Contemporary Drug & Alcohol Studies MSc

University of the West of Scotland

The PGCert / Postgraduate Diploma (PgDip) / MSc in Contemporary Alcohol & Drug Studies adopts a critical social science perspective to explore the interplay between psychoactive substances and society. You will be introduced to a range of cross-disciplinary theories, concepts, and evidence to analyse the use and effects of psychoactive substances, patterns of consumption differentiated across social groups, and responses to drug and alcohol-related harms from various perspectives such as criminal justice, treatment, harm reduction, public health, and health inclusion. The program critically examines substance-related harms for individuals, families, and communities, considering how these harms are mediated by gender, class, race, and ethnicity, with particular attention to the social, economic, and political contexts of inequality and risk environments, including factors like housing, homelessness, and welfare state reforms. Additionally, it assesses the influences of the alcohol industry, the drugs economy, and prohibition on policy and practice, while engaging with current debates on alcohol and drug law reforms both nationally and internationally.