Undergraduate Module Descriptor

SOC2086: Addiction

This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.

Module Aims

You will be introduced to the different theoretical models which inform cultural representations, treatment and policy decisions of drug use and addiction. You will be expected to think critically about these models, examining what it means to be addicted and designated an addict, both within Western society and cross-culturally. You will be encouraged to assess the relationship between drug use and health, criminality, deviance, social control and the media. You will also reflect on current treatment models of addiction (e.g. counselling, harm reduction, decriminalization) at both the individual and policy levels, as well as public prevention campaigns. As such, this module will develop your critical thinking in relation to contemporary addiction discourse and literature, as well as stimulate your own intellectual interest in this area.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
This module's assessment will evaluate your achievement of the ILOs listed here – you will see reference to these ILO numbers in the details of the assessment for this module.
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to:
Module-Specific Skills	1. demonstrate knowledge of, analyse and some critical engagement with, a range of models and beliefs about addiction; 2. start to relate these perspectives to empirical studies and public policy on addiction;
Discipline-Specific Skills	3. demonstrate in writing and orally some competence in using major theoretical perspectives and concepts in sociology and anthropology and their application to social life; 4. demonstrate in writing and orally an ability to analyse empirical sociological/anthropological materials and some critical engagement with these involving complex reasoning;
Personal and Key Skills	5. demonstrate in writing an ability to analyse, some critical engagement with, and report accurately on existing written material whilst articulating it within a structured and cogent argument. 6. demonstrate the ability to work independently, within a limited time frame, and without access to external sources, to complete a specified task.

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 topics:

Models of addiction (neurobiological, psycho-social, social constructionist, ‘myth’)
Comparing cultures: Historical and anthropological perspectives on drug use
Addiction in the media
The social science of drug use I: Cannabis
The social science of drug use II: Opiates/heroin
Alcohol abuse
Smoking
Lifestyle addictions (e.g. sex, gambling, internet use, food, exercise)
Treatment and counselling
Addiction policy and public health (e.g. harm reduction, legalization)
Ethics and methods in addiction research

Example seminar debates

Definitions: Is sex addiction really an ‘addiction’?
Models: Is addiction a matter of ‘choice’ or ‘heredity’?
Media: Does the media have a moral responsibility in how it portrays drug use?
Treatment: Should addicts be given free needles or replacement substances (methadone)?
Policy: Would legalization of illegal drugs cut crime rates?

Learning and Teaching

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

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	Guided independent study	Placement / study abroad
44	256	0

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

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled Learning and Teaching	22	22 x 1 hour lectures delivering the academic framework of the course
Scheduled Learning and Teaching	22	22 x 1 hour seminars including group work and class discussion of key topics and debates from the lectures
Guided independent study	80	40 course readings (2 hours each)
Guided independent study	80	Reading/research for essay
Guided independent study	16	Essay plan preparation
Guided independent study	80	Reading/revisions for exam

Online Resources

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

ELE http://vle.exeter.ac.uk/

Journals: Addiction, Addictive Behaviors, Journal of Addiction Medicine (JAMA), Sociology