University of Edinburgh

This is a course on differential equations discussing higher order linear equations, Laplace transforms, systems of First Order Linear ODEs, non-linear systems of ODEs, Fourier Series, use of separation of variables in standard PDEs, and Sturm-Liouville Theory. In the skills section of the course, students work on symbolic manipulation, computer algebra, graphics, and a final project. Python is used in computer labs.

Political philosophy examines normative issues connected to (1) the relations between states and (2) the relations between states and those subject to their rule. Examples of topics that might be covered in any particular year are: Feminism, Immigration, Voting, Taxation, Property, Democracy, Liberty, Liberalism, Libertarianism, Distributive justice, Retributive justice, Intergenerational justice, Freedom of expression, War, Dissent, Civil Disobedience. On completion of this course, the student will be able to: Explain key issues and controversies in political philosophy. Explain and analyze various theories and arguments in political philosophy. Justify and explain their political-philosophical views. Understand the relationship between political philosophy and other areas of philosophy.

The course discusses how goods are produced, circulated, and consumed, and how these three fundamental processes of social life and reproduction are mediated by technology. Classically, economic anthropologists focused on how such activities were organized in small-scale societies or in colonial territories; often production and exchange, with their associated technologies, were highlighted while consumption received less attention. Today the impact of globalization, the rise of the digital society, and the overflowing material abundance that characterizes life in the advanced economies and aspirations elsewhere, have led many social theorists to focus on consumption and communication as the key factors determining how people experience power, identity, connections, and conflicts. The course examines a range of case studies and theoretical essays, evaluating the strengths, weaknesses, and applicability of different approaches.

This course provides students with an appreciation of the issues, techniques, and concepts involved in the field of quality management. The coverage of quality management requires a multidisciplinary approach, integrating concepts and techniques based on systems, behavioral, and quantitative techniques. To overcome the lack of experience of business practice among students, the teaching, course-work, and supporting computer exercises are strongly case oriented, with a course web site providing supporting material. The teaching sessions address the wide range of topics involved in operations management. These topics are related in groups and individual exercises to particular situations, in order to show how principles apply in practice. Finally, the 2 course-work project provides an opportunity for students to analyze and discuss the issues in a case study of their own choice.

This course examines how people in different societies conceptualize and live out relatedness. It shows how notions of relatedness are linked to ideas about gender, theories of procreation (which are themselves changing under the impact of assisted reproductive technologies), and understandings of bodily substance, as well as having profound emotional, economic, and political salience. Kinship was long regarded as the core of the anthropological discipline, and although the extent to which this should still be the case has come under question, recent years have seen a marked revival. The course considers the history of kinship studies, looking at some central debates in the subject and assessing their implications for other anthropological sub-disciplines and anthropological theory more generally; and it examines the relevance of kinship studies to understanding ourselves, our families, and our contemporary world as well.

This is a course on reasoning, arguing, and thinking critically in and about law. The focus is on how to construct and evaluate legal arguments. The goal is to teach students the building blocks of legal reasoning—from the basic conceptual apparatus needed to analyze and describe legal positions, through the identification and elaboration of valid arguments, to an understanding of the distinctive features of legal argumentation.

This course builds on HISTORY OF ART 1 in providing an introduction to Art History at university level. Continuing the chronological approach, this course examines aspects of the visual arts from c.1700 to the 21st century. The course considers the visual arts as a part of a wider culture and gives an overview of certain specific areas in the history of art. Students gain command of specialized vocabulary and are expected to read widely from the bibliographies provided by the lecturers and tutors. Semester B is called Modernism, the Avant-Gardes, and Postmodernism. It looks at major Western avant-garde movements from Dada and Surrealism to the break-up of styles and unitary movements that took place from the 1960s onwards. It concludes with the effects of globalization and radical new conceptions of art that are current in today's world. The course also addresses cross-cutting themes and issues, from feminism, economics, display, the environment and aesthetic awareness that are all core to "thinking like an art historian" in the 21st century. HISTORY OF ART 2 consists of two semester units but each semester unit is also designed so that it can be taken as an independent course.

This course focuses on the consequences of quantum physics at high energies and short distances. The course also explores topics such as relativistic and quantum physics, the symmetries of fermions and bosons, and forces within the nuclear and particle physics domain. Fundamental particles and composite states are introduced, along with investigating the quantum numbers and symmetries associated with the interactions of these particles. Models used to describe the phenomena observed on the subatomic scale are discussed, along with explaining their successes and shortcomings. Experimental methods associated with the subatomic world are also introduced. This course covers the same nuclear and particle physics concepts as the 20-credit course, "Relativity, Nuclear and Particle Physics", however relativity is not covered.

This course introduces the fundamental concepts of the theory of computer science. What does "computing" mean? Are all "computers" basically the same? Can we tell whether our programs are "correct" - and what does "correct" mean? Can we solve problems in reasonable time, and can we tell whether we can? The course concentrates primarily on conceptual understanding, but adds enough detail to allow students to go on to further courses, and it illustrates how the fundamental concepts are reflected throughout the discipline.