English

This course offers an exploration of the origins, functions, and effects of political institutions in historical perspective, paying particular attention to their dynamics (that is, how different institutions appeared and how they changed over time). The course utilizes critical reading and discussion of research papers that apply theoretical insights and empirical tools to engage in major debates about the nature and consequences of political institutions. The course integrates material from a variety of disciplines including political science, international relations, political philosophy, economics, and history. The course examines what types of political institutions form, why they form, what they do, and how they evolve. Students discuss a series of debates related to the rise and consolidation of states in historical perspective, and review current (and some classic) works on the subject. These debates include why nation-states came to dominate over other state forms (such as empires or city-states), which role elites played in state formation, in which ways the functions of the state began to take shape, or how state capacity was built and sustained in different places and times. 

The course provides an introduction to macro-international trade theory and micro-international trade practice. It explores the history and development of China's foreign trade operations, including its challenges, achievements, and potential business opportunities. The course examines both the theory and practice of foreign trade in order to show the direction the country is moving in terms of its trade operations.

This course considers the economic potential of Big Data and AI. It begins by describing the rise of Big Data and the burgeoning field of AI, and proceeds to consider the implications of these new technologies for managers and for society as a whole. With this foundation, students examine managerial decision-making using data analytics. The course provides students with an understanding of the foundational elements of data analysis and the use of statistical thinking in the context of managerial decision-making in today’s age of big data. It is important to note that the course is primarily conceptual and analytical, rather than technical, and does not cover programming techniques. The tools developed in the course are the interpretation and evaluation of data analytics, and managerial decision-making based on such analytics.

This course develops a multi-disciplinary understanding of drugs in the UK and elsewhere by enabling students to apply sociological, criminological, historical, psychological and cultural perspectives to the study of drug use, and policy responses to this "social problem."  Students seek to understand why people take and sell drugs, how drug use is understood within societies, and how societies respond.  

This course offers an in-depth exploration of Shakespeare and his works with particular focus on Shakespeare's use of language, style, and evolution. 

The course provides an overview of the last 200,000 years of human history with a focus on diet and health and deals with different aspects of the relationship between mankind and the environment. The concept of transition is discussed with reference to osteological, archaeological, and historical source material on the Neolithic revolution, urbanization, and industrialization. To understand the population growth from a few individuals to 7 billion people in less than 200,000 years, the course employs an interdisciplinary perspective interweaving biological, social, and economic developments and climate change.

This course provides a firm understanding of physical concepts and processes, and students apply concepts learnt to recent advances in our understanding of science in general. Under the headings of physiology, diagnosis and therapy, and on scales from the cell through macro-organisms to the environment, students learn ways in which biological and medical phenomena may be better understood from a physics viewpoint.