PHARM 2200 - Pharmacology IIB Drugs and Society

North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2016

The course information on this page is being finalised for 2016. Please check again before classes commence.

The course content will provide an introductory overview of the use of drugs in modern society. The content will be grouped into themes: Drugs as Medications, Social Use of Drugs and Adverse effects of Drugs. It will include examples of drugs currently available for therapeutic and non-medical purposes. The development of personalised medicine, and the use of drugs as performance enhancers in sport and cognitive tasks will be covered, as well as drugs of abuse. Complementary therapies and their relation to Pharmacology and public perception of the nature of drugs will also be covered. How Complimentary medicines and conventional drugs are regulated in Australia will be examined. This will be followed by discussing the toxic potential of drugs and why adverse effects occur, as well as how environmental chemicals can have drug-like actions which can affect health, as well as toxic effects of natural products in the environment.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code PHARM 2200
    Course Pharmacology IIB Drugs and Society
    Coordinating Unit Medical Sciences
    Term Semester 2
    Level Undergraduate
    Location/s North Terrace Campus
    Units 3
    Contact Up to 5 hours per week
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange Y
    Prerequisites BIOLOGY 1101 & BIOLOGY 1201 or ANAT SC 1102 & ANAT SC 1103 (or equivalent with approval of Head of Discipline)
    Assumed Knowledge PHARM 2100
    Course Description The course content will provide an introductory overview of the use of drugs in modern society. The content will be grouped into themes: Drugs as Medications, Social Use of Drugs and Adverse effects of Drugs. It will include examples of drugs currently available for therapeutic and non-medical purposes. The development of personalised medicine, and the use of drugs as performance enhancers in sport and cognitive tasks will be covered, as well as drugs of abuse. Complementary therapies and their relation to Pharmacology and public perception of the nature of drugs will also be covered. How Complimentary medicines and conventional drugs are regulated in Australia will be examined. This will be followed by discussing the toxic potential of drugs and why adverse effects occur, as well as how environmental chemicals can have drug-like actions which can affect health, as well as toxic effects of natural products in the environment.
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Dr Ian Musgrave

    Course Coordinator: Dr Ian Musgrave
    Phone: +61 8 8313 3905
    Email: ian.musgrave@adelaide.edu.au
    Location: Room S515, Medical School South

    Additional Academic Staff

    Dr Scott Smid
    Phone: +61 8 8313 5287
    Email: scott.smid@adelaide.edu.au
    Location: Room N531, Medical School North

    Dr Abdallah Salem
    Phone: +61 8 8313 4327
    Email: abdallah.salem@adelaide.edu.au
    Location: Room N506, Medical School North

    Dr Janet Coller
    Phone: +61 8 8313 3906
    Email: janet.coller@adelaide.edu.au
    Location: Room N515, Medical School North

    School Office
    Phone: +61 8 8313 5571
    Email: medical.sciences@adelaide.edu.au
    Location: Room N131a, Medical School North
    Course Timetable

    The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes
    1 Identify some of main factors which can influence the effectiveness of therapeutics
    2 Explain the basic mechanisms that can allow for effective individualization of drug therapy
    3 Describe common characteristics that are associated with dependence on a range of different drugs
    4 Describe some of the issues involved with social use of drugs
    5 Recognise the rationale behind and limitations to using drugs to enhance performance in sports and cognitive tasks
    6 Describe some of the issues involved in the use complementary therapies in relation to pharmacology and how they are regulated in Australia
    7 Describe the basic concepts of modern toxicology, including an understanding of how drugs can have adverse effects
    University Graduate Attributes

    No information currently available.

  • Learning Resources
    Required Resources
    “Rang and Dale's pharmacology” by Rang, Dale, Ritter,
    Flower and Henderson (Elsevier, 2012, 7th Edition). This book is an excellent introduction to all
    aspects of pharmacology and lecturers will assign relevant chapters for each lecture. Students can access online material at http://studentconsult.com/
    "A Small Dose of Toxicology" free e Book
    http://toxipedia.org/display/dose/A+Small+Dose+of+Toxicology

    The prescribed texts are integral to the course and may be purchased from:
    Unibooks, University of Adelaide
    ADELAIDE SA 5005
    Telephone +61 8 223 4366
    Toll free 1800 182 003
    Facsimile +61 8 8232 7315
    Email bookshop@unibooks.com.au
    Website www.unibooks.com.au

    For small group research projects journal readings will be assigned according to the research topic.
    Online Learning
    Lecture handouts and recordings will be available through MyUni. Tutorial responses will also be through MyUni and the small group workshops will produce a wiki as part of the workshop.
  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes
    Lectures supported by tutorials developing material in the lectures, and small group learning workshops exploring lecture concepts in depth, while expanding research and life learning skills.
    Workload

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

    You should spend at minimum 12 hours a week on study activities for this course.
    This will include an average of 4 hours contact time (lecture/workshop/tutorial) and 8 hours
    revision/preparation/study.
    Learning Activities Summary

    Theme: Drugs and Society - Drugs as Medications

    1.    Weeks 1-3: Therapeutics- 5 lectures, 2 tutorials (J Coller, P Rolan, S Smid)

    2.    Weeks 3-4: Personalised Medicine- 3 lectures, 2 tutorials (A Somogyi, J Coller)


    Theme: Drugs and Society - Social Use of Drugs

    3.    Weeks 5-6: Drug addiction- 4 lectures, 2 tutorials (F Buisman-Pijlman; A Salem)

    4.    Weeks 7-8: Performance enhancing drugs – 4 lectures, 2 tutorials  (I Musgrave, S Smid)

    5.    Weeks 10-11: Complementary therapies- 4 lectures, 2 tutorials (I Musgrave, J Coller)


    Theme: Drugs and Society - Adverse effects of Drugs

    6.    Weeks 11-12 Drugs and the Environment- 4 lectures, 2 tutorials (I Musgrave, A Salem)

    Week

    Topic

    Lecture

    Week 1

    Drugs as Medications

    Therapeutics

    Week 2

    Drugs as Medications -

    Therapeutics

    Week 3

    Drugs as Medications -

    Therapeutics

    Week 4

    Drugs as Medications

    Personalised Medicine

    Week 5

    Drugs as Medications

    Personalised Medicine

    Week 6

    Drugs and Society -Social Use of Drugs

    Drug addiction

    Week 7

    Drugs and Society -Social Use of Drugs

    Drug addiction

    Week 8

    Drugs and Society -Social Use of Drugs drugs

    Performance enhancing drugs

    Week 9

    Drugs and Society -Social Use of Drugs

    Performance enhancing drugs

    Week 10

    Drugs and Society

    Complementary therapies

    Week 11

    Drugs and Society

    Complementary therapies

    Week 12

    Adverse effects of Drugs

    Drugs and the Environment

    Week 13

    Adverse effects of Drugs

    Drugs and the Environment

    Small Group Discovery Experience
    Small group discovery experience lead by experienced academic and research staff. The project will involve development of a Wiki entry on the research question and a 20 minute oral presentation on the research topic.
  • Assessment

    The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

    1. Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
    2. Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
    3. Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
    4. Assessment must maintain academic standards.

    Assessment Summary
    Assessment Task Assessment Type Weighting Learning Outcome(s) being addressed
    Final Exam Summative 60% 1-7
    Mid Semester Test Summative 10% 1-7
    Tutorials Summative 5% 1-7
    Workshops Summative 25% 3-7
    Assessment Detail
    Final Exam: A 3 hour examination paper with a mixture of multiple choice, short answer and extended answer questions covering all the lecture material
    Mid Semester test: A 1 hour examination with multiple choice and short answer questions that covers material from the first half of the semester
    Tutorials: MyUni quizzes with a combination of multiple choice, matching and short entry responses.
    Workshops: (Small group discovery experience lead by experienced academic and research staff): Development of a Wiki entry on the research question and a 20 minute oral presentation on the research topic
    Submission
    All submission are electronic via MyUni.
    Late submissions of any student work are not acceptable. Coursework received after the deadline will be penalised as follows:
    15% of total available points will be penalised per day (24 hour period or fraction
    thereof).
    An automatic zero mark will be applied after 7 days. For example, coursework submitted any time after the deadline up to 24 hours late and marked as a 75% would become 60% (i.e. a 15% penalty). A 55% grade would become a 40%.Coursework submitted to any location other than those specified will not be accepted. This includes submissions to personal staff email addresses. Weekends and public holidays ARE included as penalty days. Extensions will only be granted in exceptional circumstances following the provision of supporting documentation (e.g. a medical certificate) to the course coordinator BEFORE the due date and time of submission.
    Course Grading

    Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

    M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
    Grade Mark Description
    FNS   Fail No Submission
    F 1-49 Fail
    P 50-64 Pass
    C 65-74 Credit
    D 75-84 Distinction
    HD 85-100 High Distinction
    CN   Continuing
    NFE   No Formal Examination
    RP   Result Pending

    Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

    Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

    Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

    Replacement Assessment
    Academic replacement assessments will be offered at the discretion of the School and only to students whose overall marks are within 5% of a Pass grade (i.e. 45%). If students feel their exam performance was impeded by medical or personal factors, applications for replacement assessments on Medical or Compassionate grounds may be made. Note that colds and minor
    respiratory infections do not constitute grounds for granting Medical Supplementary Examinations. Students should make every reasonable attempt to sit the final exam, and must apply for replacement assessments within 7 days of the exam. Replacement assessment application forms and forms for completion by Medical Practitioners (required for Medical Supp applications) are available at: http://www.adelaide.edu.au/student/current/exams/ .
  • Student Feedback

    The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

    SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

  • Student Support
  • Policies & Guidelines
  • Fraud Awareness

    Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

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