English

The course provides an investigation of the relationship between organizations and their stakeholder groups, and the social accountability and responsibilities that a corporation holds towards different stakeholders. The course introduces students to concepts of corporate governance, socially responsible investment, and ethical issues relevant to contemporary business. 

Students learn how important it is for organizations to continuously develop new and improved products so they are not left behind in the market. Students explore why product development is a risky business and why many new products fail. You discuss the main issues faced by firms at each stage of the development process.

This course covers the basis of energy conversion systems, including electric power generation through energy resources and environmental sources. Focusing on electric power supply, the course addresses consumption patterns from reserves of energy resources and energy consumption of coal and oil. It covers the process of energy conversion; thermal and nuclear power generation; solar power generation, and fuel cell power generation system. To understand environmental issues, the course discusses the concept of general engineering and transport and energy consumption corresponding to the generation of electricity. A lecture tour of the operating power plants will be scheduled.
 

This course explores how the human-animal question is approached in contemporary literature. How do contemporary literary texts portray distinctions between humans and other animals? What are the philosophical, ideological, and political implications of such portrayals? If humans are distinguished from other animals on the basis of their possession of certain qualities such as speech, then what does this mean for groups of people who are deprived of their capacity to speak? Week-by-week, students approach such questions by concentrating on literature that introduces us to rational beasts, poor beasts, migratory or colonized beasts, and of course to edible ones. In doing so, students unearth connections between animal studies and feminism, post/colonialism, scientific innovations and environmental concerns, as well as consumerism and profit-driven economic systems.

Topics in this Methodology of Political Science course include: the logic of research in political science; problem of causality in political science; case and variable studies; the comparative method in political science; theories and hypotheses; research design; data collection techniques; data analysis; visualization, preparation, and report of research papers.

Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering II refers to any technological applications of chemical and biological systems, such as biomolecules and environmental materials to make or modify products or green processes for specific purposes. This class focuses on biomaterials, biomedical engineering, membrane transport, protein engineering, environmentally benign materials and reactions, biomass conversion, fluid dynamics, green process and industrial processes. Basic aspects of engineering for biotechnology, biological and environmental materials will be discussed.

Knowledge of organic chemistry and biochemistry is required for this course.

This course aims to introduce students to the sociological study of social inequalities. That is, to gain a broad understanding of the social processes through which some end up having more resources than others and through which some become included and some excluded. In the introductory sessions, we will begin by defining social inequality and its relevant dimensions, learning about its trends in Europe and the world as well as its pernicious effects for society. Students will also learn key sociological concepts such as social class, social mobility, and ethnoracial categorization processes. In the second part of the course students will be introduced to some of sociology’s most studied mechanisms that help explain the perpetuation of inequalities in a wide range of contexts such as cumulative advantage, opportunity hoarding, discrimination, boundary making, and social networks. As a next step we will learn about some of the most relevant engines of inequality such as families and schools, labor markets, tax systems, extreme weather events, and migration systems. We will end the course by learning about how to tackle inequality. We will discuss how acceptance or opposition to it comes about and reflect on sociology’s relevance in addressing societal disparities.

This course examines the interplay of religion, law and politics in contemporary India, Sri Lanka, America, New Zealand, Canada and elsewhere. Themes include secularism, religious freedom, pluralism and others.

Students in this course explore some of the important conceptual and philosophical questions underlying physics and finance, like: How are assumptions about randomness compatible with observed forms of determinism? How is it possible to seek truth using statistical theories? What does it mean to be an atom? How does the quantum world differ from the everyday world? What explains why physical models have unexpected applications in finance? To what extent do such applications help to underpin how the prices of financial instruments are set? This course will proceed at a conceptual level that is suitable for students of all backgrounds: no background in physics is needed, and there is no advantage to having one.

This course is designed to understand the rationale and the most important rules in patent law, trademark law and copyright law, mostly focusing on US and EU law. It focuses on understanding how to identify and analyze statutory law and most relevant case law pertaining to most pressing issues in patent, trademark and copyright law.