University of Manchester

This course looks at the vast socio-economic changes that have occurred in China, the most populous and fastest-developing country in the world, a country that was a "blank sheet of poverty" in 1949 and is the second largest economic power in the world now.  

This course explores viruses and viral disease by examining viral structure and function. It explains how viruses subvert host cell function to generate viral factories. Citing examples such as the influenza and HIV viruses, students examine details of the pathogenic mechanisms used by viruses to cause disease. The course also covers the design of viral vaccines and their use in eradicating viral infections such as polio.

This course looks at the life and lasting legacy of Alexander the Great. It begins with Alexander’s father Philip and the troubled relations he had with his son.  From there it studies Alexander’s rise to power in Macedon and his conquest of the Persian Empire; examining his army, strategy, and tactics - and those of his opponents. Students also look at what motivated Alexander throughout his short life and at the nature of the empire that he constructed. 

The Iron Age of Britain and Ireland is famed for its fabulous objects adorned with Celtic art: swords, shields, and cauldrons; torcs and horse-gear; as well as technological marvels such as the chariot. It has also given rise to some of the first "named" individuals we know from later prehistory as it entered the world of Rome: Commius, Boudicca, and Cartimandua. In this course, students explore the reality behind these myths, during this fascinating millennium (c. 800 BC-100 AD): the invention of smithing iron, the creation of the hillforts which still dominate our skylines, the fabulous hoards of weaponry and horse-gear buried in pits and rivers, and the burials through which we can explore the lives and deaths of some exceptional figures from the past. We will examine conflict and violence, feasting and craftwork, agricultural labor, and the sacrifice of both people and things. 

This course introduces students to the complex area of youth crime, the contemporary forces that shape youth justice policy, and the ways in which the criminal justice system has responded to it.

The course introduces students to selected topics in the legal application of medical scientific expertise. Students learn about the historical development and application of forensic investigation techniques such as toxicology, psychiatry, crime scene investigation, and DNA profiling, and how they were presented to the public in various media (e.g. detective fiction, newspaper reports, forensic television dramas). Students consider who make claims to forensic truth and what tools and techniques they use to arrive at that conclusion.

Through the reading of a selection of Arabic literary texts in English translation by leading authors from across the Arab world, the course introduces students to the language, style, and themes of postcolonial Arabic literature. Students look at the features and significance of the "postcolonial voice" in Arabic literature produced in the aftermath of national independence and the end of colonial rule, and analyze some theoretical concepts in the context of postcolonial literary criticism. The course also develops understanding of the political, historical, and cultural contexts of the postcolonial approach to Arabic literature. 

The course unit uses in-depth analyses of individual artworks to introduce students to key methods and concepts of art historical understanding. Each lecture is focused on the detailed exposition of one artwork and the critical debates surrounding its interpretation. The lectures as a whole are arranged chronologically from the Ice Age to the Baroque, covering art produced around the globe. This is neither the study of a canon nor a traditional survey of art history, although it will reflect upon both. It examines some well-known artworks of the past alongside others that have been considered marginal or have been neglected.