University of Manchester

This course explores how the human-animal question is approached in contemporary literature. How do contemporary literary texts portray distinctions between humans and other animals? What are the philosophical, ideological, and political implications of such portrayals? If humans are distinguished from other animals on the basis of their possession of certain qualities such as speech, then what does this mean for groups of people who are deprived of their capacity to speak? Week-by-week, students approach such questions by concentrating on literature that introduces us to rational beasts, poor beasts, migratory or colonized beasts, and of course to edible ones. In doing so, students unearth connections between animal studies and feminism, post/colonialism, scientific innovations and environmental concerns, as well as consumerism and profit-driven economic systems.

In this course, students critically review the inter-relationships between rural environments and the forms of planning intervention that take place within them; evaluate the institutional arrangements for sustainable long-term rural planning and environmental management; and explore the provision and management of recreational opportunities in rural areas.

This is course provides a critical overview of over-arching themes and agendas in war, migration, and health. This includes building understanding of how war and migration affect population and critical assessment of how health systems in Europe respond to population movements. In doing so the course highlights issues of how health is conceptualized in theory and practice, the power relations and inequalities involved within and between key health populations, actors, and institutions, and the key health challenges before and after war. 

In this course, students study in detail the origin and nature of the fundamental interactions generated by invariance of the Lagrangian under local gauge transformations.

Students' objective in this course is to deliver a design group project. Each design group acts as a consultant civil engineering company for the preparation of outline designs sufficient for planning and budget estimating purposes. The project location is on the northeastern part of the Lake District, a region and national park in England that was impacted by Storm Desmond in December 2015. The report includes a work program, construction method statement, and health and safety risk assessment.

This course examines moral arguments relating to the functioning of markets; considers the different ways in which the use of markets may, in general terms, be justified or criticized; introduces students to a range of normative perspectives on the operation and appropriate extent of markets, and demonstrate how such ideas are deployed in political debate; and provides a detailed assessment of a number of specifically troubling areas of exchange. 

This course introduces the craft and theory of documentary storytelling. Students learn how to create powerful 5-minute documentary films that respond creatively to a set brief. Students develop their own narrative and filmmaking approach through practical and theoretical instruction in the tools and techniques of digital film production. These include principles of camera and sound, interviews and narration, multi-media archival research and use, editing with Adobe Premiere and lo-fi graphics and animation. These practical creative skills are developed alongside a critical investigation of documentary technique and the art and ethics of storytelling.

Project management practices are increasingly important to organizations across a range of sectors. Projects are the main vehicles by which organizations (public and private) embark on deliberate and proactive strategic change. This course explores the practicalities of managing projects from a value creation and lifecycle perspective.

The course equips students with a basic knowledge of management which can be used as a foundation for personal development. The course also is an introduction to future courses in management.