Unit name | Drug Use and Addiction |
---|---|
Unit code | PSYC30020 |
Credit points | 20 |
Level of study | H/6 |
Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
Unit director | Dr. Maynard |
Open unit status | Not open |
Pre-requisites |
None |
Co-requisites |
None |
School/department | School of Psychological Science |
Faculty | Faculty of Life Sciences |
This unit provides a comprehensive introduction to drug use and the problem of addiction. It provides a framework for further independent study of the key issues and current research. A key aim of this unit is to understand the process of addiction from initiation of drug use through to treatment of addiction and relapse. It will address psychological, biological and social factors that influence this process and explore how and why individuals differ in their propensity to take drugs and develop addiction. The unit will introduce current theories of addiction and approaches to treatment, including current research and theory on behaviour change. The pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profiles of different classes of drugs of abuse will be considered in order to understand how and why patterns of drug use differ and why drugs have different abuse liabilities and associated harms. The unit also present and discuss several critical issues in drug use and addiction, including drug-related policy (such as drug legalisation and harms classification) and social stigma. A primary learning outcome of this unit is for students to develop a deeper understanding of the complexity of drug use and addiction from both a biological and social perspective, and the challenges of developing effective treatment strategies.
On successful completion of this unit, a student will be able to:
Weekly lectures and seminars.
1 x synchronous 'seminar' per week. These will take a variety of different forms depending on the focus of the week, but will include Q&A based on the weeks' content, student discussion groups and Q&A with invited speakers.
1 x 1600-word essay (50%) and 1 x timed open book assessment (50%)
Journal articles will be made available via Blackboard.