University of Edinburgh

The seas and oceans appear to offer opportunities for the long term, cost effective, generation of energy. Waves and tidal currents represent high density energy resources which, in the case of the tides, are highly predictable in form. The wave resource, whilst not predictable in a true sense, is more easily forecast than is the wind. The engineering difficulties associated with effective exploitation of the marine resources are considerable, however. This course guides students through the process of understanding the resources and how to best develop and apply techniques for exploitation.

A course for beginners with no previous knowledge of Japanese, designed to introduce the Japanese Language and culture. The course is not suitable for students with previous knowledge of Japanese. Students develop basic reading, writing, listening and speaking skills. They acquire knowledge of basic grammatical structures and a vocabulary of approximately 400 high-frequency words and phrases and the two basic character sets. 

This course gives students with no previous knowledge of Scottish Gaelic a general introduction to the language and a general overview of the history and culture of Gaelic Scotland. Students gain a basic competence in spoken and written Scottish Gaelic and acquire a general understanding of the history and culture of Gaelic Scotland.

This course explores the main approaches to the interdisciplinary study of gender and provides grounding to major feminist debates in the field. It examines the development of feminist social and political thought from the 1960s onwards and relates theory to "real life" issues and debates. Topics include gender and power, feminist debates on equality and difference, masculinities in the military, gender and technology, feminism and multiculturalism, and post-feminism. 

This course provides insights into one of the darkest, most disturbing, and most formative eras of European history in the 20th century. The place of the Third Reich in German and European history, as well as reflections on continuity, modernity, and radical change, are discussed in detail. The seminars pay particular attention to conflicting interpretations of how the Third Reich came into being, the reasons for its "success," and how a complete breakdown of a civilization was possible. The seminars develop students' capacity to distinguish between fundamental knowledge and historical interpretations. Different methodological approaches to key questions are presented and discussed next to different political interpretations of the Third Reich. The critical use of different theoretical models is presented and encouraged throughout the course.