Introductory seminar course: "A Uniquely American catastrophe:" The Opioid Epidemic in Narratives - Details

Introductory seminar course: "A Uniquely American catastrophe:" The Opioid Epidemic in Narratives - Details

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General information

Course name Introductory seminar course: "A Uniquely American catastrophe:" The Opioid Epidemic in Narratives
Course number 024 200 0016
Semester SS 2024
Current number of participants 32
maximum number of participants 40
Home institute Amerikanistik
Courses type Introductory seminar course in category Teaching
First date Friday, 19.04.2024 10:00 - 11:30, Room: (D, 1087)
Veranstaltung findet in Präsenz statt / hat Präsenz-Bestandteile Yes
Hauptunterrichtssprache englisch
ECTS points 6

Rooms and times

(D, 1087)
Friday: 10:00 - 11:30, weekly (14x)

Module assignments

Comment/Description

The U.S. opioid epidemic is often referred to in various waves, the first one beginning just before the turn of the and the fourth one in 2015. In a January 2024 article, journalist Chris McGreal calls the opioid epidemic “a uniquely American catastrophe” (theguardian.com/us-news/2024/jan/28/us-opioids-crisis-fentanyl-appalachia). This sentiment seems to hold true when looking at recent numbers: In 2023, fatal drug overdoses rose to more than 112.000 within twelve months in the United States. A large percentage of these deaths were caused by opioids, “with young people and people of color among the hardest hit” (Mann et al.). This number increased drastically from below 20.000 yearly fatal overdoses at the turn of the century, so just over 20 years ago (nida.nih.gov/research-topics/trends-statistics/overdose-death-rates). This illustrates not only the severity of the issue, but also its acceleration. Today, “[d]rug overdose is the leading cause of injury death in the United States, with recent increases in overdose fatalities contributing to national reductions in life expectancy” (Park et al.).
In this seminar, we will look at the historical, political, and social backgrounds of the opioid epidemic in an attempt to map some of the complexities of the systemic issues that led to the current situation. We will then focus on opioid-narratives that raise crucial ethical questions, looking at both what they narrate as well as how.

There will also be the opportunity to attend some voluntary film screening sessions to get impressions of visual opioid-narratives.

If you’re attending this seminar for modules EAS-1411 or EAS-1414, please note that it is mandatory for you to also attend the Narrative Analysis seminar (Friday, 11.45 a.m. – 1.15 p.m.).

Admission settings

The course is part of admission "ALW/ELW/NELK: Aufbaumodul BA/LA: PS".
Studierende der Anglistik/Amerikanistik und des Faches Englisch können sich bereits während der vorgezogenen Anmeldephase zur Sicherstellung des Studienfortschritts für die Aufbau- und Vertiefungsmodule anmelden. Hierzu wird ein gewisses Kontingent der Kursplätze im Zeitraum vom 19.02.2024 bis 28.02.2024 für die Anmeldung geöffnet. Die Verteilung der Plätze erfolgt am 25.02.2024. Bitte beachten Sie, dass in dieser Anmeldephase Studierende in höheren Fachsemestern bei der Verteilung der Plätze priorisiert werden.
Die allgemeine Anmeldephase beginnt am 04.03.2024 und endet am 08.04.2024.
The following rules apply for the admission:
  • Enrolment is allowed for up to 1 courses of the admission set.
  • The enrolment is possible from 04.03.2024, 08:00 to 05.04.2024, 12:00.
  • A defined number of seats will be assigned to these courses.
    The seats in the affected courses have been assigned at 08.04.2024 on 13:00. Additional seats may be available via a wait list.
Assignment of courses: