Australia has been famously described as having a 'wet culture', one in which alcohol consumption (and its consequences) have become intertwined into the social and recreational fabric of Australian society and bringing with it a number of serious social and personal consequences. Drug use on the other hand is much less common but no less problematic, accounting for between 20 and 40 percent of crimes committed in Australia. How we respond to these issues remains a matter of significant academic and policy debate - especially for those charged with the responsibility of promoting safety, both on the streets and in the home.

This course examines the social, legal and political responses to alcohol and drug use in contemporary Australian society. Students will explore their own perceptions of the drug-crime relationship and contrast these with the theoretical frameworks that currently exist to guide policy and practice. In particular, this course focuses heavily on current law enforcement and social policy responses to alcohol and drug related crime, examining existing policies and practices such as drug courts, treatment institutions, and early referral into treatment programs.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. source and evaluate information and data about drug use and crime in Australia;
2. chart the history of drug policy in Australia and its connection to the development of criminal justice policy;
3. apply both theory and research to critically evaluate popular media statements and crime prevention approaches to alcohol and drug-related crime; and
4. present the outcomes of research in visual and written formats.

Research-Led Teaching

This course is taught with close connection to contemporary research in drugs and crime. Further, students undertake their own research task in the form of a media discourse analysis to which they are required to apply both theory and empirical knowledge.

Field Trips

None

Additional Course Costs

None

Examination Material or equipment

Not required

Required Resources

None

Recommended Resources

Whether you are on campus or studying online, there are a variety of online platforms you will use to participate in your study program. These could include videos for lectures and other instruction, two-way video conferencing for interactive learning, email and other messaging tools for communication, interactive web apps for formative and collaborative activities, print and/or photo/scan for handwritten work and drawings, and home-based assessment.

ANU outlines recommended student system requirements to ensure you are able to participate fully in your learning. Other information is also available about the various Learning Platforms you may use.

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• written comments
• verbal comments
• feedback to whole class, groups, individuals, focus group etc

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). Feedback can also be provided to Course Conveners and teachers via the Student Experience of Learning & Teaching (SELT) feedback program. SELT surveys are confidential and also provide the Colleges and ANU Executive with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Course Introduction & The Social Context of Drug Use	This week introduces the course and situates drug and alcohol use within its social context. Humans have been using drugs and alcohol for thousands of years so how do social norms shape what counts as acceptable and what gets labelled deviant?Students will complete a mini quiz during tutorial
2	Historical Perspectives	This week we trace how drugs moved from a largely unregulated part of everyday life to targets of regulation and control. We cover the colonial drug economy and the Opium Wars, the temperance movement, and the early-twentieth-century emergence of domestic and international drug legislation.Students will complete a mini quiz during tutorial
3	Drug Regulation and Harm Minimisation	In 1971 US president Richard Nixon declared drug use 'public enemy number one,' launching a war on drugs that continues to shape international policy today. Australia, by contrast, adopted harm minimisation as the basis of its National Drug Strategy - although punitive approaches have repeatedly pushed back against it since then. This week charts the development of Australian drug policy and the tension between competing approaches that runs across the rest of the course.Students will complete a mini quiz during tutorial
4	Drug Use and Offending	Drugs and crime arguably go together - but does one cause the other? This week unpacks the contested drugs-crime nexus, weighing the competing theories that try to explain it - from Goldstein's tripartite model to strain, rational choice and the argument that prohibition manufactures the link. Students will complete a mini quiz during tutorial
5	Media Representation and Public Discourse	Who gets to tell the story of drugs and crime, and whose voices are silenced? This week introduces critical discourse analysis to examine how the media frames drugs, alcohol and offending, how those frames shape public attitudes, and, in turn, how they drive the policy responses that follow.There will also be a guest lecture by Chris Gough, Executive Director of Canberra Alliance for Harm Minimisation & AdvocacyStudents will complete a mini quiz during tutorial
6	Indigenous Australians: Drugs, Alcohol and Justice	This week examines the relationship between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, alcohol, drugs and the justice system. It foregrounds the historical and structural legacy of colonisation, centres community-led responses, and considers how media and policy narratives have shaped public understandings - and why strengths-based framing matters.Students will complete a mini quiz during tutorial
7	Alcohol, Violence and Public Order	Alcohol is legal, culturally embedded and implicated in more violence and disorder than most illicit drugs. This week turns to alcohol-related violence and the night-time economy, and to the policy responses they provoke - lockout laws, licensing restrictions and trading-hour controls - where public concern about alcohol-fuelled disorder translates directly into regulation.Students will complete a mini quiz during tutorialMedia Analysis Poster Presentation due via Canvas
8	Drug Markets and Policing	This week moves to the supply side, examining how drug markets are organised and how policing and enforcement play out against them in practice. We look at the tools police use, and at the relationship between policing and the communities most heavily targeted by it. Students will complete a mini quiz during tutorialMedia Analysis Report due due via Canvas
9	Decriminalisation and Legalisation	Decriminalisation and legalisation are not the same thing - so what's the difference, and does either deliver? This week applies the regulatory frameworks from Week 3 to contemporary reform and weighs up what the evidence shows.Students will complete a mini quiz during tutorial
10	Drug Courts and Diversion Programs	This week examines therapeutic and diversionary responses that sit between punishment and treatment - primarily drug courts and diversion programs, which redirect people who use drugs out of conventional sentencing and into supervised treatment. Students will complete a mini quiz during tutorial
11	Public Health, Social Implications and Ethical Considerations	The opioid crisis stands as one of the gravest drug harms of recent decades - and it flowed not from an illicit market but from a legal, regulated product. Through a public-health lens, we examine the broader social impacts of drug and alcohol policy and the ethical dilemmas that policy choices carry, from who bears the harms to who is held accountable.Students will complete a mini quiz during tutorial
12	Summary and Exam Prep	This week draws the threads of the course together, revisiting the various frameworks that have run throughout the semester, and the recurring tension between how drugs and alcohol are represented, regulated and policed. It consolidates the key debates and concepts in preparation for the final exam, with guidance on exam format and expectations.

Tutorial Registration

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.

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Learning Outcomes
Mini quizzes (20%, LOs 1,2, & 3)	20 %	1,2,3
Media Analysis Poster Presentation (15%, LOs 1,3, & 4)	15 %	1,3,4
Media Analysis Report (20%, LOs 1,3, & 4)	20 %	1,3,4
Synthesis Exam (45%, 1,2 & 3)	45 %	1,2,3

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines , which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Integrity Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Extenuating Circumstances Application
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure
• Code of practice for teaching and learning

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using 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. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the Academic Skills website. In rare cases where online submission using Turnitin software is not technically possible; or where not using Turnitin software has been justified by the Course Convener and approved by the Associate Dean (Education) on the basis of the teaching model being employed; students shall submit assessment online via ‘Canvas’ outside of Turnitin, or failing that in hard copy, or through a combination of submission methods as approved by the Associate Dean (Education). The submission method is detailed below.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Participation

There is no separate participation mark - instead, students demonstrate ongoing engagement through the weekly tutorial quizzes (Weeks 1–11)

Assessment Task 1

Mini quizzes (20%, LOs 1,2, & 3)

Mini quizzes are held in tutorials each week through Socrative, across weeks 1-11. Each quiz contains five multi-choice questions and is worth 2.5% of the course grade, with every question worth the same value (0.5% each).

There are 11 quizzes in total, and your best 8 results count towards your final mark, contributing 20% of the overall course grade. This means you can miss up to three quizzes without penalty.

The quizzes are closed book and timed. Each quiz will be launched during the tutorial and must be completed within 5 mins once started. Second attempts will not be granted, and any unanswered questions will be submitted as incomplete.

Assessment Task 2

Media Analysis Poster Presentation (15%, LOs 1,3, & 4)

A media analysis involves the collection, collation and analysis of media coverage of a specific topic or issue. In this assessment you will use the tools of critical discourse analysis (CDA) - a method that examines how a topic is represented in the media, with close attention to language, ideology and power, and to whose voices are centred or marginalised. The purpose is to identify the themes and ideologies that underpin contemporary discussion of a topic, and how that discussion has evolved over time.

Working in study groups, you will collate and analyse 2–3 media pieces on a drug, alcohol and crime topic (further detail provided via Canvas). You will present your analysis as an academic poster, accompanied by a short 5–10 minute group presentation. The poster tells the story of your research and forms the foundation for your written report (Assessment 3).

Assessment Task 3

Media Analysis Report (20%, LOs 1,3, & 4)

Building on your Media Analysis Poster, you will prepare a 2,000-word research report (completed in your study group) presenting an evidence-based argument that addresses the question:

In the context of your chosen topic, how has the relationship between alcohol, drugs and crime been depicted, and what are the implications of this?

Your report should read as a research report rather than an opinion piece. It should describe your methodology (how you searched, classified and analysed your sources) and your findings, before developing a reasoned argument in response to the question above. Key theories and scholarly literature should be appropriately cited and referenced in APA style.

Assessment Task 4

Synthesis Exam (45%, 1,2 & 3)

The final in-person exam held during the final exam period will cover material presented throughout the course and will consist of a combination of short-answer and essay questions.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of the ANU culture as a community of scholars. The University’s students are an integral part of that community. The academic integrity principle commits all students to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support, academic integrity, and to uphold this commitment by behaving honestly, responsibly and ethically, and with respect and fairness, in scholarly practice.

The University expects all staff and students to be familiar with the academic integrity principle, the Academic Integrity Rule 2021, the Policy: Student Academic Integrity and Procedure: Student Academic Integrity, and to uphold high standards of academic integrity to ensure the quality and value of our qualifications.

The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 is a legal document that the University uses to promote academic integrity, and manage breaches of the academic integrity principle. The Policy and Procedure support the Rule by outlining overarching principles, responsibilities and processes. The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 commences on 1 December 2021 and applies to courses commencing on or after that date, as well as to research conduct occurring on or after that date. Prior to this, the Academic Misconduct Rule 2015 applies.

 

The University commits to assisting all students to understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. All coursework students must complete the online Academic Integrity Module (Epigeum), and Higher Degree Research (HDR) students are required to complete research integrity training. The Academic Integrity website provides information about services available to assist students with their assignments, examinations and other learning activities, as well as understanding and upholding academic integrity.

Online Submission

You will be required to electronically sign a declaration as part of the submission of your assignment. Please keep a copy of the assignment for your records. Unless an exemption has been approved by the Associate Dean (Education) submission must be through Turnitin.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

Individual assessment tasks may or may not allow for late submission. Policy regarding late submission is detailed below:

• Late submission not permitted. If submission of assessment tasks without an extension after the due date is not permitted, a mark of 0 will be awarded.

Referencing Requirements

The Academic Skills website has information to assist you with your writing and assessments. The website includes information about Academic Integrity including referencing requirements for different disciplines. There is also information on Plagiarism and different ways to use source material. Any use of artificial intelligence must be properly referenced. Failure to properly cite use of Generative AI will be considered a breach of academic integrity.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. Extensions may be granted for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information.
In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service – including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy.
If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes.

Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Accessibility for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents all ANU students