University of London, Royal Holloway

This course examines the specific immune system at the molecular level, dealing with the structure and function of the soluble and cell surface proteins involved, and to study the roles of the various cell types which participate in the immune response. This course covers a range of topics in molecular and cellular immunology, including the immune response and acquired immunity; antibody structure and function; antibody diversity and clonal selection; genetics of immunoglobulin expression; the complement system; antibody techniques; monoclonal antibodies; hypersensitivity reactions (allergies); the activity of T cells; major histocompatibility complexes, their role in transplant rejection and non-self recognition; HIV and AIDS.

The course gives an advanced treatment of structure-function relationships in proteins, and of new practical opportunities for the use of genome-wide analyses in dissecting regulation in biological systems. Gene and protein networks are also discussed. Topics include, post-genomic science; modes of specific recognition in mediating protein interactions and DNA/protein interaction; domains and functions; and protein engineering. Students complete a guided bioinformatics coursework. This assesses individual competencies and practical skills as each student individually will have to analyze separate datasets and develop own conclusions on the function of a gene/protein within a network through the analysis of databases and literature. 

This course provides an introduction to developmental psychology, which seeks to understand and explain changes in an individual’s physical, cognitive, and social capacities across the lifespan. The overarching themes are to describe changes in an individual’s observed behaviour over time, and to uncover the processes that underlie these changes. The course begins by introducing the historical and conceptual issues underlying developmental psychology and the research methods used for studying individuals at different ages. It then proceeds to address physical development in the prenatal period, followed by cognitive and social development during infancy. The course then examines change during childhood by introducing major theories of cognitive development and addressing the social contexts of development (parents, peers, and social relationships; morality, altruism, and aggression). The course concludes by addressing the physical, cognitive, and social changes of adulthood and ageing.

In this course students study how organisms have changed through time. They look at the historical origins of the modern concept of evolution, examining the evidence for it and the processes that have shaped faunas and floras. Students consider Darwinism and its development, the origin and maintenance of variation, and adaptation and selection. They analyze how evolution can be studied using phylogenetic methods and the mechanisms of speciation, with a focus on human evolution.

The course is to understand how evolutionary principles can help us to better explain health and disease.  Why do we get sick? Why are pregnancies complicated? Why do we grow old? Why do infectious diseases have a disproportionate effect in men and women? These fascinating questions are the core of evolutionary medicine. Through case studies, students explore contemporary issues in health and disease –ones that we confront on a regular basis– and ask how evolutionary concepts –e.g., life history theory, cooperation and conflict, constraints and trade-offs, coevolution– help us to understand, mitigate, or combat those issues. 

This course offers students unfamiliar with life in Britain an opportunity to explore key aspects of literature, art, and culture in Contemporary Britain (20-21st century) as revealed in plays, novels, poems, films, and scholarly texts. The course is topic-based, with a range of related topics covered under the themes of feminism and multi-culturalism. Each topic is introduced through formal lectures and the use of audio and visual materials. The course facilitates the development of intercultural competence within a diverse cohort in terms of nationality, and students consider frameworks for discussing intercultural competence. The course also includes an external trip related to the themes of the course, for example to a play or exhibition. 

This course introduces students to a rich variety of often unfamiliar sonic expressions, musics, and contextualized musical case studies that highlight (or question the limits of) music’s relationship with particular physical (or natural) environments. It also introduces students to, and encourage critical engagement with, music specific and interdisciplinary literature relating to the environment, place, landscape, acoustic ecology, and indigeneity.