Sociology of Intoxication (U02933)

? Credit Points : 20 ? SCQF Level : 10 ? Acronym : SPS-3-Intox

The course will bring sociological thinking to bear on all aspects of intoxicant use, covering licit and illicit drugs, and other substances taken with the intention of altering the users consciousness.

There are many studies of intoxicants, but few of intoxication. Research divides into psychopharmacological studies of the properties and effects of intoxicant substances, such as alcohol and various illicit drugs; and social scientific studies of drug and alcohol use problems, such as addiction and related crime and social disruption. The latter approach chimes with political and media discourse on the topic which only considers intoxication when it manifests as a social problem, as if drunkenness and all the various illicit drug induced brain addlings only happened by accident. This course aims to address two significant gaps in our thinking on this topic. First, we mostly think of the experience of intoxication - being drunk, getting high and so on - as happening largely at a physiological level. The content and construction of the experience of intoxication itself seems to be thought of as off-limits to sociological investigation and theorising, as irrelevant, or as an unfortunate and unwanted side effect. The course will explore how the social factors involved in the creation of different experiences of intoxication. Second, when we do consider intoxication as worthy of study we turn it into a problem, rather than seeing it as a normal social practice, as much bound by rules and norms as any other activity. The intention here is to examine intoxication, and sobriety, as practices embedded in social life.

Entry Requirements

none

Subject Areas

Home subject area

Sociology, (School of Social and Political Studies, Schedule J)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : 3rd year

? Delivery Period : Semester 2 (Blocks 3-4)

? Contact Teaching Time : 1 hour(s) 50 minutes per week for 10 weeks

First Class Information

Date	Start	End	Room	Area	Additional Information
12/01/2006	09:00	10:50	Room 4.01, David Hume Tower	Central

All of the following classes

Type	Day	Start	End	Area
Lecture	Thursday	09:00	10:50	Central

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

- Ability to think critically about intoxicant use and its regulation

- Knowledge of the main sociological approaches to researching
intoxicants and their use

- Ability to theorise intoxication as a sociological phenomenon