English

The rise of cities in the British Isles since the modern era has fostered the development of a collective culture linked to spatial markers, material objects and forms of expression. Forged in a history of conflict, this culture is defined through rituals, works of art, monuments, oral, printed, and audiovisual narratives. This course explores the specificity and diversity of cultural forms and practices whose context, breeding ground, object, and methods of expression are urban spaces and urban life. It approaches the articulation between cities and cultures through the prism of the social, political, and cultural history of the United Kingdom in the 20th century through cultural productions and practices such as cinema, visual arts, literature, music, and leisure. It introduces the approaches of cultural history, sociological analysis, and the history of forms. The course is structured around key topics, including identities, conflicts, expression, democracy, protest, spaces, time, class, art, memory, representation, history, rituals, tourism, hauntology, and psychogeography.

This course examines the actors, dynamics, strategies and rules of the changing international political system, and patterns of interaction among the powers.

This course examines the intersection between energy consumption and human/corporate/economic activities. It looks at how energy is utilized; what factors are affecting energy consumption in intensity and in total; and how human behavior could be changed for energy conservation and pollution control. 

The course gives a brief introduction to all fields of astronomy. Overview of general fundamental concepts. The night sky and its motion. Astronomical instruments and observation techniques. The sun and the planetary system, exoplanets. The distances to the stars and their motion. The structure and evolution of stars. The space between the stars. The Milky Way and other galaxies. Theories of the origin and development of the universe.
 

This course examines the observational aspect of astronomy (including constellations and planets), the physics of our solar system, and our own Sun, stars and their evolution, galaxies, blackholes, and cosmology.

This course demonstrates how anthropologists have provided insights into the diverse ways in which violence and security are enacted, performed, experienced, and defined across historical trajectories and geographical localities. To unpack the anthropological approach, this course rests on three key pillars. The first is the variety of ways in which violence and security are analyzed and identified. Rather than presenting a singular approach to analyzing these themes, this course emphasizes multiplicity and diversity. To do so, the physical, structural, and symbolic forms of violence to show how divergent forms of violence and (in)security shape everyday social realities are examined. Various conceptual tools are used to analyze these diverse manifestations and the prominent ethical and methodological questions. The second pillar is the simultaneous distinction and interconnection between violence and security: although they are often mutually constitutive, they also operate as distinct subjects of analysis. The third is the politicization of both violence and security and the inherent processes of exclusion and boundary making. To define something as violence is a political act. Furthermore, security for one often entails insecurity for another and is thus always a political affair. How are notions of membership defined and enacted and what type of imaginaries of security are produced?  General themes include colonial and postcolonial violence and rupture; policing and security provision; urban violence and crime; war and militarization; surveillance, and the complex relations between perpetrators and victims of violence. Special attention is paid to the ethnographic study and representation of these issues. Entry requirements: All students must have completed at least 45 ECTS of their introductory bachelor year.

The lecture covers four major aspects of HCI: 1. Understanding users (user behavior, user research techniques such as interviews and usability testing) 2. Designing user interfaces (principles of interface design for usability, interaction paradigms) 3. Evaluating interfaces (usability testing methods, identifying usability problems, iterative design based on user feedback) 4. Integrating HCI into system development (integrating the above aspects into an iterative product development cycle). The exercise section of the course applies the above theory in practice. Learning outcomes include: Apply HCI principles to design user-friendly interfaces; conduct fundamental user research and analyze user needs; understand principles of iterative prototyping and evaluation of interactive systems; communicate HCI concepts effectively.

There are two thoughts at the center of this class, which are to be challenged and clarified in discussion. The first thought is that all desire is somehow or other aimed at the good. The second thought is that all action is somehow or other subject to normative evaluation. The class challenges and clarifies these thoughts by close reading of parts of Plato's Republic and of contemporary texts. From Plato's Republic, the class focuses on the role of technical expertise (techne) in guiding action; on theory of the tripartite soul; and on the theory of desire and its objects. Students read contemporary works, especially by Christine Korsgaard, that deals with related themes and also touches on Plato's Republic. Students also read works by Rachel Barney, which is focused on the Republic and helps to forge a connection between Plato's text and these contemporary debates.

This course examines works of Mediaeval and Tudor drama.

This course explores traditional crafts in Ireland from Aran knitting to weaving and lace-making and their associated processes, symbolism and significance. It examines the development of vernacular fashion, traditions associated with clothing, and the influence of traditional Irish craft and clothing internationally. Ideas of sustainability in terms of clothing and craft are also explored as well as their use in subsistence and within the vernacular economy.