King's College London

Neoplatonism is the last great ancient Greek philosophical tradition, founded in the 3rd century by Plotinus, who is arguably the most important ancient Greek thinker after Plato and Aristotle. Neoplatonism had a tremendous historical influence on subsequent philosophy, in both the European and Islamic worlds. Above all, however, the Neoplatonists are distinctive for their own philosophical interest and value, developing fascinating positions on issues such as the structure of reality, the soul and its happiness, the nature of evil, and the meaning of freedom. The Neoplatonic tradition also devoted considerable attention to the interpretation and harmonization of Plato and Aristotle. Anyone interested in the work of these two thinkers is likely to find Neoplatonism of interest too.

This course is broadly equivalent to A1 Basic User, Breakthrough Level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

The Iberian Peninsula was home to the first ventures of global empire. Drawing on key medieval and early modern texts in Portuguese and Spanish from the peninsula and its colonies this course examines the literary representation of frontiers and colonization. Students learn about the emergence of the modern states we now call Spain and Portugal and how they were not only the initiators of worldwide transformations, but also the products of a complex process of colonization. Through the literary representation of the relations between Christians, Iberian Muslims, and the indigenous peoples of Africa and the New World, key concepts of frontier, conquest, reconquest, conversion and coexistence are examined as part of global movements and dynamic cultural (ex)change.

This course examines how British Prime Ministers have governed in the period 1979-2015, and the role of the Prime Minister in the British system. The first half of the course focuses on key themes relating to the office of Prime Minister and the machinery of government, with the second half providing specific historical case studies, onto which the frameworks and theories discussed in the first half of the course can be applied and used for analysis and evaluation. Special attention is given to the memoirs and diaries of the prime ministers, cabinet ministers, and senior officials involved in managing the central machinery of government. The use of historical sources, and debate around the historiography of the subjects being discussed are interwoven into each week’s teaching. 

Queer history is both a subject and a practice, and this course provides an introduction to both. It is, first, an introductory global history of sexuality, demonstrating the vast range of approaches different societies have taken to regulating and experiencing the body and desire. It also aims to introduce students to the method of queer history, one of many approaches to the past which illuminate how Historical Grand Narratives are produced, and how they might change. 

The course provides a broad overview of this diverse critical discourse over the past generation, while also paying close attention to some of the most pressing debates currently animating the field. Topics include identities, sexualities, temporalities, homophobia, activism, deviance, performance and transgression. 

This course introduces students to the history of the world from 1900 to the present. It focuses on the idea of modernity, following four major themes that help explain the making of the modern world: war and empire; the material world; politics and revolution; and societies and cultures. It also reflects on what it means to think globally about the past. A series of chronologically organized lectures and seminars addresses significant events, topics, and concepts relating to the history of Britain, Europe, and other world regions. 

This course provides students with theoretical and practical understanding of macroeconomics. The course covers long run and short run analysis of the economy, goods, money and labor market analysis, and policy implications. Students must have a good knowledge of calculus and basic mathematical tools such as log transformations. Visiting students must have studied an introductory economics course.

This course provides an overview of science fiction criticism and its history. It considers what form "scientific’" endeavors took on in the Middle Ages and how these might have informed the "fiction" of the time; it will place modern and pre-modern texts in critical conversation in order to rethink the history and future history of the genre and of the book. Most of all, this course develops new insights into a diverse selection of medieval texts and illuminations, and, through these, allows students to explore critical and theoretical topics such as periodization, otherness, space and place, and the possibilities and problems of genre fiction. 

This course introduces students to the history of a hundred-year period from the Emperor Constantine’s death to the reign of the emperor Theodosius II. This is one of the pivotal centuries of Roman history, characterized varyingly by historians as a time of transformation, rupture, and of continuity. During this century, Christianity moved from being a sporadically persecuted minority religion to a faith promoted and eventually enforced by emperors; political and economic activities were brought under pressure by the movement of peoples within and without the empire’s borders; and the old rhythms of aristocratic cultural and social life had to accommodate both ascetic and episcopal demands and priorities.