University of London, Queen Mary

This course explores the turbulent development of the United States from its inception in 1776 with the Declaration of Independence through to its ascendance as an industrial and imperial world power in 1896. Students explore the history of this young nation from the writing of the Constitution, through contests over democracy, slavery and the Civil War, to an era of mass immigration and industrial capitalism. Throughout the module our studies will be guided by four themes which were central to the building of an American nation and which continue to divide opinion today: expansion, race, capitalism, and democracy. Students gain an understanding of different approaches to studying American history and demonstrate an ability to marshal historical knowledge to make a convincing case in favor of their own critical interpretation of the past.

This course examines the history of Palestine and the people who lived in it, from the spread of Christianity, through the Islamic period, and until the beginning of Western domination in the 19th century. The story of the land is told from the bottom up, focusing on peasants and the urban non-elites, and to encompass the diversity of the ethnic and religious groups who made Palestine their home.

Through a detailed examination of a number of recent and contemporary French films, this course fosters an understanding of the network of forces that have shaped French film production since major changes to cultural policy were implemented in France by the socialist Mitterrand administration in 1981. Students profile some of the ways in which French cinema reflects and interacts with French culture and society, and evaluate this in the light of social, political, and cultural shifts in late 20th and 21st century French life. The course is research-based and requires a significant commitment to independent study.

This course explores the practices and techniques related to both script adaptation and original scriptwriting. Their inter-relationship is an important step for students wishing to establish their scriptwriting skills above a foundation level. Both types of scriptwriting are given equal weight as topics and assessed accordingly. Students gain the ability to adapt a pre-existing text (a prose short story) into a film script; an understanding of the practice and techniques of script adaptation; the ability to write an original script that is not based on a pre-existent script; an understanding of the skills and techniques required for original scriptwriting; and the ability to work the format and discipline of scriptwriting to a suitable level.

This course covers amino acids, the fundamentals of protein structure, isolation and purification of proteins, modification of proteins, and methods of determining protein conformation. It also covers the basics of enzyme catalysis and kinetics with specific case studies. Other topics include ion transport, and other transport proteins, and the utilization of proteins and soluble cofactors to generate and store metabolic energy. Students learn the basics of metabolism in glycolysis and the citric acid cycle, as well as ATP synthesis and membrane bound electron transfer in mitochondria. Chloroplasts in plants and algae, and molecular motors, such as muscles, that consume metabolic energy are also covered. 

The course offers practice in digital film making. It is a practice-based film making course teaching narrative fiction.

This course  examines the theories and evidence underpinning social inequalities in health (defined as the unfair and avoidable differences in health status). It considers structural/material and psychosocial theories, and hypotheses about social drift, self-selection, and genetics. Attention is given to the WHO Commission on Social Determinants of Health. Sources of data and measurement of scale of inequalities between and within groups are addressed. The course considers the distribution of wealth, income , resources, and power at global, national, and local levels. Redistributive mechanisms work through either government or market control, and the economic implications for inequalities are compared and analyzed. Policy interventions and their different approaches are explored including universal and targeted or selective approaches to reducing inequalities by reducing the inequitable distribution of power, money, and resources.

This course is based around the rich visual resources of London. Through lectures and visits to monuments and national museums such as Westminster Abbey, the National Gallery, the Victoria and Albert Museum, The British Museum and the Tate Galleries, as well as to local collections such as the Whitechapel Gallery and contemporary art galleries in the East End, students explore the histories of art from the medieval period to the present day by focusing on a selected group of objects, images, or buildings. This allows students to develop skills of visual analysis and provide an understanding of the historical context in which the object or building in question was originally made. At the same time students examine issues of how these objects are presented today, considering the questions of museology, curatorial practice, and the contemporary art market. Topics covered may vary according to exhibitions and temporary displays that are open to the public during the semester.

This course develops an understanding of the theory and methods involved in the creation, storage, analysis, and presentation of geospatial data. Using industry standard software, the course provides the knowledge and skills to tackle advanced problem solving using Geographic Information Systems. This knowledge is fundamental not only to research in physical geography, environmental science, and many other disciplines, but provides a critical skill set used widely within a range of industries (including environmental management, local and national government, the utilities, and the insurance sector).