Undergraduate Module Descriptor

SOC3080: Pharmaceutical Cultures

This module descriptor refers to the 2019/0 academic year.

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following themes:

 

  1. Origins and expansion of pharmaceutical industries and markets.
  2. The political economy of drug development, testing and regulation.
  3. Pharmaceuticals and social change.
  4. Pharmaceuticals, deviance, and social control.
  5. Medicalisation of everyday life and the rise of ‘lifestyle drugs’.
  6. Nonmedical uses of prescription drugs: Abuse/recreational use.
  7. Nonmedical uses of prescription drugs: Enhancement.#
  8. Iatrogenic (medical) addiction to pharmaceuticals: why do doctors still prescribe? 

Learning and Teaching

This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:

Scheduled Learning and Teaching ActivitiesGuided independent studyPlacement / study abroad
22128

...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:

CategoryHours of study timeDescription
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activity1111 x 1 hour lectures delivering the academic framework of the course11 x 1 hour lectures delivering the academic framework of the course
Scheduled learning activity 1111 x 1 hour seminars including group work and class discussion of key topics and debates from the lectures11 x 1 hour seminars including group work and class discussion of key topics and debates from the lectures
Guided Independent Study4020 course readings (2 hours each)
Guided independent study40Reading/research for essay
Guided independent study8Essay plan preparation
Guided independent study40Reading/revisions for examination

Online Resources

This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).

How this Module is Assessed

In the tables below, you will see reference to 'ILO's. An ILO is an Intended Learning Outcome - see Aims and Learning Outcomes for details of the ILOs for this module.

Formative Assessment

A formative assessment is designed to give you feedback on your understanding of the module content but it will not count towards your mark for the module.

Form of assessmentSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Essay plan (students will submit plan of summative essay)500 words1,3,4, 6Written

Summative Assessment

A summative assessment counts towards your mark for the module. The table below tells you what percentage of your mark will come from which type of assessment.

CourseworkWritten examsPractical exams
50500

...and this table provides further details on the summative assessments for this module.

Form of assessment% of creditSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Examination501 hour 1-4, 6, 7Verbal
Essay502,500 words1-4, 6Written

Re-assessment

Re-assessment takes place when the summative assessment has not been completed by the original deadline, and the student has been allowed to refer or defer it to a later date (this only happens following certain criteria and is always subject to exam board approval). For obvious reasons, re-assessments cannot be the same as the original assessment and so these alternatives are set. In cases where the form of assessment is the same, the content will nevertheless be different.

Original form of assessmentForm of re-assessmentILOs re-assessedTimescale for re-assessment
ExamExamination (1 hour) 1-4, 6-7August/September
EssayEssay (2,500 words)1-4, 6August/September