English

This is a course in abstract algebra, although connections with other fields are stressed as often as possible. It covers some of the jewels in the crown of undergraduate mathematics, drawing together groups, rings, and fields to solve problems that resisted the efforts of mathematicians for many centuries. The powerful central ideas of this course are now crucial to many modern problems in algebra, differential equations, geometry, number theory, and topology. 

This course embraces several forms of digital media, with an emphasis on music and sound for the construction of structured environments in Human-Computer interaction. It provides a framework for the creation, discussion, and evaluation of interactive processes using real-time computer technology in sonic-centric scenarios. These may include various areas of interactive music and media composition, such as: acoustic instruments and live electronics and game-audio and procedural audio with physic-graphics-sound engines. 

The study of children and childhood has long been of interest in the fields of archaeology, history, and classics, highlighting the importance of this particular age group in understanding past societies. It is a matter of fact that children have always been present throughout pre-history to the modern-day, but their voices and lived experiences have not always been directly accessible, often presented through an archaeological record generated, and interpreted, by adults. The concept of childhood too is a social construct, subject to the needs of a population within a particular geographic or temporal context, and economic, political, cultural and environmental influence.

In this course students explore how to conduct academic integrity research, considering topical areas such as what factors cause students to cheat, and how well university interventions to the misuse of generative AI work. The course also explores using AI to support the academic research process. It provides transferable research skills that can be used in other courses. The course is taught through a mixture of in-person, online, and prepared videos and resources. It also features guest presentations and discussion-based sessions, which are held periodically during the course. At the end of the course, students present their research as part of a group at an online external conference.

The course introduces students to philosophical thinking about the justification of state authority and coercion, to familiarize students with the main methodological, conceptual, and normative issues in the study of political obligation, to teach students about some of the most influential political philosophers and their theories of the state, to encourage and enable students to think critically about the role of ideas such as consent, natural rights, or associative obligation following ideas in justifying political authority, and to help students to develop advanced reasoning skills by training them in abstract, philosophical arguments. The themes that the course covers include anarchism; libertarianism; perfectionism; the consent or social contract tradition; the associative obligation tradition; and democratic and critical (Marxist) theories of the state.

This course provides a foundational understanding of sustainability and circular economy principles, enabling critically assessment of environmental challenges and exploring solutions that promote long-term sustainability. The course fosters a systems-thinking approach and encourages responsible decision-making in various professional and everyday contexts by highlighting sustainability's interdisciplinary nature and its relevance across different sectors. Course topics include an introduction to sustainability, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), circular economy principles, life cycle thinking and environmental impact, sustainable materials and design strategies, sustainable energy and resource management, and the challenges and implementation of circular economy.

This course examines contemporary Japanese politics. It looks closely at the relationship between institutions (electoral systems, regulatory frameworks, administrative systems) and political actors such as politicians, political parties, bureaucracies and bureaucrats, business and civic groups, and citizens. It introduces some of the most important debates and issues in Japanese politics such as the emergence and evolution of conservative rule, the role of industrial policy in economic development, the relationship between bureaucrats and politicians, the legal system and politics, security policy and foreign relations, civil society and civic engagement, and state-interest group dynamics. The course will also address critical issues in contemporary Japanese politics such as demographic change, energy policy, the environment, natural disaster, constitutional revision, territorial and historical disputes in East Asia, women’s participation, and initiatives for economic revitalization. 

This course introduces students to several fundamental principles of biochemistry and metabolism. Students study the structure and function of major classes of biomolecules, including proteins, lipids and carbohydrates; the role of enzymes and enzyme kinetics in biological reactions; and the biochemistry of processes which support life, including cellular metabolism and its control. Students also explore the theory and practical use of commonly used biochemical lab techniques.

This course will lead students through building corpora, annotation, text-mining, quantitative analysis and visualization techniques using text data from English, various languages of Asia, the Pacific and beyond. It will provide the theoretical foundation to understand how corpora can answer research questions, as well as guided practice with computational skills. 

The course provides students with a broad understanding of the biology of microbial infections, focusing on bacterial and fungal human infections. Students study the mechanisms of microbial pathogenicity, starting with pathogen transmission and entry into the host, progressing through adhesion and invasion, to cell and tissue damage and host responses to injury. The diseases studied include tuberculosis, cholera, listeriosis, salmonellosis, gonorrhoea, pseudomembranous colitis, and key fungal infections.