POPLHLTH 307 : Communities and Addictions

Medical and Health Sciences

2024 Semester One (1243) (15 POINTS)

Course Prescription

Examines how addictions such as tobacco, alcohol, drugs and gambling seriously undermine the health of individuals and the communities in which they live and/or work. Case studies are used to understand the primary elements of community and cultural health development.

Course Overview

Addiction is a term used in everyday life to describe a range of experiences associated with loss of control. When addictions do develop, they can cause harm to the person, their family/whānau, and the wider community. However, the use of alcohol and other drugs - as well as certain behaviours, like gambling - can cause harm also in the absence of addiction.

This course invites students to explore and discuss these dangerous consumptions. This includes consumptions traditionally associated with addiction (alcohol and other drugs) as well as new behavioural addictions (e.g., gambling). Students are also invited to use a harm reduction approach and culturally safe frameworks.

This undergraduate-level course offers students an entry point to thinking about how theory can be used to understand, explain, and approach addictions. There will also be an opportunity for students to critique contemporary models of addiction, such as the disease model, from a community or cultural perspective.

This course is relevant to anyone pursuing a career in mental health and addiction practice or research, and it is part of the Addiction and Mental Health pathway within the BHSc. It also provides a good background to further alcohol and drug/ mental health studies at Honours or other postgraduate studies at the School of Population Health.

Course Requirements

Prerequisite: 30 points at Stage II in Population Health

Course Contacts

Dr Rodrigo Ramalho
Course Director
Room 507-1130
r.ramalho@auckland.ac.nz

Capabilities Developed in this Course

Capability 1: People and Place
Capability 2: Sustainability
Capability 3: Knowledge and Practice
Capability 4: Critical Thinking
Capability 5: Solution Seeking
Capability 6: Communication

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Evaluate the meaning of addiction from a range of perspectives (Capability 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.3, 3.2, 4.3, 5.1 and 5.2)
  2. Describe and use and critique individual models of addiction used to explain the development and recovery from addictive behaviours (Capability 1.2, 2.1, 4.1, 5.2 and 6.1)
  3. Compare and explain approaches applied to addictive behaviours within public health and community frameworks (Capability 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.2, 3.2, 3.3 and 4.1)
  4. Discuss and assess the importance of harm reduction and cultural safety in the addiction field (Capability 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.3, 3.3, 4.2, 5.2 and 6.3)

Assessments

Assessment Type Percentage Classification
Test 20% Individual Test
Essay 30% Individual Coursework
Final Exam 50% Individual Examination
Assessment Type Learning Outcome Addressed
1 2 3 4
Test
Essay
Final Exam

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 15 point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in.

For this course, each week you can expect 2 hours of lectures, a 1 hour tutorial, 2 hours of reading and thinking about the content and 5 hours of work on assignments and/or test preparation.

Delivery Mode

Campus Experience

Attendance is expected at scheduled activities to complete components of the course.
Lectures will be available as recordings. Other learning activities including tutorials will not be available as recordings.

Learning Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).

Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

There are prescribed readings assigned to each lecture which will be made available to students on the University’s learning platform CANVAS.

Student Feedback

At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.

Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.

Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

Based on students' feedback, the course will incorporate a Piazza page from the start

Other Information

This course is held at The University of Auckland Grafton Campus. 

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed for potential plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct, using computerised detection mechanisms.

Class Representatives

Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.

If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.

This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Learning Continuity

In the event of an unexpected disruption, we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and course assessment continues to meet the principles of the University’s assessment policy. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator/director, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the university website for information about how to proceed.

The delivery mode may change depending on COVID restrictions. Any changes will be communicated through Canvas.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.

In this course students may be asked to submit coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. In exceptional circumstances changes to elements of this course may be necessary at short notice. Students enrolled in this course will be informed of any such changes and the reasons for them, as soon as possible, through Canvas.