English

This course provides a social policy perspective on a range of issues which impact upon family life. Topics include definitions and ideologies of family; changing family structures; lone parent families; contraception and abortion; homosexuality; and strategies for policy change. Students learn to identify major theories on the family; engage in an analysis of central developments in family life in Ireland; be conversant with major policy developments relating to family in Ireland; and have an understanding of the diversity of family forms in contemporary society, and the ability to critically discuss them.

This course studies animal immune systems and the application of a variety of immunological methods to research and diagnosing diseases. Topics include: immunological functions in vertebrates and analogous activities in invertebrates; structures and biological properties of immunoglobulins and T-cell receptors; divergence of antibody genes; emergence and characteristics of lymphoid tissues; major histocompatibility complex; complement pathways; immunity against bacteria, viruses, and parasites; AIDS: vaccinations, hypersensitivity, and autoimmunity; and immunological tests and immunochemical techniques using non-mammalian and mammalian antibodies and their application to various biological problems. 

This course introduces the diversity of crime fiction and film, with a dedicated focus on the linkages among different geographical regions and cultural traditions. By examining common or similar plot elements and artistic techniques, the course conveys how authors and filmmakers employ them in tales about crime to arouse audience interest. Students sample Western detective fiction and Chinese court-case fiction, as well as their adaptations in Japan and Latin America. The emphasis on grasping the tenets of adaptation will also be imparted through analyzing the relations between print media and moving images.

Developmental biology deals with the various steps necessary for the correct and complete formation of the body of a living organism. In this course, students are introduced to the mechanisms used to produce different cell and tissue types and ensure these cells develop in the correct position and identity. Students learn, using examples such as the eye and limbs, that similar developmental mechanisms are employed by diverse organisms. The role that developmental biology plays in medicine in stem cell therapy, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine are also considered.

Where does power lie in politics? Whose explanations about how the world works are valued and why? This course examines the answers to these questions. It also examines the formation of the modern state system and interrogate the conceptualisation of the state that informs much contemporary theory and practice in politics at the national and international level. A substantial part of this course is devoted to the introduction of the main theoretical traditions that animate the study of politics and international relations. 

This graduate research course provides training in experimental skills and scientific presentation for doing research in the field of Life Sciences. Students choose their own research topic and perform research under the guidance of a subject matter expert in their field. The course varies depending on the research topic but it may include weekly lab meetings; presentations of up-to-date research articles, and participation in scientific discussion with the instructor and lab colleagues. 

This course examines language and politeness (and by extension also language and impoliteness). The first part of the course will provide a critical overview of major approaches to linguistic (im)politeness, including early classic politeness and impoliteness theories and more recent developments in the field and look at how (im)politeness is defined, theorized and analyzed differently by different approaches. The second part of the course will turn to topics in relation to linguistic (im)politeness such as (im)politeness and culture as well as (im)politeness in (social) media communication. Examples will be drawn from a wide range of sources such as everyday conversations, political communication and online communication.

The human voice is a highly flexible tool for communication with others. The course familiarizes students with the main concepts underpinning the psychological processing of the human voice, and to introduce them to research on the perception and expression of speech, emotions, and identity. The content covered ranges from basic articulatory and acoustic properties of verbal and nonverbal vocal behavior (e.g. speech, laughter), to social and cognitive aspects of voice processing (e.g. identity recognition, evaluation of personality traits), and the neural underpinnings of human voice processing.

This course provides a survey of painting, sculpture, and architecture in Europe and beyond from c. 1280 to c.1580. It follows a roughly chronological course, from Giotto at the beginning of the 14th century, to Dürer, Michelangelo, and Titian in the 16th century. Attention is paid to the issues relating to the wider artistic situation of the Late Medieval and Renaissance periods, including those of patronage, iconography, materials, technique and types of commission. Although the primary focus of the course is on Western Europe, lectures also address how European art formed alongside non-Western traditions, including the important role played by global trade.

This course examines the psychology of dementia focusing on the cognitive and psychosocial impact on individuals with a diagnosis and those who care for them. Students examine patterns of both lost and retained cognitive skills in people with dementia. Students focus on how retained skills can be maximized, and how the caregiving experience can be improved for both people living with dementia and their caregivers.