University of St Andrews

In 1370 the Turco-Mongol conqueror Timur (Tamerlane) founded his empire and made Samarqand his capital. This course introduces a culture Timur and his successors created and its transition during the long 15th century. Students explore the art and architecture under their patronage in the eastern Islamic world, including present-day Iran, Afghanistan, and Central Asia. Emphasis is placed on the impacts of their nomadic tradition, politics, and ideology on the artistic production and urban landscape. The latter part of the course centers around the late Timurid court in Herat.

This course covers the physical, chemical, and biological processes that impact the oceans and atmosphere. As Earth’s fluid envelopes, the oceans and atmosphere share many dynamical similarities, as well as important differences. The course covers the geophysical fluid dynamics of the ocean and atmosphere, which influence the large-scale transport of heat and water/air masses, as well as small-scale features such as eddies and convection. Different modes of climate variability, such as the El Nino-Southern Oscillation are investigated. This course also covers key biogeochemical processes that impact on the chemistry of the ocean and atmosphere, including carbon and nutrient cycling, and air-sea gas exchange. The insights from the physical circulation of the ocean and atmosphere build on knowledge of biological and chemical processes and reactions to understand key concepts such as cloud formation and aerosols.

This course provides a fundamental framework for interpreting major petrological processes acting within the silicate portion of planet Earth. The course focuses on solid-state equilibria, liquid-solid phase equilibria, crystallography, and spatial associations. 

This course examines how ecosystems function and how they provide services for humans: information which is essential for ecologists, conservationists, and land managers. The course considers examples of natural systems being altered by man to demonstrate how ecosystems function and the consequences of anthropogenic change. Disturbance and regulation in ecosystems, atmospheric, and hydrological regulation (including the greenhouse effect and acidification), soil ecology, conservation and management of natural resources, agricultural and grazed ecosystems (including GMOs), urban ecosystems, and aspects of sustainable development are also discussed.

This is a practical course offering students the opportunity to work in small groups in the Music Centre's Electronic Music Hub to create music from electronic sources. Accompanying lectures and seminars examine the history of electronic music, amplified music, and computer music and look at works by significant composers and innovators who have worked in these genres, from Stockhausen to Jimi Hendrix. The course also offers tuition in the music software package Reaper. No prior experience in electronic music is necessary in order to take the course, but some knowledge of music notation or music theory would be advantageous.

This course covers the principles of rock deformation and the tectonic processes that drive this deformation. The goals of this course are the development of skills in the structural analysis of rock bodies to gain an understanding of the geometries, sequencing, and kinematics of deformational features; and understanding of tectonic principles and controls on rock deformation and mountain building. Students learn how to quantitatively evaluate strain distribution, stress fields, and the failure envelope; how to evaluate structures arising from polyphase deformation; and how to use these skills for geotechnical engineering applications. The course may include compulsory field trips.

This course provides a basic understanding of research design and statistics that provide the foundations for independent empirical research and critical analysis. Emphasis is placed on the acquisition of analysis skills. Topics include core aspects such as basic statistics, technical writing, and the use of statistical packages.

The number of international migrants has rapidly grown over the last few decades. This course explores the economic determinants and consequences of international migration, and sheds light on the often controversial policy debates surrounding immigration. Students apply basic economic theory and empirical methods to understand the decision to migrate, the effect of immigration on labor markets and government budgets, the effect of diversity on economic performance, the effect of high-skilled emigration on source countries and immigration policies. The course has a strong focus on the empirical evidence on immigration and trains students' ability to critically assess this evidence.

This course begins by examining the scope of international marketing and identifying the nature of this specialized environment. It continues with an exploration of the range of international market entry and pricing strategies and ends with a review of the impact of ethical considerations and the political dimensions of international marketing.

This course analyzes the development of the central European art, architecture, and design between the 1880s and the 1910s. Focusing on the Austro-Hungarian empire (in particular the cities of Vienna, Budapest, Prague, and Cracow) and the Balkans (e.g. Romania, Bulgaria, and Serbia), it examines significant new material expression in this key crucible of modern cultural forces. Emphasis is placed on the relationship between the artistic search for cultural and personal identity, the state, and contemporary society. Issues of nationalism and supranationalism are analyzed in the course of studying the work of such groups as the Austrian Secession, Wiener Werkstätte, Gödöllő colony, Mánes, and Sztuka societies. Major figures include Klimt, (Otto) Wagner, Hoffmann, Lechner, Luksch-Makowsky, Mucha, Petrović, Rippl-Rónai, and Wyspiański.