English

This course addresses how modern techniques of structural and chemical biology are being used to solve biological problems. It draws on multiple aspects of macromolecular biochemistry including nucleic acid structure and interactions, signaling proteins, and membrane proteins.  The course demonstrates how this knowledge can be used in drug discovery and protein design in biotechnology. Topics include mechanisms of reversible and irreversible enzyme inhibitors, ligand binding, protein folding, the molecular basis for protein function, regulation of protein activity, cell signaling, and proteomics. Assessment: Tests count 40%; practicals, tutorials essays, and assignments count 10%; one 3-hour examination written in June counts 50%. A subminimum of 40% in the examination is required.

The course introduces a key concepts of project management innovation management and product development and supports students to participate effectively in the creation and realization of business opportunities. Combining business and technology aspects in one program, students will focus on finding new business solutions using applicable innovative technologies. Students will be able to gain knowledge and skills related to project management, innovation management and product development, and, additionally, gain practical experience through a product development project. Through class discussions and course activities students will be able to gain additional international experience and exposure, as well as improve their English language proficiency. During the course variety of teaching methods will be used: from basic explanations of terms and concepts, exercises, working on case studies, individual work in finding the application of the presented knowledge and team work on the project. Beyond mere description of theoretical lectures, the emphasis will be on practical work, where students will plan and manage a project. 

This course explores how people engage in political activism to challenge structures of domination and oppression, and to bring about social and political change. It explores key debates about political activism and social change in contemporary societies, drawing on interdisciplinary perspectives (e.g. sociology, political science, cultural studies, oral history) and different case studies (e.g. public housing, environment activism, gender and LGBTQ activism, anti-racist movements, black power movements, workplace and labor activism, student activism). 

The course introduces the evolution of the social service professions in South Africa and the global, national, and regional contexts within which they work. It focuses on the socio-political context created by pre- and post-democratic social policies within which social services in South Africa are now delivered. The course provides an introduction to the main policies, legislation, and programs that shape the developmental context in which social service professions now work in South Africa. It also introduces the global and national trends that impact on social service provisions in the South. Lastly, the course reviews the specific roles of social service professionals in promoting human wellbeing. Assessment: coursework (50%), final exam (50%).

The course provides an in-depth approach for exploring current concepts, ideas, and problems in selected topics in mammalian (including human) reproductive physiology. It develops the student's interest in, and critical appraisal of, current research in reproductive biology.

Drawing on a historical, institutionalist, and policy perspective the course examines comparatively changes in the political and economic domains in relation to Spain, Greece, and Portugal in the process of EU integration in their post-dictatorship period and beyond. The course traces processes of economic restructuring as crisis management strategies adopted in the 1980s to deal with the political and economic crisis of the 1970s. Drawing on these institutional legacies, the consolidation of the Eurozone in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and the unravelling of the North Atlantic financial crisis in 2008, the course seeks to understand the unfolding of the financial crisis in Southern European Countries, the adopted political and policy solutions, and the ensuing political crises. 

This course examines human-centred approaches to the design of interactive technologies and environments. It covers theoretical concepts, methods and tools used in human-centred design, including user research, ideation, prototyping and user evaluation. It provides students with the principles, processes and tools that are used in commercial design projects. Students learn to build empathy with users, identify the problem space, develop design concepts and persuasively communicate design proposals with an emphasis on the user experience through visual storytelling.

The twenty-first century is an age of unprecedented globalization. To better understand globalization, the course introduces the core models of international trade: Ricardian Model, the specific-factors model, and the Heckscher-Ohlin model. The course also deals with the research frontier by explaining how increasing returns and product differentiation affect trade and welfare. Finally, the course is devoted to understanding trade policy.

Prerequisite: ECO2102 Microeconomics