English

Political sociology examines the social origins and dynamics of political phenomena such as the state, nationalism, political mobilization, civil war, and conflict. It focuses in particular on the changing relationship between society and state. This course provides an overview of the major debates in the field, tracing the changing relationship between state and society in the modern era. It provides an introduction to both classical and contemporary issues in political sociology and reviews the leading theoretical and historical approaches in the field. The course explores how the nation-state became the dominant form of political organization and why it persists; why nationalism is such a powerful force; why people get involved in political parties and social movements; how civil wars break out; how governments maintain their legitimacy; the changing nature of warfare and its role in shaping societies and states; and the changing character of politics in the Information Age.
 

This course introduces students to the synergies and challenges across anthropological and psychoanalytic theory. It encourages students to think across methodologies and conceptual toolkits in their analysis of subjectivity, the psyche, and human experience.

Through the reading of a selection of classical Greek and Roman literature in translation, the course aims to introduce the students to some major authors and works of the classical period, and prepare them for the study of English literature.

The first part of this course introduces central topics in philosophical aesthetics and philosophy of art. It mainly examines contemporary English-speaking authors, but occasionally also considers historical figures. The second part of the course examines more in detail philosophical problems related to art criticism. At the end of the course, students will have a general understanding of some crucial issues in the field of the philosophy of art, and a detailed understanding of a recent work on the philosophy of art criticism.

This course examines issues around drug use, supply, and associated criminal behavior from a social and subcultural perspective, understanding how some people's drug use is disproportionately framed as 'problematic.' It explores different frameworks and approaches to governing drug use and rehabilitation around the globe, as well as the future of drugs in our society by understanding how technology, media, and globalization shape the changing drug markets. 

This course examines problems and concerns relating to the laws, and ethical issues that affect journalists and the journalism profession. While the lectures and coursework focus on Hong Kong, they also examine key global developments.

The first part of the course helps students to understand how Korea and Japan, existing in a region where politics and culture revolved around the vicissitudes of Chinese power, built quite unique early modern political systems that ensured centuries of peace and stability. The damage caused by 19th century European and American expansion is explored through political, economic, social, and cultural lenses. Analyzing fascism, democratization, nationalism, and communism, including the era of 'total war' (1931-1945), helps students to understand how early 20th century East Asia was part of global trends at a time when populism and mass movements reshaped the old world order. The course covers the Cold War "peace," which included the Korean War and massive social protest in Japan, to understand how much American and Soviet interests influenced the region. Finally, only through a close examination of the normalization of international relations, particularly with China, and dramatic changes in the Japanese and Korean economies at the end of the last century, can we come to understand how East Asia became one of the centers of global production, security crises, and cultural output.

This course introduces the physiological characteristics, nutritional requirements, and common nutritional issues at various stages of life. It covers dietary guidelines, the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) for the population, and findings from national nutrition surveys. Additionally, the basic principles of dietary planning are covered to provide a comprehensive understanding of nutrition across the lifespan.   

The course will revolve around the pivotal aspects of drug delivery, encompassing the introduction of the development of drug delivery technologies and systems, the application of drug delivery techniques in pharmaceutical research and development, a categorization outlining the materials, designs, and applications of mainstream drug delivery systems, as well as the arrangement of corporate visits to enhance students' comprehension of drug delivery.

This course is a foundation course for all Earth scientists, as well as students from other disciplines like biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering who wish to understand how our planet operates. The course is taught through the concept of connectivity between the evolution of life, and the physical Earth over time, plate tectonics and the rock cycle, and climate and elemental cycles. It conveys the relevant spatial and temporal length scales involved in Earth processes. Through lectures, innovative hands-on practicals, museum visits and geological tours of Edinburgh, and a field trip, students come to understand how the Earth works as an integrated system of physical processes, life, and climate, and appreciate how our modern world has emerged.