Course Catalogue

Making Sense of Problem Substance Use in Scotland (C4L) MED1020

  • Academic Session: 2026-27
  • School: School of Health and Wellbeing
  • Credits: 20
  • Level: Level 1 (SCQF level 7)
  • Typically Offered: Semester 2
  • Available to Visiting Students: Yes
  • Collaborative Online International Learning: No
  • Curriculum For Life: Yes

Short Description

Part of the Curriculum for Life programme, this course introduces the complex issue of substance use in Scotland, a "wicked" problem with significant health and social impacts. Scotland faces disproportionately high rates of alcohol- and drug-related deaths, yet substance use is deeply embedded in its culture. Tackling these harms requires balancing personal freedoms with public health, and involves multiple disciplines - health, law, education, economics, and more.

You will explore how substance use, and problem substance use (PSU) affect individuals, families, and communities. The course encourages reflection on your personal and disciplinary perspectives and fosters compassionate communication of complex issues. Using Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems model, you will examine PSU from individual to societal levels, considering its links to mental health and the role of health promotion.

Timetable

Teaching runs over ten weeks in Semester 2. We will offer weekly, in-person workshops with students lasting two hours (including a break).

Requirements of Entry

None

Excluded Courses

None

Co-requisites

None

Assessment

Individual Assessment:

■ Two set exercises:

■ Information Sheet (approximately 1000 words) (40%) [ILO1, 2, 3]

■ Letter to the Editor (40%) [ILO1, 2, 3]: students will write an evidence-based response to media content on substance use in Scotland, drawing on peer-reviewed evidence (1500 words)

 

Group Assessment:

■ Podcast (20%) - A short group podcast addressing misinformation or disinformation related to a substance use issue. Length will be determined by group size. [ILO2, ILO3]

■ Each group will be required to provide a contribution statement outlining how group members contributed.

Where a student requires an alternative assessment, an alternative assessment of equivalent weighting and aligned to the same ILOs will be provided. Where reassessment of the group component is required, an alternative individual assessment of equivalent weighting will be provided.

Course Aims

This course aims to equip students with an insight into the complexity around problem substance use (PSU) by exposing them to different, interdisciplinary ways that PSU can be understood and responded to. Students will be encouraged to reflect on their stance, and pitch how their intended disciplinary degree path can disrupt expectations and contribute to innovative ways to understand and make sense of substance use in Scotland.

Intended Learning Outcomes of Course

By the end of this course students will be able to:

 

1. Discuss how problem substance use is understood from different perspectives

2. Explain, to a variety of different audiences, key issues associated with problem substance use.

3. Apply interdisciplinary evidence to identify, critique, and respond to misinformation, stigma, and harmful public narratives surrounding problem substance use.

Minimum Requirement for Award of Credits

No exceptions