SP32129: Drugs, crime and society
[Page last updated: 23 May 2025]
| Academic Year: | 2025/26 |
| Owning Department/School: | Department of Social & Policy Sciences |
| Credits: | 5 [equivalent to 10 CATS credits] |
| Notional Study Hours: | 100 |
| Level: | Honours (FHEQ level 6) |
| Period: |
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| Assessment Summary: | CWOG 75%, CWRA 25% |
| Assessment Detail: |
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| Supplementary Assessment: |
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| Requisites: | |
| Learning Outcomes: |
Critically analyse the features of contemporary drug policy, including the discrepancies between policy 'on the books' and in practice, and the arguments for reform. |
| Synopsis: | Explore how drugs, crime and society interconnect.
Using an interdisciplinary approach, you'll look at criminological, sociological, historical and legal perspectives to assess domestic and international features that make up the contemporary drugs field.
You'll explore drug-related issues and debates, and engage with academic and policy literature. This will allow you to critically analyse the laws, policies and agencies of drug control with appropriate social, economic and political knowledge. |
| Content: | Topics covered on the unit will include:
What is (and is not) a `drug'
The factors that influence drug experiences
Why people use drugs
The role of the social environment in producing patterns of drug use and drug-related problems
The role of gender, age, class and ethnicity in shaping drug use, culture and problems.
The relationship between drugs and crime
How local, national and international drug markets operate
The practicalities of policing drug markets
The legalisation debate |
| Skills: | The unit will foster the following intellectual skills:
* The ability to draw on and synthesise evidence from a range of sources * The ability to assess the merits and appropriateness of different explanations regarding drugs, crime and society * The ability to develop a reasoned argument and exercise critical judgement The unit will foster the following professional/practical skills: * The ability to critically reflect on different theoretical/methodological approaches within the drugs field * Written and oral communication skills * The ability to design and deliver a group presentation * The ability to reflect on the development and delivery of a case study The unit will foster the following transferable/key skills: * The ability to develop and present a well-structured, coherent case study. * The ability to marshal evidence and theory to support or challenge an argument in such a way as to demonstrate a critical awareness of the origin and bases of knowledge * The ability to apply key concepts in criminology and cognate disciplines to a range of problems associated with drugs * The ability to work and communicate as individuals, as well as in a team * Skills in information technology * Critical and analytical skills * Presentation skills and verbal communication (i.e. oral presentations, seminar and tutorial contributions). * The ability to work independently and as part of a group |
| Aims: | This unit aims to: 1. Provide a critical overview of the drugs field from a social science perspective, focusing on the intersections between drugs, crime and society 2. Engage in a critical analysis of trends in drug use, the construction of drug related problems and the role of criminal justice responses 3. Adopt an interdisciplinary approach, drawing upon sociological, criminological, legal and historical perspectives, to explore, explain and critique contemporary drug policy |
| Course availability: |
SP32129 is Optional on the following courses:Department of Social & Policy Sciences
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Notes:
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