Trinity College Dublin

This course examines Western perspectives on the Middle East and North Africa. What are the origins, presuppositions, and theoretical foundations of these? Having examined Western perspectives, students are given the opportunity to hear the views of undergraduates in universities throughout MENA region. How do Western interventions and perspectives look from their point of view? Students critically examine Western perspectives on MENA and learn to assess the societal impact of Western interventions, beginning in the 18th century up until the present. Students explore the themes of refugee crises; war and genocide; law and human rights; gender; and national, religious, and ethnic identities of the region. 

The course equips students with an understanding of (1) the marketing concept, (2) important strategic marketing decisions for business, (3) emerging trends in marketing, and (4) the relationships and tensions that exist between marketing practice and society. Students are first introduced to important concepts underpinning marketing practice; consumer behavior, segmentation & targeting, branding, marketing communications in a digitalized world, and the marketing mix.

The course focuses on the variety of ways in which, since the mid-1800s, women writers from the United States have made use of non-realist genres and modes within short fiction as a means of both protesting and celebrating women’s positioning in what was still a self-consciously new and ostensibly utopian nation. It introduces students to the imaginative and discursive breadth displayed in texts produced by female writers prior to the 1970s. In doing so, the course explores the developments and continuities in fantastic fiction by women writers from the American Civil War, though the fin-de-siècle period, and into Modernism and its immediate aftermath. In this way, the course problematizes rigid periodization, in particular by highlighting the formal innovation and conceptual range of writers who employ a range of fantastical genres to explore issues from racism and oppression to infidelity and financial ruin, from science and the senses to the very nature of reality itself.

This course offers the opportunity to learn the basics of Gaeilge (Irish, or “Irish Gaelic”), Ireland’s first official language. In addition to acquiring core skills, students also explore cultural topics in their linguistic context.

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.

Organizations of one form or another play an important part of society and serve many important needs. They vary greatly in size, complexity and the activities they undertake. To achieve organisational goals people working in organisations have to be managed. This requires understanding the behaviour of the individual in the workplace. The course explores three key areas. Firstly, the factors that influence individuals such as personality, attitudes, perception, motivation, learning, communication and job satisfaction. Secondly, the factors that influence the nature of groups and teams and the importance of leadership. Thirdly, the course explores the nature of organizations by analyzing issues such as goals, structure, design, control, culture and development.

Students are constantly challenged by ethical dilemmas: about the future use of technology and artificial intelligence; about the possibilities of genetic and biomedical engineering; about the culture and behavior of global financial institutions; about who decides who should pay for what; about the environment, about migration, about political leadership. Citizens of a democratic society need to make ethically informed decisions about these issues.  The EthicsLab is an innovative way to explore ethical issues, where students learn from professors in different subjects across the university, and engage with leading thinkers about how the major global challenges can be addressed.  Students debate the importance of values and their prioritization, ethical biases and blind-spots, intentions and consequences, and they do this in a lab-environment where everyone is involved in designing solutions for the ethical issues of the day. 

For much of the 20th Century, Ireland lagged behind other states in Northern Europe in terms of economic development and average standard of living. Yet in the last decade of the century Ireland’s economic fortunes changed dramatically with the advent of the "Celtic Tiger." Ireland experienced rapid economic, social and cultural change over a short period of time that continues to unfold. Rapid population and demographic change and liberalization of social attitudes and values have all contributed to this change. Such changes have reinvigorated debates about what it means to be Irish, the values, lifestyles, and identities associated with such changes and the institutional practices, occupational structures, and the political priorities evident in Irish society. Yet there are continuities that can be traced back in Irish history that underpin and also help explain the dynamics of Irish society. This course utilizes theories of social change to explore what type of society Ireland is. It critically evaluates theories of development that have been used by academics and experts in Ireland to explain Ireland’s conversion from a "late modernizer" to a "knowledge society." Finally, it locates Ireland’s societal change in the context of Europe and globally.

The Finance function is a critical aspect of any organization.  The success or failure of a firm may be influenced significantly by how it manages its finances.  It is therefore important for both managers and employees to understand the principals of financial management for firms operating in any industry. This course is designed to provide a comprehensive understanding of financial management. It focuses on analyzing and evaluating financial products using various techniques. It covers several topics related to financial management such as debt policy, dividend policy, maximizing corporate value and financial risk. Throughout this course, students will become familiar with the basic concepts of corporate finance and financial language used within academic literature and the media.