Australia

The ‘Silk Roads’ are often considered to be the world’s greatest network of throughways that linked China to the Mediterranean world over land and sea. The historical development of Chinese culture and civilization cannot be scrutinized without a reflective understanding of the Chinese Empire’s dynamic interactions with the nomadic peoples and the Western world that were situated along the Silk Road. This course examines the geopolitical and cultural landscapes of Eurasia; the migration of peoples; as well as the spread of goods, religions, ideas, technologies, art and diseases between the East and the West. It explores the construction of an early form of globalization, and how it has contributed to the formation and dissolution of people’s ethnic, religious, linguistic and cultural identities. This course ends by examining Chinese government’s grand initiative 'One Belt One Road', and inquiring about the way in which the geopolitics of the Silk Road region in the past still exerts tangible and long-lasting impact on the world today.

This course examines the fundamentals of mixing and audio production through lectures, workshops and creative participation. Weekly assignments may include the analysis, mixing and remixing the music of a wide variety of artists ranging from Radiohead, Coldplay, Lady Gaga, Linkin Park and the Red Hot Chili Peppers to Queen, the Beatles, and Led Zeppelin. The course also introduces the students to the industry-standard Digital Audio Workstation software (e.g. Logic Pro X) and makes regular use of the School of Music’s own cutting-edge music technology labs and other facilities. 

This course examines the creation and the reception of the work of art. It commences in 15th century Italy with an examination of the organization of artists' workshops and concludes by analyzing the relationships between contemporary artists, their materials and markets. Topics in the subject are varied but will focus around certain key issues: the changing status of the artist, the determination of authenticity and value, and the role of materials and markets in the construction of meaning.

This course examines the main environmental and sustainability issues experienced by our society through the lens of a chemist. Students will discover how fundamental chemistry principles can explain the rise of many of these issues but also provide solutions to address them. It answers questions such as: how do human activities affect the quality of water leading to social justice issues? What is the effect of air pollution on our atmosphere and cities? Are solar panels or cloth nappies sustainability-conscious choices? Is plastic recycling worth it? Fundamental scientific concepts that we will explore include but are not limited to the greenhouse gas effect, how solar panels and other renewable energy devices work at the molecular level, the chemistry of waste and contaminants found in water, soil, and the atmosphere. 

This course examines the fundamentals of black and white analogue photography and the legacy of experimental image-making processes. Students will engage in experimental image-making processes using 35mm film cameras and darkroom processes, alongside camera-less photography techniques.

This course examines the rise of China and its implications for regional and global security. It critically examines the theory and practice of China's international relations, as well as explores the ways in which China's historical legacy has shaped its worldview and foreign policy. Drawing on key concepts of power, legitimacy, national identity and international status, the course examines China's evolving global role, with a particular emphasis on key relationships and security challenges in the Asia-Pacific. 

This course examines how human physiology facilitates exercise and how our bodies adapt over time following exercise training. 

This course examines how literary and cultural works address the state of perpetual war of the historical present. Focusing on Third World decolonization contexts, it considers how writers and artists interrogate the gender, racial, and national ideologies that fuel violence, and how literary cultural analysis contributes towards understanding the global unevenly distributed effects of war.

This course examines the causes and correlates of global poverty, and investigates the policies used to address it. The approach of the course is microeconomic, meaning that it focuses on individual and household behaviors, as well as market failures which lead to sub-optimal choices by these individuals. It covers measurement of poverty and inequality, the role of health and education in poverty, problems in credit, savings, and insurance markets, the causes and effects of migration, environmental degradation, and child labor.