English

This course explores the complex connections between religion and human rights, both in terms of the evolution of the contemporary human rights regime, and in relation to the specific disputed issue of gender. The relationship between religion and human rights is controversial and contested. On the one hand is the claim that human rights require a religious grounding. This course explores the complex connections between religion and human rights, both in terms of the evolution of the contemporary human rights regime, and in relation to the specific disputed issue of gender, and have their antecedents in religious traditions, while on the other hand is the view that human rights provide a necessary antidote to the prejudices and inequalities that are characteristic of religion. The course begins with a consideration of contemporary understandings of human rights, of the role of religion in the evolution of the language, values and norms of human rights, and of contemporary debates about orientalism, colonialism and post-colonialism in the articulation and implementation of human rights. The second section considers debates about the nature and politics of gender, the role that different religions play in the construction and maintenance of gender norms, and the manner in which different religions deal with the issue of women’s rights.

This course explores current issues in the study of modernity and colonialism and their connection to music in East Asia. The early twentieth century has fostered a growing interest in the critical examination of the relationship between music and society, with scholars focusing on postcolonial issues concerning Japanese and other imperial projects, exploring their influence on music and the dynamics of colonial collaboration and negotiation across the region. Through an extensive review of existing literature, this course aims to deepen our understanding of the cultural and musical aspects of colonialism and its ambiguous relationship with modernity.

This course addresses issues surrounding the Climate Emergency and Net Zero in the renewable and sustainable energy field, with an introduction to existing energy demand and provision in the UK and globally. This involves various energy technologies, resources and devices introduced to meet the potential energy gaps and mix for future demand and supplies.

The course presents a general view of the current scientific understanding of the Universe with its components, including basic notions on its physical and observational fundaments. It teaching methdology includes lectures, tutoring sessions, and study of the night at an astronomic observatory.

This course examines the internal organization of firms and other organizations. It provides a rigorous introduction to foundational theories, and then discusses applications to real-world managerial problems. It looks at the following questions: How should incentives be designed in organizations? How should conflict within an organization be resolved? When should organizations outsource and when should they produce internally? Why do organizations arise in market economies? 

This course examines the institutional and cultural production of knowledge as well as the various forms of power that structure and legitimize it. It is co-taught by colleagues from different departments. Engaging with a range of anticolonial, anti-caste, feminist, indigenous and anti-capitalist texts, the course decenters the university as the exclusive site, and the individual as the paradigmatic source, of intellectual work. It (re)considers knowledge produced in other settings such as radical and revolutionary movements, forms of collective study, and its tension with extant structures of power. Central to the course is prioritizing engagement with, rather than mastery of, theory as part of a broader political commitment to praxis and “doing” intellectual work collectively. To that end, the course incorporates a form of assessment that recognizes and rewards this style of engagement. 

This course examines the emergence, institutionalization, and electoral dynamics of Green parties in Europe, from their roots in protest movements to their current place in national and European party systems. It explores their organizational models and electoral strategies through a combination of historical, sociological, and comparative approaches. The course analyzes the diversity of Green parties and their interactions with voters, social movements, and other parties. Particular attention is paid to the sociology and geography of the Green vote, as well as to methodological tools from comparative politics and electoral analysis. Students work with data from elections and surveys, conduct comparative research, and engage with case studies to understand how Green parties operate and evolve within contemporary democracies marked by climate urgency and political transformation.

This course examines horror’s aesthetic, experiential, and political dimensions, while investigating why and how it has persisted as one of popular culture’s most vigorous and influential genres. It closely considers a range of classic and contemporary films, TV shows and video games, confronting questions of power, affect, mediation and representation.

This course teaches how to identify opportunities for innovation and develop user-centered, impactful, and innovative digital solutions that respond to real-world needs. Through a combination of theoretical insights and practical tasks, explore how new digital solutions can drive change across various industries and societal needs.

Work in teams on real-world problems, realize bold ideas, and develop MVPs (minimum viable products) with mentoring and supervision. Key skills include market analysis, requirement elicitation, innovation strategy, solution making, and effective pitching.

This course uses a human-centered lens to examine security and privacy, focusing on how design and research can create solutions that people can understand, trust, and use.  

Security and privacy are as much about people as they are about technology. Many failures arise not just from a lack of technical capability, but from mismatches with how people think, behave, and interact in their everyday contexts. 

Students engage with real-world topics ranging from authentication and security warnings to deceptive patterns, AI privacy, and privacy and security challenges in sensing environments, while learning foundational methods in user research and usable security and privacy evaluation. Through critical readings, class discussions, and hands-on projects, students develop skills to understand and design for human factors in security and privacy contexts. 

Key themes include: 1) Human-centered research methods for security and privacy, 2) Usable security tools, access control, and warnings 3) AI-enabled security and privacy challenges, 4) Sensing environments and security/privacy issues, and 5) Ethics and social implications in security and privacy