University of St Andrews

This course provides fundamental information on climate dynamical processes and how we study them - currently and in the past. The course examines both strengths and limitations of terrestrial and marine proxy climate records used to study past climate of the late Holocene and Quaternary as well as introducing students to the fundamentals of modelling the climate system.

This course examines a selection of the major themes in economic history. Students read academic articles written by economists that use novel historical data, state-of-the-art micro econometric methods, and economic theory. The reading list covers a broad range of historical periods and geographic regions that provide unique settings to answer questions that are usually difficult to address in contemporary settings. The course begins with a discussion of the evolution of economic history and the main empirical methods used in applied microeconomics and their application in economic history. Then, students examine interrelated themes including the ultimate determinants of economic prosperity; culture and religion as drivers of social and economic change; the origins of gender inequality; the impact of ethnic animus and conflict in the long run; and the persistent effects of immigration and technology adoption on the economy.

This course covers the principles behind, and practical application of, data handling, visualization, and analysis in Earth Sciences. Statistical training includes understanding data types, data presentation and basic descriptive statistics, probability, hypothesis testing using parametric and non-parametric statistics, correlation and regression, and an introduction to numerical methods and modelling. 

This course is about the philosophy of first contact - that is, philosophical problems generated by first encounters with alien phenomena, agents, and experiences. The course addresses special problems of categorization (e.g., How can we identify phenomena and experiences that do not fit standard frameworks?), translation and communication (e.g., How can we decipher the meaning of radically unfamiliar languages?), philosophical psychology (How should we emotionally respond to radically unfamiliar phenomena?), as well as ethics and politics (What do we owe to foreign agents in the context of first contact, and what special dangers do such situations pose?) raised by such encounters. The course begins by considering general questions of philosophical psychology, and then moves on to consider specific instances of first contact, and their significance. 

The course addresses the relations between art and anthropology, and explores what anthropologists can say about aesthetic experience through a range of ethnographic examples. It explores the growing epistemological entanglement of contemporary art and anthropology. Contemporary artists are increasingly concerned with anthropological issues and the "art world" is continuously growing, embracing new artists and communities. What understanding can anthropology bring to the questions that plague contemporary art? Can the work of contemporary artists help anthropology develop new forms of research and output?

This course (followed by RU2202 in Semester 2) is the language track at second level for students who took the beginners' modules (RU1001 and RU1002) at first level. The most important elements of Russian grammar taught in the first year are reinforced and key intermediate grammatical topics are introduced. Audio-visual and writing classes are designed to improve listening comprehension and writing fluency in the language. Oral skills are developed with a native speaker in small-group oral classes. Students must have passed 1st year Russian language (or equivalent for visiting students) in order to take this course.

This course examines the changing role of the operating system, the concept and implementation of process, the OS/hardware interface with regard to storage and protection, and the techniques developed to achieve safety and throughput in multitasking systems.

This course examines the origin of the concept of sustainable development in public policy discourses with particular focus on the implications this concept has for the operation of business organizations. The course examines the difficulties of applying notions of sustainable development to single organizations as well as the challenges which conventional economic systems present to sustainable development. The course examines the theory and practice of managing for sustainable development, drawing on examples which are found in business. In addition, selected topics in managing for sustainable development are examined.