University of London, Queen Mary

This course provides an introduction to basic political theory, a history of international politics and global governance, and to the structure of the global political economy. Students are given an opportunity to learn about the actors, structures, and politics of global health governance and international health policy. This includes global actors such as WHO, the Gates Foundation and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria; as well as the role of civil society organizations and social movements in promoting global health equity. With these basic building blocks in place, the course examines the following contemporary health issues through a social and political lens: health financing and health sector reform; global pandemic threats and the securitization of health; the effects of armed conflict on health; and the influence of trade and business on health. The course also examines health inequalities within the local area of East London - a part of London which includes both some of the most deprived households in the country, as well as one of the biggest financial and banking hubs in the world. This includes a field trip, as well as a global health "treasure hunt" in the British Museum.

This course introduces students to a wide range of texts (literary, visual, and academic), concepts, ideas, theories, and practices, both historical and contemporary, and the skills they need to analyze them. The course is divided into two 5-week blocks, devoted respectively to reading literary texts, visual cultures, cultural theory and politics, and linguistics. 

What does the future world of work look like? This course critically evaluates contemporary trends in the changing world of work. The course focuses on these trends with a view to understanding their implications for work, employment, and society. Some issues explored in this course are automation and AI, emotional labor, flexible working, the platform economy, climate change, regulation and the role of the state, and globalization. 

This course considers specific cognitive functions and properties of the human mind. The material covers perception, attentional processes, language and knowledge representation, memory mechanisms, problem-solving and expertise, and the relationships and links between processes. Studies from classical and modern cognitive psychology are provided throughout.

This course offers an introduction to encounters between civilizations, cultures, and societies in world history, based on examples drawn from the medieval, early modern, and modern periods. It seeks to develop understanding of patterns in world history and an introduction to approaches within the field of global history. It introduces specific case-studies, from the Arab conquest of the Muslim Spain and Chinese exploration of the Indian Ocean, through colonial encounters in Africa, America, and India, to the Balfour Declaration in 1917. Students discuss the meeting of civilizations, cultures, and societies in world history, covering examples from the medieval period up to the modern day. They develop a global perspective, form professional and informed attitudes, and consider the methodology of global history. 

This course introduces students to the core concepts, terminology, and technical apparatus of the structural parts of linguistics (phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics), as well as the conceptual underpinnings of the discipline. Students learn about fundamental concepts such as contrast and distribution; structure; rules and representations; the cognitive basis of language, and how that is distinct from its social basis; and language universals and variation. They also learn how to solve problems of linguistic analysis using these concepts and the terminology and techniques of the discipline as well as how to use hypothesis testing to devise solutions to these problems. 

Why is diversity good for businesses? What can leaders do to make their organizations more inclusive? This course explores these and other questions by introducing students to a range of theories and practical issues relevant to managing diversity in contemporary organizations. Students learn why inclusion matters, how diversity relates to business and organizational success, and explore case studies related to different dimensions of diversity like gender, age, race and so on. The course discusses various theories that help us understand why diversity and inclusion issues continue to persist in organizations and the labor market. For instance, why are some professions continue to be male- or female dominated? Where does gender pay gap comes from? Can recruitment be unbiased? The course then explores how to apply theory to practice and explore how to design and deliver effective diversity initiatives in organizations and consider the role of managers and leaders in fostering organizational inclusion. 

The course equips students with practical skills in data analysis and visualization techniques essential for extracting actionable insights from complex datasets. Lab sessions and projects help students learn about exploratory data analysis, geospatial visualization, and interactive dashboard development. Students gain skills that are highly valued across a wide set of academic and business fields. 

Jane Austen (1775-1817) is one of the greatest English novelists and, since the First World War, has become a national icon. This module provides an opportunity for in-depth study of her six full-length novels. It explores the various ways in which she transformed the genre of the women's domestic novel into a vehicle for social analysis and commentary. Her novels are full of signs which conveyed to her contemporaries opinions about economics, class, religion, and politics. We shall decode those signs and explore their significance.

This course, which is taught on site in historic buildings, introduces students to the history of London and its buildings from the late 17th century to the present day. This is an extremely dynamic period in London's history: nearly the entire city was destroyed and rebuilt after the Great Fire of 1666, the city then saw huge increases in its population in the 18th century, and massive technological and social change in the 19th. The 20th century brought yet more destruction and rebuilding after the Blitz, alongside political and economic upheaval, all of which led to radical changes in the appearance of London's buildings. This century has seen huge new investment in the City, and the rise of gentrification in the suburbs. Throughout the course, students tell this story by visiting and considering many different types of buildings, from churches, hospitals, and palaces, to railway stations, and housing estates. Students explore questions of architectural style, the implications of social and cultural change for architecture, and urban and architectural history and theory more generally.