University of Edinburgh

This course contains fundamentals of homogeneous and heterogeneous reaction engineering processes. The basic concepts of chemical kinetics, reactor behavior, and catalysis are introduced and applied to the design of isothermal and non-isothermal reactors.

This course is an introduction to the political, economic, social, and cultural history of the Middle East from 1800- c.1950. Opening at the beginning of the 19th century it examines the program of reform and state-building of the Ottoman Empire to defend itself against the growing military and economic power of Europe. The course then goes on to address the defeat of the Ottomans in World War I, the post-1919 settlement and the rise of nationalism in the interwar period, and ends with the establishment of Israel in 1948.

This is a course on the contemporary domestic politics of China. Students focus on how the Chinese political institutions operate today by addressing a variety of issues and aspects: the evolution of the party-state from 1949 to the present; the political economy of the Reform era; the development and role of the Chinese Communist Party in the Chinese political system. Taking an intersectional approach, students also assess other contemporary issues faced by China, including migration, social movements, and media censorship. The course concludes with an examination of China's foreign relations and its future, such as the debate over China's role in the global economy and international security.

In most societies, gift-giving acts as a critical form of social currency. Gifts mark special occasions such as birthdays; they cement diplomatic relationships; they act as bribes and charitable offerings. Gifts and gift-exchange can therefore tell historians much about the social, political, and moral norms of past societies. This course examines the fascinating histories of gift-giving in a cross-period and trans-regional context.

This course takes a critical and historiographical approach to the study of music from the Middle Ages to the late 18th century. It explores the emergence and development of new styles of music through this period and the ways in which they develop from and reflect the societies that produced them. It also focuses on the ways in which we have constructed our histories of these periods: what pieces, and what stories about them, are included, and which are not? Score-reading skills are a prerequisite for this course.

This course provides a systematic survey of the development of Scottish architecture from the 11th Century to mid-17th century. There is strong focus on the social and political context and the development of the castellated tradition and its transformation to domestic and civic forms. Students examine buildings, styles and designing, vernacular buildings, and designed landscapes. There is a strong emphasis on archival skills and interpretation and the way that different historiographies impact on our understanding. 

How does access to nature and to greenspaces impact on human health? This course will take a living labs approach to studying the ways in which gardens, parks, flora, fauna, and biodiversity more generally may impact on the health of humans and human communities. We will use a social justice lens in our study, examining how access and engagement with nature and the outdoors is unequally distributed within communities and how environmental injustice may contribute to the observed correlation between social inequality and health inequality.

Students taking this course develop an understanding of core concepts in the disciplines of physiology, pharmacology, reproductive biology, neuroscience, infectious diseases, and medical biology as well as develop core competencies in scientific learning and disciplinary practice. The experimental basis of scientific knowledge ("How do we know what we know") is also discussed. Throughout the course, students acquire a fundamental factual basis for study of Biomedical Sciences disciplines, including core concepts and important scientific principles; competence in effective literature searching and written communication; and practical skills required for research in biomedical sciences, including data analysis and interpretation.

This course provides an introduction to the politics of the Middle East. This includes an analysis of the growth and nature of the state in the Middle East; the prevalence of authoritarianism, neo-patrimonialism and processes towards democratization: the salience of Arab nationalism and Islamism: dynamics of conflict and revolution in the region; and the rise of Islamism.