University of Edinburgh

This course presents an integrated approach to the processes that have driven environmental changes at various time scales during the Quaternary period. Discussed are the interactions between the oceans, ice sheets and continents, and the way in which climate change drives/affects Earth surface processes. The archives that preserve records of environmental change on Earth on time scales of millions of years to decades are examined. Causes for environmental change through time are scrutinized in a global context. In addition to covering the general change in Earths climate over a longer period, there as a focus on the last glaciation and the transition into the modern Holocene climate. The causes for environmental change are studied from a marine and a continental perspective. Also, a computer simulation component highlights the processes having driven past climate change in addition to assessing future climate states. Computer based practical sessions are an important part of the course and introduce techniques used in retrieving information on, and reconstructing, past environments from environmental archives (e.g. sediments, corals) and comparing data from different settings.

This course describes the phases of a modern programming language compiler with an emphasis on widely used techniques. The course project requires students to implement a complete compiler for a simple educational programming language targeting an abstract machine such as the JVM. On completion of this course, the student is able to analyze compilation tasks and apply standard compilation techniques; develop, implement, and apply modifications to standard compilation techniques and algorithms wherever this is necessary; and understand and implement design decisions in modern compilers.

This course is the follow-up to Foundation Spanish Language 1 at UCL. Students who have successfully completed Foundation Spanish Language 1 or have an equivalent knowledge (e.g. GCSE or Standard Grade) in the language are ideally suited for this course.

This is a course for students with no previous knowledge of Chinese, designed to introduce complete beginners to the four basic skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing in Chinese.