and global factors on drug production and distribution
apply and adapt anthropological knowledge to real world issues

Assessment tasks

Critical Essay 1
Critical Essay 2

Learning and teaching activities

Through the wide scope of guest lecturers students are exposed to different perspectives on the subject, as well as experts from very different fields of knowledge, from criminology, to psychology, neuroscience and anthropology.
Weekly quizzes help students manage the workload, monitor their learning experience and organise their weekly reading material.
Critical essays provide students with the opportunity to develop their critical skills, apply their knowledge and enhance their research capacity and communication skills.

Commitment to Continuous Learning

Our graduates will have enquiring minds and a literate curiosity which will lead them to pursue knowledge for its own sake. They will continue to pursue learning in their careers and as they participate in the world. They will be capable of reflecting on their experiences and relationships with others and the environment, learning from them, and growing - personally, professionally and socially.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

acquire a basic understanding of the pharmacology of legal and illicit drugs and the physical, psychological and social aspects of addiction
clarify your own position on drugs and to make informed and responsible decisions about social policies and strategies relating to drug use
apply and adapt anthropological knowledge to real world issues

Assessment tasks

Weekly Online Quizzes
Final Two Quizzes
Critical Essay 1
Critical Essay 2

Learning and teaching activities

Students get a chance to consider the complex issues raised by this course through various documentaries that represent personal experiences, the historic trajectory of the topics and geographically and socially diverse settings.
Weekly quizzes help students manage the workload, monitor their learning experience and organise their weekly reading material.
Critical essays provide students with the opportunity to develop their critical skills, apply their knowledge and enhance their research capacity and communication skills.

Discipline Specific Knowledge and Skills

Our graduates will take with them the intellectual development, depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content in their chosen fields to make them competent and confident in their subject or profession. They will be able to demonstrate, where relevant, professional technical competence and meet professional standards. They will be able to articulate the structure of knowledge of their discipline, be able to adapt discipline-specific knowledge to novel situations, and be able to contribute from their discipline to inter-disciplinary solutions to problems.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

acquire a basic understanding of the pharmacology of legal and illicit drugs and the physical, psychological and social aspects of addiction
gain familiarity with ethnographic approaches to drug use i.e., drug use in small group / community settings, including the ritual and symbolic aspects of drug use
understand the impact of broad social, political and economic forces on drug use and on social perceptions of drugs, including the influence of gender, class and race on public images of drugs and on legislation as well as the influence of local, regional and global factors on drug production and distribution
apply and adapt anthropological knowledge to real world issues

Assessment tasks

Weekly Online Quizzes
Final Two Quizzes
Critical Essay 1
Critical Essay 2

Learning and teaching activities

Through the wide scope of guest lecturers students are exposed to different perspectives on the subject, as well as experts from very different fields of knowledge, from criminology, to psychology, neuroscience and anthropology.
Students get a chance to consider the complex issues raised by this course through various documentaries that represent personal experiences, the historic trajectory of the topics and geographically and socially diverse settings.
Weekly quizzes help students manage the workload, monitor their learning experience and organise their weekly reading material.
Critical essays provide students with the opportunity to develop their critical skills, apply their knowledge and enhance their research capacity and communication skills.

Critical, Analytical and Integrative Thinking

We want our graduates to be capable of reasoning, questioning and analysing, and to integrate and synthesise learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments; to be able to critique constraints, assumptions and limitations; to be able to think independently and systemically in relation to scholarly activity, in the workplace, and in the world. We want them to have a level of scientific and information technology literacy.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

acquire a basic understanding of the pharmacology of legal and illicit drugs and the physical, psychological and social aspects of addiction
gain familiarity with ethnographic approaches to drug use i.e., drug use in small group / community settings, including the ritual and symbolic aspects of drug use
understand the impact of broad social, political and economic forces on drug use and on social perceptions of drugs, including the influence of gender, class and race on public images of drugs and on legislation as well as the influence of local, regional and global factors on drug production and distribution
clarify your own position on drugs and to make informed and responsible decisions about social policies and strategies relating to drug use
apply and adapt anthropological knowledge to real world issues

Assessment tasks

Weekly Online Quizzes
Final Two Quizzes
Critical Essay 1
Critical Essay 2

Learning and teaching activities

Students get a chance to consider the complex issues raised by this course through various documentaries that represent personal experiences, the historic trajectory of the topics and geographically and socially diverse settings.
Weekly quizzes help students manage the workload, monitor their learning experience and organise their weekly reading material.
Critical essays provide students with the opportunity to develop their critical skills, apply their knowledge and enhance their research capacity and communication skills.

Problem Solving and Research Capability

Our graduates should be capable of researching; of analysing, and interpreting and assessing data and information in various forms; of drawing connections across fields of knowledge; and they should be able to relate their knowledge to complex situations at work or in the world, in order to diagnose and solve problems. We want them to have the confidence to take the initiative in doing so, within an awareness of their own limitations.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

acquire a basic understanding of the pharmacology of legal and illicit drugs and the physical, psychological and social aspects of addiction
understand the impact of broad social, political and economic forces on drug use and on social perceptions of drugs, including the influence of gender, class and race on public images of drugs and on legislation as well as the influence of local, regional and global factors on drug production and distribution
apply and adapt anthropological knowledge to real world issues

Assessment tasks

Final Two Quizzes
Critical Essay 1
Critical Essay 2

Learning and teaching activities

Critical essays provide students with the opportunity to develop their critical skills, apply their knowledge and enhance their research capacity and communication skills.

Creative and Innovative

Our graduates will also be capable of creative thinking and of creating knowledge. They will be imaginative and open to experience and capable of innovation at work and in the community. We want them to be engaged in applying their critical, creative thinking.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

acquire a basic understanding of the pharmacology of legal and illicit drugs and the physical, psychological and social aspects of addiction
clarify your own position on drugs and to make informed and responsible decisions about social policies and strategies relating to drug use
apply and adapt anthropological knowledge to real world issues

Assessment tasks

Critical Essay 1
Critical Essay 2

Learning and teaching activities

Students get a chance to consider the complex issues raised by this course through various documentaries that represent personal experiences, the historic trajectory of the topics and geographically and socially diverse settings.
Critical essays provide students with the opportunity to develop their critical skills, apply their knowledge and enhance their research capacity and communication skills.

Effective Communication

We want to develop in our students the ability to communicate and convey their views in forms effective with different audiences. We want our graduates to take with them the capability to read, listen, question, gather and evaluate information resources in a variety of formats, assess, write clearly, speak effectively, and to use visual communication and communication technologies as appropriate.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

acquire a basic understanding of the pharmacology of legal and illicit drugs and the physical, psychological and social aspects of addiction
clarify your own position on drugs and to make informed and responsible decisions about social policies and strategies relating to drug use
apply and adapt anthropological knowledge to real world issues

Assessment tasks

Critical Essay 1
Critical Essay 2

Learning and teaching activities

Critical essays provide students with the opportunity to develop their critical skills, apply their knowledge and enhance their research capacity and communication skills.

Engaged and Ethical Local and Global citizens

As local citizens our graduates will be aware of indigenous perspectives and of the nation's historical context. They will be engaged with the challenges of contemporary society and with knowledge and ideas. We want our graduates to have respect for diversity, to be open-minded, sensitive to others and inclusive, and to be open to other cultures and perspectives: they should have a level of cultural literacy. Our graduates should be aware of disadvantage and social justice, and be willing to participate to help create a wiser and better society.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

acquire a basic understanding of the pharmacology of legal and illicit drugs and the physical, psychological and social aspects of addiction
gain familiarity with ethnographic approaches to drug use i.e., drug use in small group / community settings, including the ritual and symbolic aspects of drug use
understand the impact of broad social, political and economic forces on drug use and on social perceptions of drugs, including the influence of gender, class and race on public images of drugs and on legislation as well as the influence of local, regional and global factors on drug production and distribution
apply and adapt anthropological knowledge to real world issues

Assessment tasks

Critical Essay 1
Critical Essay 2

Learning and teaching activities

Through the wide scope of guest lecturers students are exposed to different perspectives on the subject, as well as experts from very different fields of knowledge, from criminology, to psychology, neuroscience and anthropology.
Students get a chance to consider the complex issues raised by this course through various documentaries that represent personal experiences, the historic trajectory of the topics and geographically and socially diverse settings.
Critical essays provide students with the opportunity to develop their critical skills, apply their knowledge and enhance their research capacity and communication skills.

Socially and Environmentally Active and Responsible

We want our graduates to be aware of and have respect for self and others; to be able to work with others as a leader and a team player; to have a sense of connectedness with others and country; and to have a sense of mutual obligation. Our graduates should be informed and active participants in moving society towards sustainability.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

acquire a basic understanding of the pharmacology of legal and illicit drugs and the physical, psychological and social aspects of addiction
understand the impact of broad social, political and economic forces on drug use and on social perceptions of drugs, including the influence of gender, class and race on public images of drugs and on legislation as well as the influence of local, regional and global factors on drug production and distribution
apply and adapt anthropological knowledge to real world issues

Assessment tasks

Critical Essay 1
Critical Essay 2

Learning and teaching activities

Through the wide scope of guest lecturers students are exposed to different perspectives on the subject, as well as experts from very different fields of knowledge, from criminology, to psychology, neuroscience and anthropology.
Students get a chance to consider the complex issues raised by this course through various documentaries that represent personal experiences, the historic trajectory of the topics and geographically and socially diverse settings.
Critical essays provide students with the opportunity to develop their critical skills, apply their knowledge and enhance their research capacity and communication skills.