Students

ANTH106 – Drugs Across Cultures

2018 – S1 External

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Convenor
Associate Professor Lisa Wynn
By appointment;
Unit Administrator
Robyn Gillot
via e-mail
Robyn Gillot
Credit points Credit points
3
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
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:

  • Discipline-Based Learning Outcomes: Through the course of this unit, we hope that you will: 1.1 acquire a basic understanding of the pharmacology of legal and illicit drugs and the physical, psychological and social aspects of addiction; 1.2 gain familiarity with anthropological and ethnographic approaches to drug use i.e., drug use in small group / community settings, including the ritual and symbolic aspects of drug use; 1.3 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; 1.4 clarify your own position on drugs and to make informed and responsible decisions about social policies and strategies relating to drug use; 1.5 apply and adapt anthropological knowledge to real world issues
  • Generic Skills: In addition to the specific unit learning objectives, this unit offers an opportunity to develop your generic skills in the following areas: 2.1 research skills through active reading, analysis, and contextualisation of scholarly materials; 2.2 essay-writing skills, enabling you to organise points and arguments in a scholarly writing manner with appropriate citation; 2.3 critical analysis and creative thinking skills through the research assignment; 2.4 computer skills through the unit's extensive use of on-line resources; 2.5 enhance organisational and time management skills.

General Assessment Information

Handing in Your Outline and Essay

Format:

  • Typed (NOT HAND WRITTEN)
  • 12 point font
  • Double spaced
  • Number all pages
  • Include name, student ID, essay title and case study option, and word count
  • Pay attention to grammar, spelling and essay structure
  • Properly reference your essay with in-text citations and include a reference list
  • Reference system: use Harvard referencing
  • Word limit does not include final reference list, but DOES include in-text citations

If you are in doubt about the essay format and referencing system required in anthropology, there are many online sources with detailed Harvard referencing for all kinds of sources that you might wish to cite, everything from a film to a play to a patent.  See, for example, the University of Adelaide’s guide at: http://www.adelaide.edu.au/writingcentre/referencing_guides/harvardStyleGuide.pdf.

Handing in your essay.  You must submit both outline and essay through Turnitin.

Turnitin: Turnitin can be accessed through the link on the iLearn page for ANTH106. Please note that you cannot resubmit the same assignment twice, so please make sure that you do not make a mistake and submit an earlier draft to Turnitin, because it is not possible to undo this.  Once you submit to Turnitin, you cannot withdraw what you have submitted.  (So you can’t “accidentally” submit a plagiarised essay then withdraw it and submit the correct one.)

‘Test Your Similarity Index’: About a week before each essay is due, you will find a link on iLearn called ‘Test your Similarity Index’. The point of this link if for you to check the similarity index, that is, to check if your essay is flagged for plagiarism. Uploading your essay to this link will give you a percentage of similarity. The similarity index does not necessarily imply that you have copied, but if your similarity index is high it may mean that you have not referenced properly, or that you have paraphrased sources too closely without using your own words. The point of this link is to help you learn to reference properly and avoid losing marks for poor referencing. The day before the due date for the essays, the link becomes very slow as everyone uses it, so do not leave it to the last minute to check your similarity index. If you leave it to the day before, you may not get a report produced in time to help you. ALSO, PLEASE REMEMBER that submitting your outline / essay to this link does NOT constitute a submission. You must remember to SUBMIT YOUR FINAL COPY of the outline / essay to the proper link before the due date.

Extensions: any extensions must be requested with valid documentation of their necessity (e.g. medical certificate) through the university’s Special Considerations procedure.  See the Policies and Procedures link in this Unit Guide for information about whether your circumstances qualify under the university’s policy and information on how to apply for consideration.  

Feedback: We take feedback very seriously – we want you to learn from your first essay outline so that you can improve before handing in your essay assignment!  Your essays will be returned through the ANTH106 iLearn page, approximately three weeks after submission date, except in the case of late submissions, which will be returned at the markers’ discretion. Your marker will write the feedback on your electronic submission through Grademark (accessed through the Turnitin link where you submitted). Pay close attention to the feedback you get on your outline so that you can benefit from it when writing your essay assignment. 

NO CONSIDERATION FOR LOST WORK:

It is the student's responsibility to keep a copy of all work submitted for each unit. No consideration will be given to claims of 'lost work', no matter what the circumstances. BACK IT UP, all the time!

Extensions and Special Consideration:

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, (a) a penalty for lateness will be applied - two (2) marks out of 100 will be deduced per day for assignments after the due date and (b) no assignment will be accepted more than seven (7) days (incl. weekends) after the original submission deadline. No late submission will be accepted for timed assessments-- eg. quizzes, online tests.

The University classifies a disruption as serious and unavoidable if it:

  • could not have reasonably been anticipated, avoided or guarded against by the student; and
  • was beyond the student's control; and
  • caused substantial disruption to the student's capacity for effective study and/or completion of required work; and
  • occurred during an event critical study period and was at least three (3) consecutive days duration, and/or
  • prevented completion of a final examination.

Prior conditions: Students with a pre-existing disability/health condition or prolonged adverse circumstances may be eligible for ongoing assistance and support.  Such support is governed by other policies (NOT by the Disruption to Studies Policy) and may be sought and coordinated through Campus Wellbeing and Support Services (http://students.mq.edu.au/support/health_and_wellbeing/)

Applying for Special Consideration: The application must be completed by the student, documented by an authority (e.g. medical professional, police, etc.), and submitted online through www.ask.mq.edu.au.  

The University has determined that some circumstances routinely encountered by students are not acceptable grounds for claiming Special Consideration. These grounds include, but are not limited, to:

  • Routine demands of employment
  • Routine family problems such as tension with or between parents, spouses, and other people closely involved with the student
  • Difficulties adjusting to university life, to the self-discipline needed to study effectively, and the demands of academic work
  • Stress or anxiety associated with examinations, required assignments or any aspect of academic work
  • Routine need for financial support
  • Routine demands of sport, clubs and social or extra-curricular activities

What special consideration may not be used for:

While special consideration may be used to request a deadline extension, special consideration may NOT be used to raise your grade on an assessment task or to get out of completing an assessment task in the unit. (So, for example, you can't submit an essay on time and then ask for it to be graded more "leniently" -- whatever that means -- on the grounds that you weren't well when you were writing the essay.)

Academic or personal difficulties:

Macquarie University provides a range of Academic Student Support Services.  Details of these services can be accessed at http://www.student.mq.edu.au.

Plagiarism and Academic Honesty

The University defines plagiarism as: "Using the work or ideas of another person, whether intentionally or not, and presenting this as your own without clear acknowledgement of the source of the work or ideas." Plagiarism is a serious breach of the University's rules and carries significant penalties. You must read the University's definition of plagiarism and its academic honesty policy. These can be found in the Handbook of Undergraduate studies or on the web at: http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.htm The policies and procedures explain what plagiarism is, how to avoid it, the procedures that will be taken in cases of suspected plagiarism, and the penalties if you are found guilty.

Please note that the availability of online materials has made plagiarism easier for students, but it has also made discovery of plagiarism even easier for convenors of units.  We now have specialized databases that can quickly identify the source of particular phrases in a student’s work, if not original, and evaluate how much is taken from sources in inappropriate ways.  Our advice to you is to become familiar with the guidelines about plagiarism and then ‘quarantine’ the files that you are actually planning on turning in; that is, do not cut and paste materials directly into any work file that you plan to submit, because it is too easy to later on forget which is your original writing and which has come from other sources.

Turnitin is used to detect plagiarism and we take it very seriously.  Plagiarism in the essays will result in referral to the University Discipline Committee and may result in a mark of zero for that assignment or, depending on the severity of the plagiarism, may even result in failing the unit.  The good news is that we know the vast majority of students have no interest in plagiarising and want to make sure they correctly reference their work.  We’ll offer referencing tips during a special essay-writing workshop during the semester.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Weekly Quizzes (weeks 1 to 10) 30% No See course outline
Essay Outline 25% No 5 April, 5:00pm
Critical Essay 35% No 21 May, 5:00 pm
Final Quizzes 10% No Weeks 11 and 12

Weekly Quizzes (weeks 1 to 10)

Due: See course outline
Weighting: 30%

Weekly quizzes, starting in Week 1, are open-note and 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 usually NOT find the answers to the quizzes 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 consecutive 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 six days it is available, but only during that period. Once you start taking the quiz, you cannot pause the time countdown.  Once the new quiz is up, the link to take the previous quiz will be closed and you will miss your chance.  

Extensions: Because each quiz is available to take for 6 days, we will not grant make-up quizzes (via a Disruption of Studies request) without documentation that you were incapacitated for 3 or more days during that period. So don’t leave the quiz until the last minute, in case you get sick on the last day it’s available!  Any extensions must be requested in writing with valid documentation of their necessity (e.g. medical certificate) through the university’s Special Consideration procedure.  See ask.mq.edu.au for more information about whether your circumstances qualify under the university’s policy and information on how to apply for consideration.  Late enrolment is not grounds for requesting a make-up quiz.

The marks from the 10 quizzes based on weeks 1-10 will make up 30% of your final grade. 

Week

Quiz Name

Based on

Open Date and Time

Close Date and Time

Number of questions

Time to complete it

Percentage of  final grade

 

1

Quiz on Week 1

Unit Guide and Week 1 lectures and readings

Friday 2 March, 10:00 pm

Thursday 8 March, 10:00 pm

5

5 consecutive hours

3%

2

Quiz on Week 2

Week 2 lectures and readings

Friday 9 March, 10:00 pm

Thursday 15 March, 10:00 pm

5

5 consecutive hours

3%

3

Quiz on Week 3

Week 3 lectures and readings

Friday 16 March, 10:00 pm

Thursday 22 March, 10:00 pm

5

5 consecutive hours

3%

4

Quiz  on Week 4

Week 4 lectures and readings

Friday 23 March, 10:00 pm

Thursday 29 March, 10:00 pm

5

5 consecutive hours

3%

5

Quiz  on Week 5

Week 5 lectures and readings

Friday 6 April, 10:00 pm

Thursday 12 April, 10:00 pm

5

5 consecutive hours

3%

6

Quiz  on Week 6

Week 6 lectures and readings

Friday 13 April, 10:00 pm

Thursday 19 April, 10:00 pm

5

5 consecutive hours

3%

7

Quiz  on Week 7

Week 7 lecture and readings

Friday 4 May, 10:00 pm

Thursday 10 May, 10:00 pm

5

5 consecutive hours

3%

8

Quiz  on Week 8

Week 8 lecture and readings

Friday 11 May, 10:00 pm

Thursday 17 May, 10:00 pm

5

5 consecutive hours

3%

9

Quiz  on Week 9

Week 9 lecture and readings

Friday 18 May, 10:00 pm

Thursday 24 May, 10:00 pm

5

5 consecutive hours

3%

10

Quiz  on Week 10

Week 10 lecture and readings

Friday 25 May, 10:00 pm

Thursday 31 May, 10:00 pm

5

5 consecutive hours

3%

 

             

 

 

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Discipline-Based Learning Outcomes: Through the course of this unit, we hope that you will: 1.1 acquire a basic understanding of the pharmacology of legal and illicit drugs and the physical, psychological and social aspects of addiction; 1.2 gain familiarity with anthropological and ethnographic approaches to drug use i.e., drug use in small group / community settings, including the ritual and symbolic aspects of drug use; 1.3 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; 1.4 clarify your own position on drugs and to make informed and responsible decisions about social policies and strategies relating to drug use; 1.5 apply and adapt anthropological knowledge to real world issues
  • Generic Skills: In addition to the specific unit learning objectives, this unit offers an opportunity to develop your generic skills in the following areas: 2.1 research skills through active reading, analysis, and contextualisation of scholarly materials; 2.2 essay-writing skills, enabling you to organise points and arguments in a scholarly writing manner with appropriate citation; 2.3 critical analysis and creative thinking skills through the research assignment; 2.4 computer skills through the unit's extensive use of on-line resources; 2.5 enhance organisational and time management skills.

Essay Outline

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

For full instructions see the supporting documentation on iLearn.

Good writing skills are an important attribute of university students, and one of the more difficult skills to develop. The assessments in this course will help you develop your writing skills and will give you a chance to receive detailed feedback and learn from your mistakes. This first assessment task asks you to produce a detailed outline of your research essay, a fully-written introduction section, and a complete set of references for your essay.  Within 3 weeks of submitting your essay outline, you will receive feedback, which will allow you to improve your writing, referencing, and thematic organisation in the essay assignment due later in the semester.

Instructions:

In no more than 800 words (not including references) write an outline for a critical essay providing an analysis of a case study on drugs. Provide a full reference list and FULLY WRITE OUT (don’t just outline!) your introduction section.  This will ensure that you receive feedback on both your writing style as well as the thematic organisation of your ideas.

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:  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? (Obviously, you’ll be able to include your theories / readings in your essay than you will in your outline, since we will have covered more material by then.)
  • What are the complex social processes and relations that surround the production and consumption of drugs?

Structure and writing styles are as important as content when writing an essay. Two weeks before the essay is due your convener will hold an essay-writing workshop during lectures. For details on how to hand in your assessments see next section.

For full instructions and essay rubric, see the supporting documentation on iLearn.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Discipline-Based Learning Outcomes: Through the course of this unit, we hope that you will: 1.1 acquire a basic understanding of the pharmacology of legal and illicit drugs and the physical, psychological and social aspects of addiction; 1.2 gain familiarity with anthropological and ethnographic approaches to drug use i.e., drug use in small group / community settings, including the ritual and symbolic aspects of drug use; 1.3 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; 1.4 clarify your own position on drugs and to make informed and responsible decisions about social policies and strategies relating to drug use; 1.5 apply and adapt anthropological knowledge to real world issues
  • Generic Skills: In addition to the specific unit learning objectives, this unit offers an opportunity to develop your generic skills in the following areas: 2.1 research skills through active reading, analysis, and contextualisation of scholarly materials; 2.2 essay-writing skills, enabling you to organise points and arguments in a scholarly writing manner with appropriate citation; 2.3 critical analysis and creative thinking skills through the research assignment; 2.4 computer skills through the unit's extensive use of on-line resources; 2.5 enhance organisational and time management skills.

Critical Essay

Due: 21 May, 5:00 pm
Weighting: 35%

(For full instructions, guidelines, and rubric, see the supporting documentation on iLearn. The below is just a rough sketch of what's entailed.)

In no more than 1200 words (not including final references, but including in-text citations) 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).

  • 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: 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 theories / 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?

This second essay should reveal a more mature analysis of your case study than you achieved in your essay outline; it should incorporate topics covered in later lectures and readings, and it should demonstrate that you have read feedback from the essay outline assignment and learned from it. More details including an essay rubric can be found on iLearn.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Discipline-Based Learning Outcomes: Through the course of this unit, we hope that you will: 1.1 acquire a basic understanding of the pharmacology of legal and illicit drugs and the physical, psychological and social aspects of addiction; 1.2 gain familiarity with anthropological and ethnographic approaches to drug use i.e., drug use in small group / community settings, including the ritual and symbolic aspects of drug use; 1.3 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; 1.4 clarify your own position on drugs and to make informed and responsible decisions about social policies and strategies relating to drug use; 1.5 apply and adapt anthropological knowledge to real world issues
  • Generic Skills: In addition to the specific unit learning objectives, this unit offers an opportunity to develop your generic skills in the following areas: 2.1 research skills through active reading, analysis, and contextualisation of scholarly materials; 2.2 essay-writing skills, enabling you to organise points and arguments in a scholarly writing manner with appropriate citation; 2.3 critical analysis and creative thinking skills through the research assignment; 2.4 computer skills through the unit's extensive use of on-line resources; 2.5 enhance organisational and time management skills.

Final Quizzes

Due: Weeks 11 and 12
Weighting: 10%

The quizzes in weeks 11 AND 12 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 11 and 12 is worth 5% of your final grade). In ANTH106, there is no final exam during exam week, but you can regard the last two quizzes as constituting a final exam as they assess cumulative knowledge. These quizzes are also open-note quizzes. They will be open for 6 consecutive hours each.

Week

Quiz Name

Based on

Open Date and Time

Close Date and Time

Number of questions

Time to complete it

Worth (percentage of your final grade)

 

11

Week 11 Final Quiz

Week 11 and cumulative knowledge

Friday 1 June, 10:00 pm

Thurs 7 June, 10:00 pm

10

6 consecutive hours

5%

12

Week 12 Final Quiz

Week 12 and cumulative knowledge

Friday 8 June, 10:00 pm

Thurs 14 June, 10:00 pm

10

6 consecutive hours

5%


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Discipline-Based Learning Outcomes: Through the course of this unit, we hope that you will: 1.1 acquire a basic understanding of the pharmacology of legal and illicit drugs and the physical, psychological and social aspects of addiction; 1.2 gain familiarity with anthropological and ethnographic approaches to drug use i.e., drug use in small group / community settings, including the ritual and symbolic aspects of drug use; 1.3 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; 1.4 clarify your own position on drugs and to make informed and responsible decisions about social policies and strategies relating to drug use; 1.5 apply and adapt anthropological knowledge to real world issues
  • Generic Skills: In addition to the specific unit learning objectives, this unit offers an opportunity to develop your generic skills in the following areas: 2.1 research skills through active reading, analysis, and contextualisation of scholarly materials; 2.2 essay-writing skills, enabling you to organise points and arguments in a scholarly writing manner with appropriate citation; 2.3 critical analysis and creative thinking skills through the research assignment; 2.4 computer skills through the unit's extensive use of on-line resources; 2.5 enhance organisational and time management skills.

Delivery and Resources

Internal and external students of ANTH106 have the same lectures and assignments. You must keep up with lectures either by attending lectures or via iLearn.  You need to complete the quizzes each week and the assignments by their due date. 

Lectures:

Fridays: 12pm – 3pm in W2.4A Macquarie Theatre 

Repeat Lectures:

Fridays: 3pm – 6pm in W2.4A Macquarie Theatre 

NOTE: All lectures are recorded on Echo (formerly iLecture) and can be accessed via iLearn. There are no tutorials in this unit. There are 3 (mandatory) hours of lecture each week.

Are you enrolled externally but want to attend class in person?  If you are enrolled externally but you are one of those people who prefer to attend lectures in person – some people just learn better that way – you are welcome to attend one of the other lectures.  The seats must first go to the students actually enrolled in that lecture, but if, at 5 minutes after the hour when lecture starts, you see that there are empty seats, feel free to join the class.

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.

Any information given in lectures, even if it is not on this course outline or on iLearn, is also essential.

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.

There are two highly recommended texts and two recommended books for this course:

Highly recommended:

  1. Suzanne Fraser and David Moore (eds), 2011.  The Drug Effect: Health, Crime and Society.  Melbourne: Cambridge University Press.
  2. Marc Lewis, 2013. Memoirs of an Addicted Brain: A Neuroscientist Examines His Former Life on Drugs. New York: PublicAffairs.

Recommended:

  1. Alison Ritter, Trevor King, and Margaret Hamilton (eds), 2013.  Drug Use in Australian Society.  Melbourne: Oxford University Press.
  2. Kuhn, Swartzwelder, & Wilson (eds), 2008.  Buzzed: The straight facts about the most used and abused drugs, from Alcohol to Ecstasy. 3rd edition. John Wiley & Sons Australia.

All of these books are available at the Co-op Bookstore on campus.

In fact, many books can be found cheaper through online booksellers so you may want to comparison shop before you buy. (Try Book Depository UK and BetterWorldBooks). 

The first and second books (Fraser and Moore, The Drug Effect, and Lewis, Memoirs of an Addicted Brain) will be the basis of your essay assignments.  If you don’t wish to buy the books yourself, the MQ library has multiple copies of each book. 

E-Reserve: Lecture readings are available online as e-Readings through the library.   

Lectures: If you are an external student, you will be expected to listen to all lectures on iLecture.  (Internal students can also listen to the recorded lectures if they cannot attend a lecture in person). These are made available via ECHO360 (there is a link on the unit’s iLearn page) usually within 24 hours of the lecture being recorded.  Powerpoint or Word presentations that accompany the lecture will also be uploaded to iLearn after the lecture.  Both of these resources are available to both internal and external students.

Films: The films shown in class are available online (search Google / YouTube) or through the library. 

Unit Schedule

The lecture schedule is available on iLearn.  Because we bring in a number of guest lecturers who are top researchers and policy-makers in their fields, the lecture schedule may change during the semester according to guest lecturers' availability.  Any changes to the lecture schedule and topics will be announced in iLearn and the lecture schedule there will be updated.

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Undergraduate students seeking more policy resources can visit the Student Policy Gateway (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/student-policy-gateway). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

If you would like to see all the policies relevant to Learning and Teaching visit Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/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/study/getting-started/student-conduct​

Results

Results shown in iLearn, or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au.

Extensions: Because each quiz is available to take for 6 days, we will not grant make-up quizzes (via a Disruption of Studies request) without documentation that you were incapacitated for 3 or more days during that period (in line with MQ's disruption to studies policy). So don’t leave the quiz until the last minute, in case you get sick on the last day it’s available! 

What disruption to studies / special consideration may not be used for:

While special consideration may be used to request a deadline extension, special consideration may NOT be used to raise your grade on an assessment task or to get out of completing an assessment task in the unit.

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://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/

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

Graduate Capabilities

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

  • Discipline-Based Learning Outcomes: Through the course of this unit, we hope that you will: 1.1 acquire a basic understanding of the pharmacology of legal and illicit drugs and the physical, psychological and social aspects of addiction; 1.2 gain familiarity with anthropological and ethnographic approaches to drug use i.e., drug use in small group / community settings, including the ritual and symbolic aspects of drug use; 1.3 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; 1.4 clarify your own position on drugs and to make informed and responsible decisions about social policies and strategies relating to drug use; 1.5 apply and adapt anthropological knowledge to real world issues
  • Generic Skills: In addition to the specific unit learning objectives, this unit offers an opportunity to develop your generic skills in the following areas: 2.1 research skills through active reading, analysis, and contextualisation of scholarly materials; 2.2 essay-writing skills, enabling you to organise points and arguments in a scholarly writing manner with appropriate citation; 2.3 critical analysis and creative thinking skills through the research assignment; 2.4 computer skills through the unit's extensive use of on-line resources; 2.5 enhance organisational and time management skills.

Assessment tasks

  • Essay Outline
  • Critical Essay

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

  • Discipline-Based Learning Outcomes: Through the course of this unit, we hope that you will: 1.1 acquire a basic understanding of the pharmacology of legal and illicit drugs and the physical, psychological and social aspects of addiction; 1.2 gain familiarity with anthropological and ethnographic approaches to drug use i.e., drug use in small group / community settings, including the ritual and symbolic aspects of drug use; 1.3 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; 1.4 clarify your own position on drugs and to make informed and responsible decisions about social policies and strategies relating to drug use; 1.5 apply and adapt anthropological knowledge to real world issues
  • Generic Skills: In addition to the specific unit learning objectives, this unit offers an opportunity to develop your generic skills in the following areas: 2.1 research skills through active reading, analysis, and contextualisation of scholarly materials; 2.2 essay-writing skills, enabling you to organise points and arguments in a scholarly writing manner with appropriate citation; 2.3 critical analysis and creative thinking skills through the research assignment; 2.4 computer skills through the unit's extensive use of on-line resources; 2.5 enhance organisational and time management skills.

Assessment tasks

  • Essay Outline
  • Critical Essay

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

  • Discipline-Based Learning Outcomes: Through the course of this unit, we hope that you will: 1.1 acquire a basic understanding of the pharmacology of legal and illicit drugs and the physical, psychological and social aspects of addiction; 1.2 gain familiarity with anthropological and ethnographic approaches to drug use i.e., drug use in small group / community settings, including the ritual and symbolic aspects of drug use; 1.3 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; 1.4 clarify your own position on drugs and to make informed and responsible decisions about social policies and strategies relating to drug use; 1.5 apply and adapt anthropological knowledge to real world issues
  • Generic Skills: In addition to the specific unit learning objectives, this unit offers an opportunity to develop your generic skills in the following areas: 2.1 research skills through active reading, analysis, and contextualisation of scholarly materials; 2.2 essay-writing skills, enabling you to organise points and arguments in a scholarly writing manner with appropriate citation; 2.3 critical analysis and creative thinking skills through the research assignment; 2.4 computer skills through the unit's extensive use of on-line resources; 2.5 enhance organisational and time management skills.

Assessment tasks

  • Weekly Quizzes (weeks 1 to 10)
  • Essay Outline
  • Critical Essay
  • Final Quizzes

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

  • Discipline-Based Learning Outcomes: Through the course of this unit, we hope that you will: 1.1 acquire a basic understanding of the pharmacology of legal and illicit drugs and the physical, psychological and social aspects of addiction; 1.2 gain familiarity with anthropological and ethnographic approaches to drug use i.e., drug use in small group / community settings, including the ritual and symbolic aspects of drug use; 1.3 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; 1.4 clarify your own position on drugs and to make informed and responsible decisions about social policies and strategies relating to drug use; 1.5 apply and adapt anthropological knowledge to real world issues
  • Generic Skills: In addition to the specific unit learning objectives, this unit offers an opportunity to develop your generic skills in the following areas: 2.1 research skills through active reading, analysis, and contextualisation of scholarly materials; 2.2 essay-writing skills, enabling you to organise points and arguments in a scholarly writing manner with appropriate citation; 2.3 critical analysis and creative thinking skills through the research assignment; 2.4 computer skills through the unit's extensive use of on-line resources; 2.5 enhance organisational and time management skills.

Assessment tasks

  • Weekly Quizzes (weeks 1 to 10)
  • Essay Outline
  • Critical Essay
  • Final Quizzes

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

  • Discipline-Based Learning Outcomes: Through the course of this unit, we hope that you will: 1.1 acquire a basic understanding of the pharmacology of legal and illicit drugs and the physical, psychological and social aspects of addiction; 1.2 gain familiarity with anthropological and ethnographic approaches to drug use i.e., drug use in small group / community settings, including the ritual and symbolic aspects of drug use; 1.3 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; 1.4 clarify your own position on drugs and to make informed and responsible decisions about social policies and strategies relating to drug use; 1.5 apply and adapt anthropological knowledge to real world issues
  • Generic Skills: In addition to the specific unit learning objectives, this unit offers an opportunity to develop your generic skills in the following areas: 2.1 research skills through active reading, analysis, and contextualisation of scholarly materials; 2.2 essay-writing skills, enabling you to organise points and arguments in a scholarly writing manner with appropriate citation; 2.3 critical analysis and creative thinking skills through the research assignment; 2.4 computer skills through the unit's extensive use of on-line resources; 2.5 enhance organisational and time management skills.

Assessment tasks

  • Weekly Quizzes (weeks 1 to 10)
  • Essay Outline
  • Critical Essay
  • Final Quizzes

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

  • Discipline-Based Learning Outcomes: Through the course of this unit, we hope that you will: 1.1 acquire a basic understanding of the pharmacology of legal and illicit drugs and the physical, psychological and social aspects of addiction; 1.2 gain familiarity with anthropological and ethnographic approaches to drug use i.e., drug use in small group / community settings, including the ritual and symbolic aspects of drug use; 1.3 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; 1.4 clarify your own position on drugs and to make informed and responsible decisions about social policies and strategies relating to drug use; 1.5 apply and adapt anthropological knowledge to real world issues
  • Generic Skills: In addition to the specific unit learning objectives, this unit offers an opportunity to develop your generic skills in the following areas: 2.1 research skills through active reading, analysis, and contextualisation of scholarly materials; 2.2 essay-writing skills, enabling you to organise points and arguments in a scholarly writing manner with appropriate citation; 2.3 critical analysis and creative thinking skills through the research assignment; 2.4 computer skills through the unit's extensive use of on-line resources; 2.5 enhance organisational and time management skills.

Assessment tasks

  • Weekly Quizzes (weeks 1 to 10)
  • Essay Outline
  • Critical Essay
  • Final Quizzes

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

  • Discipline-Based Learning Outcomes: Through the course of this unit, we hope that you will: 1.1 acquire a basic understanding of the pharmacology of legal and illicit drugs and the physical, psychological and social aspects of addiction; 1.2 gain familiarity with anthropological and ethnographic approaches to drug use i.e., drug use in small group / community settings, including the ritual and symbolic aspects of drug use; 1.3 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; 1.4 clarify your own position on drugs and to make informed and responsible decisions about social policies and strategies relating to drug use; 1.5 apply and adapt anthropological knowledge to real world issues
  • Generic Skills: In addition to the specific unit learning objectives, this unit offers an opportunity to develop your generic skills in the following areas: 2.1 research skills through active reading, analysis, and contextualisation of scholarly materials; 2.2 essay-writing skills, enabling you to organise points and arguments in a scholarly writing manner with appropriate citation; 2.3 critical analysis and creative thinking skills through the research assignment; 2.4 computer skills through the unit's extensive use of on-line resources; 2.5 enhance organisational and time management skills.

Assessment tasks

  • Essay Outline
  • Critical Essay

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

  • Discipline-Based Learning Outcomes: Through the course of this unit, we hope that you will: 1.1 acquire a basic understanding of the pharmacology of legal and illicit drugs and the physical, psychological and social aspects of addiction; 1.2 gain familiarity with anthropological and ethnographic approaches to drug use i.e., drug use in small group / community settings, including the ritual and symbolic aspects of drug use; 1.3 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; 1.4 clarify your own position on drugs and to make informed and responsible decisions about social policies and strategies relating to drug use; 1.5 apply and adapt anthropological knowledge to real world issues
  • Generic Skills: In addition to the specific unit learning objectives, this unit offers an opportunity to develop your generic skills in the following areas: 2.1 research skills through active reading, analysis, and contextualisation of scholarly materials; 2.2 essay-writing skills, enabling you to organise points and arguments in a scholarly writing manner with appropriate citation; 2.3 critical analysis and creative thinking skills through the research assignment; 2.4 computer skills through the unit's extensive use of on-line resources; 2.5 enhance organisational and time management skills.

Assessment tasks

  • Essay Outline
  • Critical Essay

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

  • Discipline-Based Learning Outcomes: Through the course of this unit, we hope that you will: 1.1 acquire a basic understanding of the pharmacology of legal and illicit drugs and the physical, psychological and social aspects of addiction; 1.2 gain familiarity with anthropological and ethnographic approaches to drug use i.e., drug use in small group / community settings, including the ritual and symbolic aspects of drug use; 1.3 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; 1.4 clarify your own position on drugs and to make informed and responsible decisions about social policies and strategies relating to drug use; 1.5 apply and adapt anthropological knowledge to real world issues
  • Generic Skills: In addition to the specific unit learning objectives, this unit offers an opportunity to develop your generic skills in the following areas: 2.1 research skills through active reading, analysis, and contextualisation of scholarly materials; 2.2 essay-writing skills, enabling you to organise points and arguments in a scholarly writing manner with appropriate citation; 2.3 critical analysis and creative thinking skills through the research assignment; 2.4 computer skills through the unit's extensive use of on-line resources; 2.5 enhance organisational and time management skills.

Assessment tasks

  • Essay Outline
  • Critical Essay

Changes since First Published

Date Description
20/02/2018 changed word count for essay