University of London, Royal Holloway

The course offers students the opportunity to obtain an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the UK Parliament and its place in British democracy. It helps students to evaluate the work and role of Parliament and parliamentarians, appreciate ongoing debates about contemporary legislative practice, and engage critically with previous academic scholarship in this area. It also helps students to develop their own awareness and experience of conducting research. 

This course introduces students to the institutions and politics of the United States. It offers a thorough grounding in the empirical and theoretical literature on American politics, and requires students to evaluate that literature critically through seminar discussion and oral presentations, two pieces of assessed coursework, and an unseen examination. Starting by building up students’ basic historical knowledge of the development of American politics, the course covers the Constitution, Congress, the Presidency and federal bureaucracy, separation of powers, federalism and state governments, the Supreme Court, elections, political parties and interest groups. 

As a subject, film aesthetics includes two areas of study: film storytelling and film interpretation. Films and topics change, but these two subjects are fundamental. Both are discussed throughout the course. To explore the first subject, the course focuses on a sample of types of cinematic expression within the narrative tradition. Students study examples of canonical films in narrative filmmaking, from a wide range of periods and countries, films, about which many critics and historians have written. To explore the second subject, the course considers different ways in which these critics and historians have interpreted films. Students read exceptional film criticism and consider some of its underlying principles. By considering how critics have celebrated cinema in prose, students study films critically and historically.