Was unsure of whether to give it 2 or 3 stars. Some of the lectures were really interesting, especially the updated lectures of COVID. Also liked the thalidomide block, the lecturer was amazing. But ultimately I just didn't enjoy this subject. I went in with high hopes and it quickly turned into one of my least favourite subjects. The coordinator was often condescending and unhelpful. The weekly quizzes were made intentionally confusing with ambiguous questions and answers, and the assignment peer-marking just seems like lazy work on the part of the faculty. There's no clear cut rubric so the mediocre essays ended up with better grades than they deserved and really good essays ended up with worse grades than they deserve (and this opinion was shared among a lot of students on a discussion on Piazza, not just me). Not to mention one of the lecturers literally only had YouTube links in her slides and showed the videos during lecture time. Paying thousands of dollars to watch YouTube videos just does not sit right with me. The exam was also very harshly marked. I'm just happy we had WAMnesty because I did not care for this subject at all. Fair warning to science students: This is NOT a sciencey subject. Pick this if you're interested in the history and sociology associated with certain "drugs". That's what they assess the most. That might be a good thing for some, personally not my cup of tea. Maybe it had to do with COVID, maybe it was just not for me, but it was a good warning against picking popular subjects rather than those that sounds more interesting to me.

3.5 stars. Overall, really good subject. I learnt a lot of really interesting things. Super cool to get so many guest lecturers that are experts in their field. All the tutors are super passionate and engaging. I didn't rate it higher because it kind of felt like each topic was only looked at in a superficial way? And so much content was covered you kind of forget things by the end of the semester. But maybe because it's a breadth subject it's supposed to be super broad and general.

One of my favourite subjects. Really interesting content, great lecturers, really in-depth look at all the factors that go into each issue/case study. As long as you keep up to date with lectures/readings the exam will be A OK.

Probably my favourite breadth subject so far. It covers the social and political backgrounds of a number of drugs in society. The content is modified slightly each year to focus on relevant matters. For example, our assignment was based on the implementation of safe injecting facilities in Sydney and Melbourne and we had some lectures on the current opiate crisis in the USA. The tutorials are basically a space to discuss a range of controversial topics that don't necessarily relate to lecture content - but they are a fantastic opportunity to learn from others and form opinions on complex matters in society. The exam is comprised of short answer questions, half seen and half unseen, and it is easy to prepare for provided you understand the lectures.

Buy the book "Dark Remedy: The Impact of Thalidomide and Its Revival as a Vital Medicine" because it will be in 1 of the 5 exam questions.