University of St Andrews

Key information

SCOTCAT credits : 15

ECTS credits : 7

Level : SCQF level 11

Semester: 1

Availability restrictions: available to students studying online postgraduate programmes in IR

This module examines the politics, economics, and culture of the drug trade in the Americas. It explores how the definition of “drugs” has shifted over time, how the role of states in the trade shifted from trafficking to prohibition, and about the constellation of global drug enforcement agencies. Students will analyze the structure of drug trafficking, its diverse workforce, and how supply chains adapt to regulation and its absence. The module also considers cultural depictions of the trade, showing how “narco entertainment” shapes public opinion and policy. Key lessons emphasize that the distinction between licit and illicit drugs is socially constructed, prohibition often fails, and harmful policies persist due to entrenched beliefs and interests. Students will leave with a deeper understanding of how states choose to regulate this market or not, why most participants do not profit significantly, and the broader consequences for human wellbeing of the Americas drug trade.

Learning and teaching methods and delivery

Weekly contact: There are no fixed weekly contact hours, but students will take part in asynchronous discussions, and optional synchronous sessions.

Scheduled learning hours: 12

Guided independent study hours: 132

Assessment pattern

As used by St Andrews: Coursework = 100%

As defined by QAA
Coursework: 100%

Re-assessment: Coursework = 100%

Personnel

Module coordinator: Dr D R Hirschel-Burns
Module teaching staff: Dr Daniel Hirschel-Burns
Module coordinator email drhb1@st-andrews.ac.uk

Intended learning outcomes

• Interpret the social and historical processes that produced a distinction between licit and illicit drugs
• Evaluate why and how drug war policies can persist without achieving their stated objectives
• Articulate the different kinds of market regulation strategies that could feasibly be used for the drug trade, and the social, economic, and political outcomes of each
• Analyse how cultural production around the drug trade influences our understandings of what the drug trade is and how we should judge it ethically
• Assess the degree of independence that drug trafficking organisations' origins have in relation to the state and why their relationship becomes more competitive or collaborative over time
• Formulate clear policy proposals that can distinguish between realistic improvements to existing policy and existing policies that have failed