In his novel A Brave New World (1932), Aldous Huxley declared that consuming the mythical drug 'soma' was to take a 'holiday from reality'. While the module is not quite this break from reality, it does seek to examine the history of drugs in the modern era in a broad and imaginative manner. The module explores the myths surrounding a range of drugs – from opium and alcohol, to LSD and amphetamines – placing drugs and their users in historical, social and cultural contexts. As we will see, drugs are very often used as vehicles to articulate social or cultural anxieties relating to 'deviant' groups defined by their race, gender or class. Via weekly sessions that focus on a particular drug, a group of substances or a specific historical moment – including teaching based on original research – we will explore these shifting contexts and the manner in which drugs very often transition from 'angels' to 'demons'.
Based around a loose chronology that spans the Victorian era to the Cold War (and beyond), the module includes a particular focus on Britain in the era of the two World Wars; drug use in times of conflict; the political, social and cultural responses to drug use; and the use of drugs in everyday life. The module includes reflections on the role of the press and the extensive use of primary sources. We will also have class debates and small group work that seeks to link the history and historiography to modern attitudes and approaches to drugs. By so doing, the module aims to understand humanity's long-standing and synergistic relationship with drugs.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the module students should be able to:
analyse and critically appraise key events and historical processes relevant to the subject under scrutiny
analyse and critically evaluate a wide range of relevant primary source material
critically evaluate the historiographical context and trends of the subject under exploration
summarise, synthesise and evaluate the subject material in a sophisticated written form
