University of Edinburgh

The course is a study of imperative stored program control architecture and application in an embedded environment. An initial series of exercises teaching principles and techniques is followed by two application project phases. The students use C programming language as an example only to program an embedded processor built on a high performance Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) platform. There is no need for prior knowledge of the C language as students are provided with pre-built modules and guidelines for integration.

This course takes an ecological approach, emphasizing interactions between different organisms and all aspects of their environment. All environments are now changing under the influence of human activities and many species are under threat as a consequence. In this course, students learn tools that allow them to begin to scientifically address such issues.

This course teaches students the principles underlying the theory of auditing, of the regulatory framework of auditing, and of practical audit approaches and techniques. The latter is taught with reference to case studies. Students are also introduced to the critique of the auditing profession and the profession's response. The course exposes students to current academic research in the field of auditing.

This course covers the journey of Buddhist monasticism from ancient India to modern Europe and America through a range of texts, including canonical literature and poems and autobiographies of monks and nuns. The course discusses how a disciplined life and living in a community can enable ethical transformations. Although some of the earliest Buddhist texts advocated strict celibacy, most of the Buddhist communities in subsequent centuries adopted a form of monasticism and priesthood that allowed for families. The course explores the social changes, ethical and philosophical ideas that led to the acceptance of families in Buddhist monasticism. Additionally, the course examines how monasticism, with or without celibacy, influences the ethical development of individuals who choose one or the other form of life.

Some understanding of theoretical, ethical, and practical aspects of field work is essential for students engaging in research with people. This course teaches students, especially but not only from religious studies and practical theology, the necessary competence and confidence in this field. This methodology course  investigates how fieldwork plays an important role in the study of religion. The course combines strong theoretical and practical discussion ranging from insider/outsider issues in the study of religion, alongside detailed classwork on participant observation, interview techniques, and writing up fieldwork notes. 

The course provides a foundation for the understanding of fundamental concepts and current ideas in physical geography. The course begins by considering in broad terms the development of physical geography and the key concepts and phenomena of change and evolution, cycles, fluxes and events, the environment as resource and hazard, and the human impact on the environment. The remainder of the course explores these themes in more detail in the context of the atmosphere, hydrosphere, pedosphere, and biosphere. The course emphasizes the importance of spatial variation, and temporal and spatial scales, and interactions between human society and the biophysical environment.