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

 

 

Learning Outcome

 

Learning Activities

How

Assessed 

Knowledge and Understanding

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) 

Abilities

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

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

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) 

 

Attributes

 

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.

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

 

 

 

 

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

https://tcps2core.ca/welcome

 

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

 

Topic Paper and PP presentation

32%

Community Partner Project

35%

Community Partner Evaluation

15%

Attendance and Participation

8%

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

 

 

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.