Psychology 4873E 001 FW24
Addictions: Theory and Research
If there is a discrepancy between the outline posted below and the outline posted on the OWL course website, the latter shall prevail.
Western University
London Canada
Department of Psychology
Fall/Winter 2024
Psychology 4873E Section 001
Addictions: Theory and Research
1 Calendar Description
This course introduces students to major topics in the prevention and treatment of various forms of addictive behavior. The course also involves a structured community service learning component in which students will help addictions-related organizations meet their identified needs. This work will not necessarily involve direct client contact.
Antirequisites: The former Psychology 3315E
Prerequisites: Enrolment in 4th year in any program, although priority will be given to qualified 4th year Honours Psychology students. Registration is by special permission only and must be obtained from the course instructor in the Spring/Summer before the course begins in the Fall term.
2 seminar hours, 3 placement hours. (This course has a service learning component.)
Course Weight: 1.0
Unless you have either the prerequisites for this course or written special permission from your Dean to enrol in it, you may be removed from this course and it will be deleted from your record. This decision may not be appealed. You will receive no adjustment to your fees in the event that you are dropped from a course for failing to have the necessary prerequisites.
2 Course Information
Instructor: Dr. Riley Hinson
Office and Phone Number: 6334 SSC, 519-661-2111 ext 84649
Office Hours: By appointment
Email: hinson@uwo.ca
Time and Location of Classes: see Student Timetable for details
Delivery Method: In-person
3 Course Materials
No textbook required
4 Course Objectives and Learning Outcomes
The purpose of the course is to provide students exposure to both the scholarly literature and research related to many aspects of addiction. From the placement, students are expected to gain experience as to how some of the ideas and concepts discussed in lecture unfold in settings providing addiction related services.
By the end of the course the successful student should be able to:
- Memorize, describe and apply main concepts and principles related to drug use and addiction
- Locate and critically evaluate scholarly material related to real world challenges faced by those with drug use problems and those providing help to such individuals
- Communicate scientific information in oral and written forms that are accessible to those involved real world delivery of addiction services and treatment
- Critique information presented in scientific and popular media related to drug use and drug addiction
- Manage and deliver a project that is of value to a community organization involved in providing services to those with drug addiction, which would involve conceptualization, planning, coordination of efforts, time management
- Engage in reflection about drug users and those who are engaged in helping them to experience personal growth and to be able to more accurately inform others about drug addiction
- Recognize and develop own sense of commitment to civic engagement and social responsibility
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Learning Outcome
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Learning Activities |
How Assessed |
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Knowledge and Understanding |
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1. Depth & Breadth of Knowledge Memorize (M), describe (D) and apply (A) main concepts and principles related to drug use and addiction |
Reading Class discussion Guest lectures Community project |
Oral Presentations of current news Contribution to Class Discussion (DA) Final Report (DA) Final Presentation (DA) |
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Abilities |
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2. Knowledge and Application of Methodologies Locate and critically evaluate scholarly material related to real world challenges faced by those with drug use problems and those providing help to such individuals |
Community project Classroom activity |
Oral/written reports Final Report Contribution to class activity Final class oral presentation |
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3. Communication Skills Communicate scientific information in oral and written forms that are accessible to those involved in real world settings. |
Community project Classroom activity |
As assessed by setting supervisor Contribution to class activity Final Report Final class oral presentation |
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4. Autonomy and Professional Capacity Manage and deliver a project that is of value to a community organization |
Community project |
As assessed by setting supervisor (in consultation with course instructor) |
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Attributes |
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5. Awareness of Limits of Knowledge Engage in reflection about what you have experienced in the community settings |
Community project CEL logs Class presentation on reflection Class discussion |
Instructor evaluation of CEL logs Contribution to class discussions Final report and presentation As assessed by setting supervisor, in consultation with instructor. |
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6. Autonomy and Professional Capacity Recognize and develop own sense of commitment to civic engagement and social responsibility. |
Community project Field trips
Class discussions |
Instructor evaluation of CEL logs. Final report and presentation Post course reflection session
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5 Evaluation
The evaluation and testing formats for this course were created to assess the learning objectives as listed in section 4 and are necessary for meeting these learning objectives
Topic Paper and In-Class Presentation 32 marks
Each student will write a paper and make an in-class PP presentation on a topic of their choosing in consultation with the course instructor. The topic may be related to an aspect of substance use/behaviour disorders. Examples from previous years are:
- Psychedelic assisted therapy for SUD’s
- The role of spirituality in SUD’s
- The Default Mode Network in SUD’s
- Stigma related to people with SUD’s
You should choose a topic which is of interest to you, and I will Zoom meet to discuss the appropriateness of the topic. There is no require length for the paper, but it would have to be comprehensive in coverage. Papers has ranged from 10-20 pages, with most topics requiring the higher number of pages. You will make a 50 minute in-class PP presentation based on your paper. Based on the topics chosen I will make up a schedule for due dates and PP presentation dates. I will try to sequence the topics in a logical order, e.g., papers on processes involved in development of SUD’s will go before papers on treatment. The in-class PP presentations will begin around mid-January. The date of your PP presentation will be determined near the end of November at the point where I have approved on the topics. The written paper will be due on the last day of class. In total, this component will be worth 32 marks. Since some may do better with the written component compared to the oral presentation, and vice versa, 20 of the marks will go to whichever component you do the best on and 12 to the other component.
Community Partner Project 35 marks
Working with at least one other student, students will complete a project for their community partner. The graded work will include a paper.
The write up of the project: There is no specific format since it will vary by project, but it should use APA formatting (where appropriate) and should comprise a scholarly review component and a write up of the project. I will meet with each group during the second term to discuss the format of this written presentation—e.g., will it be like a review paper only, or a journal article, or some other format. Note that this will be a group-based graded component, so each group will have to decide how the responsibilities will be assigned. While no specific number of pages is required write-ups in the past have been between 20-40 pages (excluding references). The written component will be worth 35 marks.
Almost all the community partner projects will involve components that may be considered “research” or “pedagogical projects” according to TCPS II definitions. Accordingly you will be REQUIRED to complete the TCPS II Core Tutorial. You will have to send me a copy of your completion certificate. Here is the web site
Community Partner Evaluation of Student Engagement 15 marks
Community partners will give you points to a maximum of 15 based on their evaluation of involvement in the organization, participation, handling of any responsibilities, and conduct of project
Attendance and Participation in Classes, Outings, and Field Trips 8 marks
While there are no tests for this course, you are expected to attend all classes. We will have guest speakers. Attendance will be taken and will be used for grading purposes. Attendance during sessions with guest speakers will be weighted more in terms of attendance marks. In addition, and to the extent possible, we will try to go on several field trips and visits to sites in the community. These visits almost always occur outside of class time. It is expected that students will attend as many of these events as possible. In order to receive the full 8 marks for this component you must 1) attend and participate in at least 90% of the classes and 2) take part in at least half of the outside-the-class events.
End of year reflection 10 marks
One of the purposes of CEL courses is to encourage the student to reflect on what they have learned about others and themselves as a result of the community engagement. This may be very distinct from any academic knowledge they have gained. I hope you will keep a journal or diary throughout the year about any revelations you may gain during your placement in the community organizations. At the end of the year you will be asked to think back over the year and share these insights. That may be done as a written paper, a collage of images, an art piece, a video, a poem, a novel, or whatever form you feel best allows you to express yourself. We may try to have a class devoted to this in a type of focus group discussion. This is worth 10 marks.
Policy on Missing Coursework
Because this is an essay course, as per Senate Regulations, you must pass the essay component to pass the course. That is, the average mark for your written assignments must be at least 50%.
This course is exempt from the Senate requirement that students receive assessment of their work accounting for at least 15% of their final grade at least three full days before the date of the deadline for withdrawal from a course without academic penalty.
The Topic Paper and PP presentation, and the Community Partner Project paper have to be submitted, otherwise a grade of zero will be given on these components. If either is not submitted by the scheduled due date, an extension will be given, but a penalty of 10% of the value of the component will be subtracted for each 48 hour period, or any part thereof, the component is late.
The Psychology Department follows Western’s grading guidelines: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/general/grades_undergrad.pdf
The expectation for course grades within the Psychology Department is that they will be distributed around the following averages:
70% 1000-level to 2099-level courses
72% 2100-2999-level courses
75% 3000-level courses
80% 4000-level courses
In the event that course grades are significantly higher or lower than these averages, instructors may be required to make adjustments to course grades. Such adjustment might include the normalization of one or more course components and/or the re-weighting of various course components.
Policy on Grade Rounding
Please note that although course grades within the Psychology Department are rounded to the nearest whole number, no further grade rounding will be done. No additional assignments will be offered to enhance a final grade; nor will requests to change a grade because it is needed for a future program be considered.
6 Assessment/Evaluation Schedule
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Topic Paper and PP presentation |
32% |
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Community Partner Project |
35% |
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Community Partner Evaluation |
15% |
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Attendance and Participation |
8% |
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End of Year Reflection |
10% |
7 Class Schedule
The class schedule topics should be considered tentative and are subject to change. I try to have guest speakers for some classes, and any class may be replaced by a guest speaker. Also remember that each student will be making an in-class presentation based on their topic paper. The date of those presentations will be in consultation with each student.
Sept 10 Introduction to Class
Sept 17 Community Partner Fair and Selection
For the classes of Sept. 24/Oct 1/Oct 8 the actual content may switch between dates based on when speakers are scheduled.
Sept 24 Overview of Drugs
Oct 1 Guest Speaker(s)—Lily Bialas, Counterpoint and Carepoint Harm Reduction
Services
Oct 8 Guest Speaker-Jason Galindo, Housing Manager, Youth Opportunities Unlimited—Homelessness
Oct 15 Reading Week No Class
Oct 22 TBD—this week to be held open
Oct 29 History of Drug Use and History of the conceptualization of addiction and
treatment
Nov 5 Addiction in DSM
Nov 12 The Biopsychosocialspiritual model of addiction
Nov 19 The Biopsychosocialspiritual model of addiction
Nov 26 The Biopsychosocialspiritual model of addiction
Dec 3 The Biopsychosocialspiritual model of addiction
Jan 7 Zoom Meetings with student pairs to discuss project progress
Jan 14 The Biopsychosocialspiritual model of addiction
Jan 21 The Biopsychosocialspiritual model of addiction
Jan 28 This class held open for potential guest speaker
Feb 4 In class presentation of topic paper
Feb 11 In class presentation of topic paper
Feb 18 No Class—Spring Reading Week
Feb 25 In class presentation of topic paper
Mar 4 In class presentation of topic paper
Mar 11 In class presentation of topic paper
Mar 18 In class presentation of topic paper
Mar 25 In class presentation of topic paper
Apr 12 In class presentation of topic paper
8 Academic Integrity
Scholastic offences are taken seriously, and students are directed to read the appropriate policy, specifically, the definition of what constitutes a Scholastic Offence, at the following Web site: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/scholastic_discipline_undergrad.pdf.
Possible penalties for a scholastic offence include failure of the assignment/exam, failure of the course, suspension from the University, and expulsion from the University.
Plagiarism Detection Software
All required papers may be subject to submission for textual similarity review to the commercial plagiarism detection software under license to the University for the detection of plagiarism. All papers submitted for such checking will be included as source documents in the reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of papers subsequently submitted to the system. Use of the service is subject to the licensing agreement, currently between Western and Turnitin.com.
Use of AI
The use of generative AI tools such as ChatGPT to produce written work is not permitted unless permission is granted by the instructor for specific circumstances. Any work submitted must be the work of the student in its entirety unless otherwise disclosed. When used, AI tools should be used ethically and responsibly, and students must cite or credit the tools used in line with the expectation to use AI as a tool to learn, not to produce content.
9 Academic Accommodations and Accessible Education
View Western’s policy on academic accommodations for student with disabilities at this link.
Accessible Education provides supports and services to students with disabilities at Western.
If you think you may qualify for ongoing accommodation that will be recognized in all your courses, visit Accessible Education for more information. Email: aew@uwo.ca Phone: 519 661-2147
10 Absence & Academic Consideration
View Western’s policy on academic consideration for medical illnesses this link
Find your academic counsellor here: https://www.registrar.uwo.ca/faculty_academic_counselling.html
Students must see the Academic Counsellor and submit all required documentation in order to be approved for certain academic considerations. Students must communicate with their instructors no later than 24 hours after the end of the period covered SMC, or immediately upon their return following a documented absence.
Medical Absences
Submit a Student Medical Certificate (SMC) signed by a licensed medical or mental health practitioner to Academic Counselling in your Faculty of registration to be eligible for Academic Consideration.
Nonmedical Absences
Submit appropriate documentation (e.g., obituary, police report, accident report, court order, etc.) to Academic Counselling in your Faculty of registration to be eligible for academic consideration. Students are encouraged to contact their Academic Counselling unit to clarify what documentation is appropriate.
Religious Consideration
Students seeking accommodation for religious purposes are advised to contact Academic Counselling at least three weeks prior to the religious event and as soon as possible after the start of the term.
11 Other Information
- Office of the Registrar: https://registrar.uwo.ca
- Student Development Services: sdc.uwo.ca
- Psychology Undergraduate Program: https://www.psychology.uwo.ca/undergraduate/index.html
Students who are in emotional/mental distress should refer to Health and Wellness@Western https://www.uwo.ca/health/ for a complete list of options about how to obtain help.
Please contact the course instructor if you require material in an alternate format or if you require any other arrangements to make this course more accessible to you.
If you wish to appeal a grade, please read the policy documentation at: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/appealsundergrad.pdf. Please first contact the course instructor. If your issue is not resolved, you may make your appeal in writing to the Undergraduate Chair in Psychology (psyugrd@uwo.ca).
Copyright Statement
Lectures and course materials, including power point presentations, outlines, videos and similar materials, are protected by copyright. You may take notes and make copies of course materials for your own educational use. You may not record lectures, reproduce (or allow others to reproduce), post or distribute any course materials publicly and/or for commercial purposes without the instructor’s written consent.
12 Land Acknowledgement
We acknowledge that Western University is located on the traditional territories of the Anishinaabek, Haudenosaunee, Lūnaapéewak, and Chonnonton. Nations, on lands connected with the London Township and Sombra Treaties of 1796 and the Dish with One Spoon Covenant Wampum. This land continues to be home to diverse Indigenous Peoples (First Nations, Métis and Inuit) whom we recognize as contemporary stewards of the land and vital contributors of our society.
