English

This course focuses on the relationships between language and society with special focus on those areas where Dutch is spoken. Questions about language variation are central to the course. How and why does variation emerge? What social, individual, and linguistic factors are important? Concepts addressed include standard language, accent and dialect, youth language, ethnolect, gender differences in language and gendered language as well as the differences between language variation and language change, linguistic style differences, racist and sexist language and the social meaning and function of language differences. Other topics include language planning, multilingualism, codeswitching, the status of minority languages and their role in education, language loss and language shift among migrants.

This course examines the politics of Southeast Asia. Topics covered include: colonialism, nationalism, democracy, authoritarianism, war, economic development, social development, overseas Chinese, ethnicity, religion, populism, and international relations, as they apply to Southeast Asian politics.

This course assists in the understanding of the history of climate change on the Earth and the factors that cause it.  The course covers the causes of climate change and the history of climate change on Earth, and the contribution of historical climatology to this understanding. Students outline the key causes of climate change and their interrelatedness, discuss the history of climate change on Earth, both natural and anthropogenic, and use the principles of historical climatology to investigate past climate change.

This course explores why and when Russian policymakers consider military interventions necessary; how they are presented as legitimate and justifiable. It investigates the widespread beliefs and ideas among the Russian political elite associated with intervention, state sovereignty, and the role of the West.

The course presents an introduction to the economic theory of the public sector. The topics covered include public goods, externalities, education, health care, pensions, redistribution, collective decision making and cost-benefit analysis.  A prerequisite for this course is a basic course in microeconomics.

This course focuses on the Greek world. The course includes a study of the built environment, from the major urban and imperial monuments of Athens to the forts and farms of the frontiers, the images housed in public buildings, houses, and tombs, as well as portable objects and the material residues of daily life and ritual. Students learn to apply the different perspectives and methods of archaeologists and art historians in interpreting material remains and visual images. The course combines close study of individual pieces of evidence with an evaluation of how they may illuminate the societies, cultures, institutions, and economies of classical antiquity. The students also learn to access sources of evidence in printed and digital form and in museum collections in London where key relevant source material can be inspected at first hand. Students in this section take only one term of the year-long course Art & Archaeology of Greece & Rome.

This course introduces students to the intricacies of the end-of-life journey, fostering empathy, cultural sensitivity, and practical knowledge to navigate this inevitable part of the human experience with wisdom and compassion. Students explore the historical, philosophical, and cultural aspects surrounding death and dying and gain a deeper understanding of the diverse beliefs, rituals and attitudes that have emerged across different civilizations and time periods in Southeast Asia. This comprehensive exploration encourages critical thinking and fosters an appreciation of the significance of death in shaping human societies and its profound impact on shaping the human psyche and world cultures.

This course examines some of the issues that face human kind at the beginning of the 21st century and show how geographers approach the problems facing the modern world. It includes topics that are currently reported in the media and examine the realities and uncertainties behind these issues, focusing particularly on the tools available to address key questions. The course facilitates cross-disciplinary discussion and to promote an in-depth understanding of problems facing us all. The course provides an insight into how these issues are influenced by complex interactions between social, cultural, economic, physical, and biological processes.

This course is an overview of the principles of child development and the factors contributing to optimal human development. Theories and research of youth development within the biopsychosocial model are covered. Societal, cultural, and other environmental factors that influence development are examined, as well as the biological underpinnings of youth development.