Module SOC3080 for 2021/2
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
SOC3080: Pharmaceutical Cultures
This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.
Module Aims
You will be introduced to literature which shows how pharmaceuticals affect society and how pharmaceutical products are affected by social factors. You will make critical assessments of pharmaceutical marketing, unpacking notions such as ‘disease-mongering’ which create new markets for drug consumption. You will assess the relationship between pharmaceutical products and social control, in spheres such as mental health. You will examine how uses and experiences of medications vary across cultures and across different social groups; and how these differences link into wider international policy regulations of pharma products. As such, this module will develop your critical thinking in relation to the contemporary literature on the pharmaceuticalization of society, as well as stimulate your own intellectual interest in this area.
| On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
|---|---|
| Module-Specific Skills | 1. demonstrate knowledge of, analyse and engage critically with, a range of models and theories concerning pharmaceuticals and pharmaceuticalization of society; 2. relate these perspectives to empirical studies and public policy on pharmaceutical consumption, production and international regulation; |
| Discipline-Specific Skills | 3. demonstrate in writing and orally 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 critically engage with these involving complex reasoning; |
| Personal and Key Skills | 5. develop an ability to engage in complex arguments verbally and in small groups; 6. demonstrate in writing an ability to analyse, critically engage with, and report accurately on existing written material whilst articulating it within a structured and cogent argument; 7. demonstrate the ability to work independently, within a limited time frame, and without access to external sources, to complete a specified task.demonstrate the ability to work independently, within a limited time frame, and without access to external sources, to complete a specified task. |
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 assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay plan (students will submit plan of summative essay) | 500 words | 1,3,4, 6 | Written |
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.
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 50 | 50 | 0 |
...and this table provides further details on the summative assessments for this module.
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Examination | 50 | 1 hour | 1-4, 6, 7 | Verbal |
| Essay | 50 | 2,500 words | 1-4, 6 | Written |
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 assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exam | Examination (1 hour) | 1-4, 6-7 | August/September reassessment period |
| Essay | Essay (2,500 words) | 1-4, 6 | August/September reassessment period |
