Universität Wien

070039 SE Seminar - A Global History of Pychoactive Substances (2025W)

8.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 7 - Geschichte
Continuous assessment of course work
Moodle

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 25 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

  • Monday 06.10. 09:15 - 11:15 Seminarraum 1, Institut für Zeitgeschichte, 1090 Wien, Spitalgasse 2-4, Hof 1
  • Monday 13.10. 09:15 - 11:15 Seminarraum 1, Institut für Zeitgeschichte, 1090 Wien, Spitalgasse 2-4, Hof 1
  • Monday 20.10. 09:15 - 11:15 Seminarraum 1, Institut für Zeitgeschichte, 1090 Wien, Spitalgasse 2-4, Hof 1
  • Monday 03.11. 09:15 - 11:15 Seminarraum 1, Institut für Zeitgeschichte, 1090 Wien, Spitalgasse 2-4, Hof 1
  • Monday 10.11. 09:15 - 11:15 Seminarraum 1, Institut für Zeitgeschichte, 1090 Wien, Spitalgasse 2-4, Hof 1
  • Monday 17.11. 09:15 - 11:15 Seminarraum 1, Institut für Zeitgeschichte, 1090 Wien, Spitalgasse 2-4, Hof 1
  • Monday 24.11. 09:15 - 11:15 Seminarraum 1, Institut für Zeitgeschichte, 1090 Wien, Spitalgasse 2-4, Hof 1
  • Monday 01.12. 09:00 - 13:00 Seminarraum 1, Institut für Zeitgeschichte, 1090 Wien, Spitalgasse 2-4, Hof 1
  • Monday 15.12. 09:00 - 13:00 Seminarraum 1, Institut für Zeitgeschichte, 1090 Wien, Spitalgasse 2-4, Hof 1

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

This seminar introduces students to the history of drugs, covering the period from the eighteenth to the twenty-first century, with a slightly greater emphasis on contemporary history. We define drugs as psychoactive substances - a broad category that includes so-called narcotics such as cocaine, opium, and cannabis, as well as substances like alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine. The history of the production and consumption of these substances is significant and worthy of study in its own right. However, drug histories also serve as windows into the broader social, economic, and environmental history of a region. Moreover, approaching global history through the lens of these substances enables us to uncover global connections, economic systems, and cultural practices.

Over the course of this semester, we will work with a variety of primary sources to develop your skills in historical analysis and interpretation. These sources include archival documents, such as trade records, government reports, and legal texts. You will also analyze visual sources, such as advertisements and propaganda posters, to understand how drugs were marketed, perceived, and consumed in different cultural contexts. The aim is to further enhance your ability to evaluate evidence, contextualize historical narratives, and construct your own arguments.

Preliminary schedule:*

Week 1: Introduction I
Week 2: Introduction II
Week 3: Coffee
Week 4: Sugar
Week 5: Tea
Wee 6: Cannabis
Week 7: Opium I
Week 7: Opium II
Week 9: Cocaine
Week 10: Presentations I
Week 11: Presentations II

* The schedule is provisional and may be adjusted as needed. Students will be informed of any changes in a timely manner

Assessment and permitted materials

Reading: Read the assigned texts provided for each session.

Writing: Post two short reading responses in the forum on Moodle.

Presentation I: Present one of the assigned readings in class (possibly in groups).

Presentation II: Present the draft of your seminar paper during one of the final sessions of the seminar.

Seminar Paper: Write a seminar paper (15-20 pages). You may write the paper in English, German, or Spanish. Submit a draft of the paper (minimum 5 pages) at least two days before your presentation. The final paper is due by 28 February 2026.

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

You can miss class max. 2 times.

// Grading:
1) Active participation in classroom // 10%
2) Reading Responses // 20%
3) Presentations // 20%
4) Final Seminar paper, 15 pages // 50%

>= 87,5% very good (1)
>= 75% good (2)
>= 62,5% satisfactory (3)
>= 50% sufficient (4)
< 50% deficient (5)

Examination topics

This is a seminar. There’s no exam.

Reading list

Courtwright, David T. Forces of Habit: Drugs and the Making of the Modern World. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard Univ. Press, 2002.
Gootenberg, Paul. Andean Cocaine: The Making of a Global Drug. Chapel Hill: University of North California Press, 2008.
Mills, James H. Cannabis Britannica: Empire, Trade, and Prohibition, 1800 - 1928. Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press, 2005.
Mills, James H., and Patricia Barton, eds. Drugs and Empires: Essays in Modern Imperialism and Intoxication, c.1500-c.1930. Basingstoke; New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007.
Mintz, Sidney W. Sweetness and Power. Elisabeth Sifton Books. Harmondsworth [u.a.]: Penguin Books [u.a.], 1985.
Varma, Nitin. Coolies of Capitalism: Assam Tea and the Making of Coolie Labour. Work in Global and Historical Perspective, Volume 2. Berlin Boston: De Gruyter Oldenbourg, 2017.

Association in the course directory

EAR: Zeitgeschichte.
MEd UF GP (Version 2015): UF MA GP 01 Fachwissenschaft , SE Vertiefungsseminar 1: Quellenkunde und Quellenkritik (6 ECTS).
MA Geschichte (Version 2019): PM4 Individuelle Schwerpunktsetzung, SE Seminar aus Geschichte (8 ECTS).
MA Globalgeschichte und Global Studies (Version 2019): SE Vertiefung 2: Themen der Globalgeschichte oder der Global Studies (8 ECTS), Modul PM3/2 - ODER AUSNAHMSWEISE - SE Vertiefung 1: Weltregionen aus Sicht der Globalgeschichte oder der Global Studies (8 ECTS), Modul PM3/1.
IDMA Zeitgeschichte und Medien (Version 2019): M4a SE Seminar zu Zeitgeschichte und Medien, SE Seminar aus Zeitgeschichte (8 ECTS) / M4b Wahlbereich - Spezialthemen zu Zeitgeschichte und Medien II, SE Seminar (8 ECTS, Bereich Zeitgeschichte).

Last modified: Mo 27.07.2026 09:26