Overview
An introduction to core pharmacological principles, together with an investigation of how society is influenced by drug use, both licit and illicit.
A six-week course of lectures and interactive workshops and presentations with a focus on the way drugs impact on life in its many facets. Drugs influence behaviour, but by how much, and how far can we attribute responsibility to people under the influence of drugs? Do drug manufacturers and regulators share some or all of the responsibility?
About this paper
| Paper title | Drugs and Society |
|---|---|
| Subject | Pharmacology |
| EFTS | 0.1500 |
| Points | 18 points |
| Teaching period | Not offered in 2026 (On campus) |
| Domestic Tuition Fees ( NZD ) | $1,318.20 |
| International Tuition Fees | Tuition Fees for international students are elsewhere on this website. |
- Prerequisite
- 54 points
- Schedule C
- Science
- Contact
Course Co-ordinator: Associate Professor John Aston
- Teaching staff
Lecturers from the Department of Pharmacology & Toxioclogy and the Bioethics Centre.
- Paper Structure
Modules:
1 – Introduction and Cannabis.
2 – Social drugs.
3 – Drugs and responsibility.
4 – The origin of drugs.
5 – Clinical trials; ethics and other issues.
6 – Drug law and regulations.- Textbooks
No textbooks required.
- Graduate Attributes Emphasised
- Global perspective, Interdisciplinary perspective, Scholarship, Communication, Critical thinking, Cultural understanding, Ethics, Information literacy, Self-motivation, Teamwork.
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes. - Learning Outcomes
Students who successfully complete this paper will be able to:
- Demonstrate an understanding of the fundamentals of drug action at a molecular level and how these influence human action.
- Begin to accumulate a knowledge of the range of classes of drugs and their actions.
- Develop an understanding of the role that drugs as agents of molecular action in human bodies and brains have on a range of societal, ethical, and regulatory issues.
- Demonstrate an ability to critically reason about issues of wide human concern with employment of pharmacological understanding.
- Develop skills to identify, use and critically evaluate information from appropriate and reliable sources
- Demonstrate an ability to communicate effectively, through written and oral means, to scientific and non-scientific audiences
- Assessment details
Assessment:
- Online Quizzes (6) – 15%
- Essay – 15%
- Student presentations – 20%
- Final Exam - 50%
Overview
An introduction to core pharmacological principles, together with an investigation of how society is influenced by drug use, both licit and illicit.
A six-week course of lectures and interactive workshops and presentations with a focus on the way drugs impact on life in its many facets. Drugs influence behaviour, but by how much, and how far can we attribute responsibility to people under the influence of drugs? Do drug manufacturers and regulators share some or all of the responsibility?
About this paper
| Paper title | Drugs and Society |
|---|---|
| Subject | Pharmacology |
| EFTS | 0.1500 |
| Points | 18 points |
| Teaching period | Not offered in 2027 (On campus) |
| Domestic Tuition Fees | Tuition Fees for 2027 have not yet been set |
| International Tuition Fees | Tuition Fees for international students are elsewhere on this website. |
- Prerequisite
- 54 points
- Schedule C
- Science
- Contact
Course Co-ordinator: Associate Professor John Aston
- Teaching staff
Lecturers from the Department of Pharmacology & Toxioclogy and the Bioethics Centre.
- Paper Structure
Modules:
- Introduction and Cannabis
- Social drugs
- Drugs and Responsibility
- The Origin of Drugs
- Clinical trials; Ethics and other issues
- Drug law and regulations.
- Textbooks
No textbooks required.
- Graduate Attributes Emphasised
- Global perspective, Interdisciplinary perspective, Scholarship, Communication, Critical thinking, Cultural understanding, Ethics, Information literacy, Self-motivation, Teamwork.
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes. - Learning Outcomes
Students who successfully complete this paper will be able to:
- Demonstrate an understanding of the fundamentals of drug action at a molecular level and how these influence human action.
- Begin to accumulate a knowledge of the range of classes of drugs and their actions.
- Develop an understanding of the role that drugs, as agents of molecular action in human bodies and brains have on a range of societal, ethical, and regulatory issues.
- Demonstrate an ability to critically reason about issues of wide human concern with employment of pharmacological understanding.
- Develop skills to identify, use and critically evaluate information from appropriate and reliable sources.
- Demonstrate an ability to communicate effectively, through written and oral means, to scientific and non-scientific audiences.
- Assessment details
Assessment:
- Online Quizzes (6): 15%
- Essay: 15%
- Student presentations: 20%
- Final Exam: 50%