University of Manchester

The course extends understanding of historical and contemporary theories in social psychology and challenge students to use their knowledge to engage with real-world issues. For example, what brings people together, and what keeps them apart? The emphasis is on fostering ethically minded and socially responsible psychology graduates, through critical reflection of our personal place in a social system. Students consider one’s potential to help others in need, and to be critically and responsively aware of known biases in social perception and judgement. The course equips students with enhanced employability skills through a focus on the ability to understand and articulate complex arguments, and to support claims by making sense of and explaining empirical evidence. Students are encouraged to engage with compelling experimental paradigms and debates in social psychology to move beyond directed textbook material and to become independent, active, and self-directed learners.  

Students learn about the basic cellular mechanisms underlying common human diseases and understand how drugs act on cellular and tissue dysfunctions to treat these diseases. Students study topics including autoimmune disease, cancer, and arthritis.

The ability to communicate with confidence and impact can have a significant influence on our success in every aspect of our lives: our study, our relationships and our career. The course starts from the belief that we all have a unique ability to communicate with confidence and that this ability is not innate but rather, a skill which can be developed and learnt. Drawing on theories from biology, psychology, sociology, anthropology, and techniques from the world of theatre and acting, the course will support participants in learning how to manage nerves, communicate effectively and to engage with a wide variety of audiences, so that you can feel confident in any situation. The course is an interactive and practical one, and participants learn through active engagement, as well as through group and individual, tuition. In addition, the learning process will be tailored to the needs and experience of the participants.

The course tells the story of life on earth from its first emergence, around 4 billion years ago until the present day, focusing on how complex life evolved from simple structures to produce the rich diversity of organisms found in ecosystems: from the smallest microbes to blue whales and giant redwoods. Students learn about the range of plants and animals and about the key evolutionary innovations that led to their emergence. Students also learn that organisms should not be considered in isolation but that they interact in ways that affect each other's form and function and how they have come to shape the physical world we live in.

The course unit focuses on the historical development of psychology as a science and the way in which earlier philosophical ideas were transformed within the context of psychology, leading to the different approaches to psychology that can be discerned throughout its history. It also deals with the philosophy of science and consider how science develops over time, the extent to which one can define a scientific method, and the extent to which psychology exemplifies the characteristics of scientific method. Finally, it deals with the development of philosophical ideas about the mind that later fed into psychology.

In this course, students focus on the alimentary system and supporting bony structures, learning about the macro and micro structure and the pathologies that may occur in this system.

Existentialism is an approach to philosophical questions that can be found in the writings of 19th-century authors such as Kierkegaard, Dostoyevsky, and Nietzsche, and more explicitly in 20th-century philosophers Heidegger, Sartre, and de Beauvoir. Existentialist thought focuses on the meaning—for our individual lives—of lived experience, value, freedom, responsibility, and commitment, and is often associated with an ethics of authenticity. In this course students consider a selection of writings by these authors, looking at how existentialist ideas have been represented in both philosophy and literature.

The course introduces students to the structure and function of molecules, including DNA and RNA, which allow genes to be expressed and be maintained from one generation to the next. Students also learn about genetic engineering, its application, and the ethical issues associated with its use.

In this foundational course, students are introduced to key concepts, approaches and perspectives in the academic and public debates on the role of digital media in contemporary culture and society. Students learn about the history of digital media from a global perspective, which enables them to qualify claims about the newness of so-called ‘new media’ and challenge universalizing claims about the impact of digital media not only on Western but also on non-Western communities. The course develops students’ understanding of the cultural, social, political, economic, and technical contexts in which digital developments emerge and helps them think about digital media holistically, from their design and production to their content and use. Historical milestones in digital transformations are highlighted, along with discussions of the very latest technological developments and their potential impact on diverse communities around the world.

This course provides students with a critical grounding in the major psychological schools that shape the field and examines how these influence educational doctrine and practices in the ‘modern’ classroom. Throughout the course, students are introduced to different ways in which human thoughts, feelings and behaviour can be examined encouraged to consider how different perspective can be used in the context of education. With the introduction of multiple theories, critical thinking skills are developed comparing and contrasting different interpretations of the similar contexts. Potential biases and assumptions are questioned each session. The assignment is an applied case study scenario. The assignment requires students to examine a case study of an individual’s circumstances and to discuss to what extent one chosen perspective is able to explain the situation. Students can decide which perspective they want to apply and are encouraged to develop a deeper understanding of those chosen perspective, building on the introductory class