University of Manchester

Minotaurs, labyrinth, palaces, matriarchy, Mother Goddess, peace-loving, naval empire, cannibalism – many concepts and ideas have been associated with the colourful Minoan civilization that existed on Crete during the Bronze Age (ca. 3000-1400 BC). However, many of these are based on a misunderstanding or misreading of the evidence. To overcome the legacy of Victorian scholarship, theoretical frameworks are brought to bear upon the available archaeological and scientific evidence in an attempt to problematise key themes around the emergence, endurance and demise of Minoan society. Topics include: major social changes, such as the transition from hunter-gatherer to agriculturalist/pastoralist, the emergence of urban centres, the social context of the appearance of palaces, burial practices and the treatment of the dead, religion as a tool of community cohesion as well as of palatial control, interaction with neighbouring regions and the question of political control as well as the eventual demise of the Minoan civilization and the debate around a invasion by the Mycenaeans.

This course introduces how sociology approaches the issue of "self." Students compare approaches that portray society as something external to us with approaches that focus on the relational and interactional aspects of the self. This course also examines a variety of other aspects of the self such as how we make sense of ourselves through narrative, how our selves are always embodied, and the role that the habitual and the unconscious play in our sense of self.

This course introduces the causes, consequences, and controversies associated with the emergence, development, and consolidation of the conflict in Palestine/Israel from 1882 until the 1967 war. Emphasis is placed on both the socio-political and diplomatic aspects of the conflict. Students learn to formulate scholarly arguments and counter-arguments that, among other things, may enable them to support their respective views better.

This course begins with a general introduction to principles of property law and briefly outlines the development of equity and the trust mechanism. It covers express trusts, including the creation of private and purpose trusts, and legal formalities for the transfer of property.

The notion of limit underlies the differential and integral calculus, a central topic in Mathematics. A good understanding of this concept was developed in the early nineteenth century, many years after the calculus was first used, and this is essential for more advanced calculus. The main purpose of this course is to provide a formal introduction to the concept of limit in its simplest setting: sequences and series.

In this course, students analyze the differing approaches to governance in Western Europe, particularly in France, Germany and Sweden. This analysis is structured around a comparative perspective that is primarily based upon several key theories of democracy. Students are introduced to key political science theories and models. The selected theories and models have been chosen precisely because they are excellent vehicles for introducing students to the study of comparative politics. Students are provided with the conceptual equipment for more advanced comparative politics.

This course examines the politics, society, and economy of the Greek world and its relations with neighboring peoples in the Archaic Period (800-478 BC). The course explores the emergence and character of the leading Greek city-states and their geographical spread throughout the Mediterranean world; the rise of powerful non-Greek neighbors, especially Persia, during the 6th century; and, the interaction between them, culminating in the Persian Wars. Students investigate the first work of western historiography, THE HISTORIES OF HERODOTUS, and the potential problems of using other sorts of archaeological, documentary, and literary evidence to write the history of this period.

International courts and tribunals vary enormously in their competence and participants, but there are some common threads which unite them, although not all of these threads are shared by all the courts and tribunals. This course focuses on the common threads by considering issues such as jurisdiction and admissibility, the obstacles that may prevent a court or tribunal considering a case, how third parties may participate in a case, and advisory competence.

This course teaches statistical literacy, introducing principles and ideas required to understand data analysis, media representations, political arguments, crime analysis, and scientific claims. Students learn to document patterns of problems, identify factors associated with them, and they evaluate responses to these problems. The course introduces R, a free program for data analysis.