Making sense of problem substance use in Scotland
What will I learn from this course?
Substance use is a complex, ‘wicked’ problem that disproportionately affects Scotland, reflected in the high rates of alcohol and/or drug related deaths, and wider ranging impacts on health and wellbeing (Rittel and Webber, 1973; NRS, 2024a, 2024b). However, alcohol and/or drug use is an integral part of Scottish culture. Responses to tackling associated harms must balance a person’s right to enjoy life, with their right to health and wellbeing. Responses to reducing the harms resulting from problem substance use (PSU) span across disciplinary boundaries – including health, law, education, economics, engineering, and beyond.
In this course, you will explore the different ways that substance use can be understood and how PSU affects individuals, families, communities, and societies. You will be supported to reflect on your relationship to substance use, and the connection it may have with your disciplinary ‘home’ (e.g. geography, history, engineering). Through collaborative working, you will develop skills in communicating complex issues with compassion.
This course begins by reflecting on substance use and examines the ways in which it can be considered a ‘problem’. Using Bronfrenbrenner’s ‘ecological systems’ model, you will be guided through thinking about substance use from the perspective of the person with the problem, those closest to them (family, friends, and loved ones), and wider society (communities and workplaces). Links between substance use and mental ill health will be explored as well as the importance of health promotion. A masterclass with leading experts on public engagement and communication will prepare you for your final assessment.
When will this course be available?
Semester 2, 2025
How many credits is this course?
10 credits
What is the course code?
The course code is MED1020.
How will I learn on this course?
Over the course of five weeks, you will be required to attend a weekly three-hour in-person workshop. To solidify learning and ensure that the workshops are interactive, core weekly learning will be available as an asynchronous resource, and you will be encouraged to engage with the resources before coming to class.
Each workshop will have a different focus and will be interactive throughout supporting active, student-led learning. Two members of staff will be present at sessions to maximise staff-student interaction. You will have the opportunity to engage with other students from other disciplines, and to meet researchers and other notable figures in this area. The penultimate session, and preparatory workshop for the core assessment, will be a masterclass with an experienced public engagement member of staff.
How will I be supported academically on this course?
You will be required to attend a weekly 3hr workshop. During the workshops, you will be led through a series of activities to help you understand the topic. You will have access to core, online materials that we would expect you to engage with before class. This will help familiarise you with basic concepts to ensure that the time spent in the classroom is interactive and supportive.
During sessions, you will have a range of activities – ranging from short lectures to discussion points in small groups. You will hear from experienced researchers and policymakers, and you will have a masterclass to prepare you for your assessment with staff who work in the area of public engagement.
An optional weekly drop-in session will be offered by the course lead(s) to allow anyone affected by any of the content to discuss issues in more depth.
What unique learning experiences will I have on this course?
Currently, there are no courses at an undergraduate level focusing on substance use – therefore you will be engaging with an under-explored area within the University of Glasgow curriculum. The teaching team on this course have experience in teaching and researching on substance use and mental health and will be joined throughout the course by guest experts to help enhance your learning. Given the close links to Byres Community Hub (situated within the School of Health and Wellbeing, and a link to the local community) and the Substance Use in HE project, there will be additional opportunities to get involved with emerging work in the university around substance use and how to actively promote safety and wellbeing. We hope where appropriate, student outputs can be displayed in the Clarice Pears Building – open to the wider UofG staff, UofG student community, and the public.
In addition, students will have the option of undertaking training on overdose prevention, intervention, and Naloxone – a medication that can temporarily reverse the side-effects of an opiate overdose to provide time to seek professional, medical help.
What skills will I learn on this course?
This course will equip you with the skills to meaningfully discuss problem substance use in an evidence informed, compassionate way. It will help you to think creatively about solutions – and how your ‘home’ discipline can contribute a deeper understanding to a wider social problem. You will also learn practical skills about writing reflectively and communicating important messages about complex topics with wider audiences.
This course will help you to build and enhance skills in the following areas:
- Cogitate: This course helps equip you with the skills to apply theories of PSU and apply this understanding to specific cultural context (i.e., Scotland) to understand published evidence within research literature.
- Collect: As part of your assessment, you will be required to conduct literature searches to find suitable evidence from peer-reviewed sources, and bring this into dialogue with policy documents.
- Communicate: You will build teamworking skills through the development of your presentation, as well as enhancing your ability to effectively communicate using different forms of media, suited for different audiences (podcast or vlog, information sheet, reflection)
- Create: This course will help you to think about how you create and curate a specific message, using peer-reviewed evidence, whilst remaining cognisant of the political landscape.
Skills are also mapped by assessment type (see Q7) below:
|
|
Group Presentation |
Info Sheet |
Reflection |
|
Cogitate |
X |
X |
X |
|
Collect |
X |
X |
|
|
Communicate |
X |
X |
X |
|
Create |
X |
X |
|
We will be supporting students to recognise the surfacing of these skills through signposting at the start and end of each workshop.
How will I be assessed on this course?
The course ILOs are assessed in the following ways:
|
|
Group Presentation |
Info Sheet |
Reflection |
|
ILO1: Demonstrate how problem substance use is understood from different perspectives. |
X |
X |
|
|
ILO2: Explain, to a variety of different audiences, key issues associated with problem substance use. |
X |
X |
|
|
ILO3: Reflect on their relationship to substance use on a personal and professional level. |
|
|
X |
Specific details on assessment:
|
Sequence |
Assessment Type |
Group/ Individual |
Weighting |
|
Formative |
Discussion about plans for the vlog or podcast. Occurs in Week 3. Feedback type
|
Group |
N/A |
|
Summative |
Podcast / Vlog – Submitted at end of course. Students will work in groups of 4-5. Presentation should be collaboratively curated, but not all members need to have a speaking part. No longer than 10 minutes (pro-rata for smaller groups, approx. 2 mins per person). [ILO 1, ILO2] The podcast or vlog must be accompanied by a one-page document containing the following information:
Feedback will be provided on Moodle and will focus on ‘feeding forward’ – highlighting skills and avenues for growth as students progress in their disciplines. |
Group – can accommodate individual for accessibility reasons |
20% |
|
Summative |
|
Individual |
80%
|
Who is the course leader?
Dr Sharon Greenwood & Prof Julie Lanlan-Martin are leading this course.