This interdisciplinary course will introduce students to contemporary understandings of addiction and drug and alcohol use, from a socio-cultural perspective. After examining dominant models of addiction and substance use, it focuses on drug use as a gendered practice. It addresses the question of why addiction and drug use have such prominence as medical and social problems in contemporary Western cultures and provides a range of concepts and tools for understanding their significance.
The course has a two parts:
1: Understanding Addiction
In the first part of the course, dominant models of addiction and substance dependence will be examined in detail. The focus will be on how they constitute addiction as a disorder and how this connects with notions of rationality, desire, freedom and the nature of the human body. We will investigate the continued debates about 'what' addiction is and what these debates reveal about medical science and conceptions of health.
2: Rethinking Gender and Drugs
In the second part of the course, students will be introduced to the idea of alcohol and drug use as socio-cultural practices which occur within specific social contexts. Gender will be the central theme while the significance of race, age and class in structuring patterns and experiences of drug use will also be explored.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
Upon successful completion of this course, students will have the knowledge and skills to:- Explain and evaluate contemporary theories of addiction and drug use from a critical and sociological perspective.
- Analyse drug use as a social practice at an advanced level.
- Interpret and evaluate qualitative data on drug and alcohol use at an advanced level.
- Evaluate different social, legal and medical responses to drug use and addiction.
- Reflect on and discuss their own learning as it relates to the subject matter of the course.
Indicative Assessment
Learning Journal (2000 words) 30 %, LO: 1,2,3,4,5Research essay (4000 words) 50%, LO: 1,2,3,4
Tutorial participation 10%, LO: 1,2,3,45
Tutorial presentation (20 minutes) 10% , LO: 1,2,3,4
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
130 hours of total student learning time made up from:a) 38 hours of contact: 26 hours of lectures and 12 hours of workshop and workshop-like activities.
b) 92 hours of independent student research, reading and writing
Requisite and Incompatibility
Assumed Knowledge
Assumes some knowledge of Sociology.Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
If you are a domestic graduate coursework or international student you will be required to pay tuition fees. Tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 1
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are an undergraduate student and have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). You can find your student contribution amount for each course at Fees. Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2016 | $3054 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2016 | $4368 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
Second Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9697 | 18 Jul 2016 | 29 Jul 2016 | 31 Aug 2016 | 28 Oct 2016 | In Person | N/A |