English

Multilingualism can be investigated from many perspectives such as language acquisition, sociolinguistics, cognitive linguistics and so forth. This course examines multilingualism mainly from the perspective of applied linguistics, focusing on the distinction between societal multilingualism and individual multilingualism (sometimes described as plurilingualism). It looks at some important definitions and distinctions and the idea of language choice, both at the individual level and in society, and how those choices are shaped (e.g. through official policy and planning decisions). The course touches on topics such as code-switching, heritage languages and language attrition, as well as multilingual pedagogies and assessment. This course introduces students to issues and concepts in individual and societal multilingualism and to examine situations where several languages are present in an individual’s language repertoire or speech community. The course takes as its point of departure multilingual individuals and the process of becoming multilingual throughout life. It examines global, critical and interdisciplinary perspectives on the topic of multilingualism, addressing decolonization and multilingualism in the Global South amongst other topics.

This course introduces students to the core challenges and responses associated with climate change, with an emphasis on the interplay between science, policy, politics, and communication. It explores four main dimensions: the scientific and socio-political foundations of climate change; the environmental, social, and economic impacts it creates; strategies for mitigation and adaptation; and the political and institutional contexts in which these responses are developed and contested. Students examine climate governance at multiple levels, from international negotiations under the UNFCCC to national action plans and local government climate strategies, with attention to the political dynamics that shape ambition and implementation. The course also considers the role of communication in influencing public understanding, political debate, and policy effectiveness, including how climate issues are framed, contested, and mobilized across different actors and scales. By combining conceptual perspectives with applied case studies, students gain the knowledge and critical skills to evaluate climate policies, understand the political struggles underpinning them, and reflect on the role of communication in advancing effective and equitable climate action.

This course introduces philosophical ethics. It studies in depth three classic works that defined the discipline: John Stuart Mill‘s Utilitarianism, Aristotle‘s Nicomachean Ethics, and Kant‘s Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals. Students also read modern works that expand on, employ, or criticize these classics.

In this introductory blockchain course, students explore why and how conventional finance is challenged by leveraging the power of blockchain technology through decentralized finance (“DeFi”). DeFi and blockchain are approached not as buzzwords but as representing a monumental shift in the way we perceive, interact with, and utilize financial services.  

This course equips students to navigate the paradigm shift in the future of finance and instills practical skills to thrive in the "real-world" of the blockchain industry. The course's focus is learning through application; all students are expected to actively engage. Students learn through a mix of lectures, student-led presentations (in teams), guest speakers, and exercises while building their own team projects. Each student completes an individual capstone project by designing a decentralized finance (DeFi) product that addresses a real-world financial problem. The project includes a written proposal and a short presentation, demonstrating the student’s ability to apply course concepts in a practical, innovative, and user-focused way. 

This course develops skills and knowledge that help students to get more out of the experience of listening to Western art music. Surveying set works drawn from different periods, the course considers the roots, emergence and establishment of this repertoire and its associated practices. Students consider how musical compositions were historically shaped by cultural and material contexts, and develop analytical skills in using musical scores to describe musical organization, style, and genre. Students are not required to perform as part of this course, but some prior familiarity with western musical notation is necessary.

The purpose of this course is to introduce recent breakthroughs in the physical and biological sciences that are now being explored for biomedical applications. The topics come directly from the research expertise of the lecturers, all of whom are young principal investigators in the new research institutes at the UM: MERLN and M4I. The course covers a broad range of topics, including nanomaterials for regenerative medicine, supramolecular biomaterials, big data and computer learning, electron microscopy, imaging and diagnostic mass spectrometry, and structural biology of tuberculosis. Gain firsthand experience of scientific research taking place at the UM and have the opportunity to visit research laboratories as part of a demonstration of some of the topics discussed in the lectures. In addition to a final content-based oral exam, there are two papers for evaluation. For their midterm, students choose a recent discovery reported in the press and investigate the scientific claims and integrity of the reporting. In the final paper, the student acts as the reporter, and write an opinion piece on a topic of research in either MERLN or M4I; this report is informed by an interview with one of the lecturers. Prerequisites include at least one of: SCI2017 Organic Chemistry, SCI2037 Cell Biology, or SCI2038 Physics. Highly motivated students with a different background should speak to the course coordinators. 

The public sector is a crucial component of the business environment, as government decisions and activities impact the private sector and citizens’ daily lives. Public management has changed enormously in recent years due to reform initiatives in many countries. Furthermore, functions and activities that used to fall under the compass of the public sector are now performed by a variety of actors, including companies and NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations). In light of these changes, the primary purpose of this course is to introduce students to foundational concepts and current developments in the field of governance and public management. Throughout the course, students discuss and work on assignments that stimulate their understanding of the collective sphere, how we decide collectively, and how managerial techniques can be employed to deliver better public services. Students are also exposed to 'the public role of the private sector', i.e., a set of non-market strategies that are considered essential to succeed in the global competitive landscape. 

What are people asking for when they say they want freedom? The class begins by considering what it means to be free. Is a person free when they can act without being interfered with? Or does freedom require abundant options? Or independence from the will of others? Then the class turns to the social aspect inherent in the initial question. When people demand freedom, they usually don’t just want it for themselves; they want freedom for everyone. The second part of the course explores the conditions in a free society. Is a society free when it’s members can act as they choose, compatibly with everyone else doing likewise? Or must a society provide its members with more or different freedoms? A particular emphasis is placed on the sources of, problems with, and responses to unfreedom.

This third year course focuses on using economic principles and management science to tackle real world business decisions. Students apply the concepts and tools learned in previous courses covering statistics, microeconomics, spreadsheet modeling and quantitative methods, to put them into practice through real-world examples with a global perspective.

This course examines major systems of the brain from the perspective of clinical neuroscience and covers behavior, cognition, emotion and development. It looks at theoretical models of the aetiology and neural mechanisms of clinical pathologies (such as anxiety, depression, psychosis), as well as considers wellbeing and cognition, and the research evidence supporting them. Research methods in clinical and cognitive neuroscience, including experimental, analogue, genetic, imaging, longitudinal and epidemiological studies will be covered to outline the strengths and limitations of these techniques.