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Study information

Addiction

Module titleAddiction
Module codeSOC3033
Academic year2024/5
Credits15
Module staff

Dr Hannah Farrimond (Convenor)

Duration: Term123
Duration: Weeks

11

Number students taking module (anticipated)

40

Module description

No celebrity lifestyle is complete without checking in to a treatment centre for an addiction, whether to prescription drugs, alcohol, heroin, gambling or sex. But, what do we mean by ‘addiction’? Does it make sense to talk about an ‘internet addiction’ in the same way as a ‘heroin addiction’? And, how should we as a society respond to addicts? In this module, you will critically analyse the concepts, practices and policy surrounding addiction, dependence, drug use and treatment in contemporary society.

This module is suitable for anyone interested in the social science or medical aspects of addiction. Its interdisciplinary approach will appeal to students in sociology, psychology, anthropology, medicine/health sciences, law and other social science disciplines.

Module aims - intentions of the module

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)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

  • 1. demonstrate knowledge of, analyse and engage critically with, a range of models and beliefs about addiction;
  • 2. relate these perspectives to empirical studies and public policy on addiction;

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

  • 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;

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

  • 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.

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:

Outline of topics to be covered

  1. Introduction to addiction
  2. Biological and psychological models of addiction
  3. Social constructionist approaches and addiction as ‘myth’
  4. The social science of drug use I: Cannabis
  5. The social science of drug use II: Opiates/heroin
  6. Alcohol abuse
  7. Smoking
  8. Lifestyle addictions (e.g. sex, gambling, internet use, food, exercise)
  9. Treatment and counselling
  10. Addiction policy: Harm reduction
  11. Addiction policy: Legalization

 

Example seminar debates

  1. Definitions: Is sex addiction really an ‘addiction’?
  2. Models: Is addiction a matter of ‘choice’ or ‘heredity’?
  3. What are the problems of researching drug cultures?
  4. Treatment: Should addicts be given free needles or replacement substances (methadone)?

Policy: Would legalization of illegal drugs cut crime rates?

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Scheduled Learning and Teaching ActivitiesGuided independent studyPlacement / study abroad
221280

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

CategoryHours of study timeDescription
Scheduled learning activity222 hour weekly lecture / seminar (or 1 hour lecture + 1 hour seminar)
Guided independent study4020 course readings (2 hours each)
Guided independent study40Reading/research for essay
Guided independent study8Critique preparation
Guided independent study40Reading/revisions for examination

Formative assessment

Form of assessmentSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Group and individual class exercise, critical assessment of paper500 words1, 3, 4, 5, 6Written feedback

Summative assessment (% of credit)

CourseworkWritten examsPractical exams
50500

Details of summative assessment

Form of assessment% of creditSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Examination501 hour 1-4, 6Written feedback
Essay501,800 words1-4, 6Written feedback

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Original form of assessmentForm of re-assessmentILOs re-assessedTimescale for re-assessment
Examination (1 hour) Examination (1 hour) 1-4, 6August/September reassessment period
Essay (1,800 words)Essay (1,800 words)1-4, 6August/September reassessment period

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Bancroft, A. (2009) Drugs, Intoxication and Society, Malden MA, Cambridge: Policy Press.

Faupel, Charles E., Horowitz, Alan M., and Greg S. Weaver. (2004) The Sociology of American Drug Use. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Goldberg, R. ed. (2011) Taking Sides: Clashing Views in Drugs and Society (2011) New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Higher Education. 11th edition.

Hammersley, R. and Reid, M. (2002) Why the pervasive addiction myth is still believed, Addiction Research and Theory, 10 (1): 7-30.

Hammersely, R. Drugs and Crime, Theories and Practices (Crime and Society series). (2008) Malden MA, Cambridge: Polity Press.

Hussein Rassool, G.(2011) Understanding Addiction Behaviours: Theoretical and Clinical Practice in Health and Social Care,  Palgrave Macmillan.

Klein, R (1993) Cigarettes are Sublime. Duke University Press.

McKeganey, N. (2011) Controversies in Drug Policy and Practice, Palgrave Macmillan.

West, R. (2006) Theory of Addiction, Addiction Press/Blackwell Publishing.

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

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

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

Key words search

Sociology, anthropology, addiction, drugs, deviance, health, medicine, crime

Credit value15
Module ECTS

7.5

Module pre-requisites

none

Module co-requisites

none

NQF level (module)

6

Available as distance learning?

No

Origin date

01/01/2014

Last revision date

27/02/2024