University of London, Queen Mary

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. 

To be a successful industry leader, it is important to be able to efficiently manage various types of engineering projects. With this in mind, this course offers essential concepts, tools, and techniques of project management, presented through engaging case studies. By understanding the concepts and analytical frameworks of project management, students acquire practical knowledge and skills in project management, as well as the ability to conduct project risk analysis and management for analyzing recent or ongoing large-scale infrastructure projects. Additionally, the course provides a solid introduction to project financial management, covering aspects such as planning, estimating, budgeting, funding, managing project expenses, and billing.

This dynamic course provides students with an opportunity to learn about some of the key legal skills which are used in practice to become a successful, ethical lawyer and professional.  It helps students understand the theory behind these skills within the classroom and participate in practical workshops and activities where they use and develop certain skills.  There are also three practical activities where the students will see legal skills in practice and have an opportunity to reflect on the skills presented. Some of these skills include; client interviewing, drafting, case file management, principles of privacy and confidentiality, the ethics of lawyering, team work, advocacy, presentation and facilitation skills, researching the law, legal design, reflection and being a life-long learner. 

This course provides clear understanding of the different types of environmental exposures that are related with pathogenic mechanisms of human diseases. The first section reviews the natural environment (land, water, air, energy) and its impact on health indicators as well as nutritional content of food and nutraceuticals. The second section focuses on the built environment (housing, urban vs. rural landscapes, transport, work) and the relation of our living conditions with health outcomes. The third section reviews the effects of the psychosocial environment (mental health, stress, socialization, financial status) on the public health. The fourth section expands on the microenvironment features (microbiome) and the epigenetic effects (gene-by-environment interactions) that modulate disease mechanisms. The final section of the course focuses on the combined and synergistic impact of all different types of the environment on health indicators. It also showcases the added value of multidisciplinary approaches to evaluate the combined impact of environment on health and disease.

This course examines the hybrid and diverse nature of the British cinema since the advent of the British New Wave in the early 1960s. Students explore a number of key themes in the British cinema's long post-war quest for a sustainable model of film-making: the tensions between the local and the international; the consistent struggle between art and entertainment; and the recurring pattern of "boom and bust" in British production. Central to the examination of British cinema since 1960, however, is a focus on the social, political, and cultural contexts of British cinema, and the ways in which British cinema, and British culture, has been marked (and transformed) by the British Empire and its legacies. 

In this course, students examine the origins of the idea of human rights, how it became institutionalized in law and international politics, and how its history and prospects have become so fiercely contested today. Students reflect on the history of abolitionism, human rights, and humanitarianism in a global setting, and analyze the impact of modern international and multi-cultural perspectives on the evolution of human rights history.

The course explores beliefs in witches, demons, and magic, and phenomena such as angels, ghosts, dreams, and miracles using case studies from a range of European countries across the period 1450 - 1750. It investigate the interplay between popular and elite ideas about witchcraft and magic and how these changed over the course of the period. Topics include: witchcraft, sabbats, the diabolic pact, and black magic; witch trials, torture, and execution; demonic possession and exorcism; angels, ghosts, and fairies; and monsters and miracles. Students discuss a range of textual and visual primary sources including woodcuts, witchcraft trials, popular pamphlets, and official treatises (all in translation).