English

This course provides an introduction to basic political theory, a history of international politics and global governance, and to the structure of the global political economy. Students are given an opportunity to learn about the actors, structures, and politics of global health governance and international health policy. This includes global actors such as WHO, the Gates Foundation and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria; as well as the role of civil society organizations and social movements in promoting global health equity. With these basic building blocks in place, the course examines the following contemporary health issues through a social and political lens: health financing and health sector reform; global pandemic threats and the securitization of health; the effects of armed conflict on health; and the influence of trade and business on health. The course also examines health inequalities within the local area of East London - a part of London which includes both some of the most deprived households in the country, as well as one of the biggest financial and banking hubs in the world. This includes a field trip, as well as a global health "treasure hunt" in the British Museum.

This course explores the timeless journey of coming of age through a diverse selection of literary works, ranging from classic novels to contemporary fiction and short stories. By examining these texts, the course delves into the emotional, social, and cultural challenges faced by characters as they navigate the transition from youth to adulthood. Through close reading and class discussions, the course explores how themes like identity, relationships, societal expectations, and self-discovery are reflected and reimagined across different historical periods, cultural contexts, and narrative styles. 

This course explores microsociological theories of the self, social identity, and social interaction, drawing particularly on Symbolic Interactionism and Goffman's dramaturgical theory. It shows how the ostensibly private world of individual selfhood is created and shaped by social processes, culture, and interaction order.

This course investigates significant events that shaped American society and formed the United States from the colonial period to the end of the Vietnam War. The course covers the impact of the colonial legacy on the American self-government and development of a democratic society, the American Revolution and Republican ideology, the Industrial Revolution and Sectionalism, the Civil War and the end of slavery, the rise of Big Business and Corporatism, the World Wars and American Society, the United States and world revolutions, the decline of the American Empire. 

This course takes students on a journey through one of artificial intelligence's most dynamic fields. Deep reinforcement learning (DRL) has achieved remarkable breakthroughs, from mastering complex games to controlling robots. The course discovers how artificial intelligence (AI) agents learn to make decisions through interaction, beginning with core concepts in reinforcement learning and deep learning; then it explores how these powerful approaches combine to create sophisticated learning systems. 
 
The course progresses naturally through key topics in decision making with Markov processes, modern deep learning techniques for AI, value-based methods that help agents evaluate their choices, policy optimization approaches for learning effective behaviors, and advanced strategies for stable and efficient learning. The course emphasizes practical understanding through hands-on examples.  By the end of the course, students will understand how to build AI systems that can learn and adapt in complex environments. 
 

This course provides an overview of the historical development of India and South Asia. It addresses questions of Indian and South Asian historiography, covers the main continuities and changes in Indian and South Asian history, and identifies important personae and events. The course develops the general ability to understand key processes and events and their local/national and global relevance for the region today.

This course explores some of the historical roots and key debates of different religions and some of the contemporary issues they face. The course provides introductory groundings to various religious traditions, which may include Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism. Students explore ways in which these traditions have been defined and understood, both internally and externally, and how they have interacted in key historical moments and present-day contexts. This course may include a trip to a London religious site or other relevant neighborhood setting, a museum, gallery, or library. 

This course engages with key contemporary issues and debates in politics through the thought of political theorists writing from different traditions and perspectives. It examines fundamental and perennial political questions as well as issues new to our time. Topics may include freedom and autonomy, epistemic crisis and democracy, intergenerational justice, animal rights, the impact of AI etc. It offers the opportunity for students to examine more contemporary theorists, debates, and literature in dialogue with each other. The course introduces students to a variety of competing theoretical perspectives, requiring critical consideration of the insights and problems each perspective offers. It provokes students to engage with, evaluate, and critically reflect upon the different ways to think about and conceptualize key issues and debates in political theory.