English

This course introduces students to key debates and texts in the field of postcolonial studies. The lectures are grouped together under headings relevant to historical and contemporary engagements with post coloniality. Each theme consists of two lectures: one that frames the conceptual, critical, and historical debates on the given topic, the other discussing a literary text. The critical and literary works scheduled for each lecture represent the focus of discussion, but related authors, themes, and texts are introduced and discussed alongside them, giving students direction for further study. In addition, and where appropriate, visual and audio material is used to illustrate as well as help generate debate.

The course starts with an introduction to the basic mathematical tools needed: tensors (in particular the metric tensor), index notation, and coordinate transformations. Special relativity is introduced, and a basic overview of general relativity is given. The linearized Einstein equations are discussed, and their physical degrees of freedom are identified; it is shown how this leads to a wave equation and hence gravitational waves. The basic properties of gravitational waves are studied: what polarizations they have, how they interact with matter, and the energy they carry. Next quadrupole formula, which describes how gravitational waves are generated by the motion of masses, is reviewed. An important example is the gravitational radiation emitted by two compact objects (neutron stars and/or black holes) that orbit each other, and spiral towards each other until they merge together. The course discusses how these, and other gravitational wave signals are detected with interferometers such as LIGO and Virgo, including the basics of gravitational wave data analysis: how to identify and study weak signals in noisy detector data. Finally, lectures make a connection with discoveries made by LIGO and Virgo in the past few years, and their impact on fundamental physics, astrophysics, and cosmology. The course ends with a discussion of future gravitational wave observatories such as the underground Einstein Telescope and the space-based LISA, together with the scientific output that can be expected from these.

This course covers various theoretical traditions of scholarship within the sociology of education, and explores questions about the role of education in society. It explores institutional based processes, such as institutional power dynamics, teacher labelling, the curriculum and "hidden curriculum," and the construct of ability. In doing so, the course explores the processes through which educational and social inequality are generated and how alternative forms of education might address inequality.

This course examines how thoughts, feelings and behavior of individuals influence the behavior of others. It is the branch of psychology that studies persons and their relationships with others and with groups and with society as a whole. 

This course provides a rich introduction to modern British history, from 1801 to the present day. If students have not previously studied the period, it gives them the foundation for specialist courses in subsequent years. If students have some prior knowledge, it challenges them with new interpretations from the cutting edge of historical research. The course introduces students to new critical approaches to the subject and draws extensively on primary sources such as film, pop music, and visual imagery. It has a strong global dimension, showing how crises in India, Asia, and Africa shaped the "British World." 

This course introduces urban economics and covers fundamental principles developed in economics to understand the functioning/workings of an urban economy and the various aspects of urban life. The course begins with the definition of a city, why cities form by introducing the economics of agglomeration, and how cities interact to form the urban system of the entire economy. These factors affect all urban phenomena. The course then analyzes the internal spatial structure of a city by developing a theory of commuting, housing demand and housing production. It then analyzes transportation and land/housing issues in more detail. Finally, the course discusses the optimality of local public good provision and connects local public finance and housing markets with land taxation.  

The Ecology course provides an introduction to and overview of the field of ecology and builds on material learned in secondary school courses in biology.  The course covers the most important theories and principles of general ecology based on interesting examples from scientific research and the practice of nature management, agriculture and fisheries, land development, and environmental policy. Ecological insights are essential for solving major problems concerning biodiversity, food production, global climate change, and many other areas.

This course examines how images of the “Old World” were constructed in the United States to define the nation in contrast with the political and cultural traditions of Europe. The tension between the American ideal of exceptionalism and adherence to an essential “Europeanism” continues to affect transatlantic relations. Students examine how these contrasting collective images were transformed during the twentieth century as the United States became a global power that influenced Europe. The course considers the following: which images of Europe have dominated American public discourse; how the geopolitical, political, and economic changes during the American Century affected the way Americans re-positioned themselves towards the Old World. After studying the literature, students explore one case study in a small research project.

An introductory course providing students with a broad overview of political science as a social science discipline, this course seeks to cover the basic principles of political theory, comparative politics, and international relations over the course of the semester. The course covers a wide range of topics, from political theory, ideologies, nations and states, the government, interest groups and society, elections, political psychology, political violence, international relations, and global politics. The goal of the course is to introduce key concepts and ideas in political science, and to encourage students to explore these concepts further through other courses or by themselves.

How does access to nature and to greenspaces impact on human health? This course will take a living labs approach to studying the ways in which gardens, parks, flora, fauna, and biodiversity more generally may impact on the health of humans and human communities. We will use a social justice lens in our study, examining how access and engagement with nature and the outdoors is unequally distributed within communities and how environmental injustice may contribute to the observed correlation between social inequality and health inequality.