University of London, Royal Holloway

The period from the French Revolution to the end of the 19th century witnessed extraordinary transformations in just about every area of Europeans’ lives. New ideas of democracy, nationalism, socialism and women’s rights animated successive generations of radicals and produced major revolutions such as those that shook the continent in 1848. The rapid rise of industrialization and new technologies like the railway changed the face of European cities like Paris and Vienna, forced societies to confront problems like poverty and epidemic disease, and even altered basic conceptions of time and space. Artistic movements like romanticism and realism jostled with an emergent mass culture founded on widespread literacy, cheap books and daily newspapers. This course addresses these and other dimensions of the social and cultural history of Europe in order to ask both what drove the major changes of the 19th century and, just as importantly, how people responded to and made sense of them. 

The British empire decidedly controlled over a quarter of the world’s global real estate, and a fifth of the world’s population. The economic, cultural and global impact of British colonialism is still very much apparent today - from contested borders and inter-state disputes, through languages and cultures, to the inequities in wealth and trade that exist between the prosperous "North" and the underdeveloped "South."  Why, then, was imperial expansion so vehemently defended by its protagonists in the 19th century? And what made colonial conquest, colonization, and economic exploitation of non-European spaces feasible on such a global scale and for so long? These are the questions that underpin this course. 

The course introduces students to the important medieval genre of romance. It considers the Arthurian romances of Chretien de Troyes, as well as works by Chaucer, the Gawain-poet and Sir Thomas Malory. Students also increase their knowledge and understanding of medieval literature, building on material in earlier courses. 
 

This course provides you with an introduction to the philosophical issues in social research. Students look at ethics in social research and theory, quantitative versus qualitative methods, sampling, observation, interviewing, media analysis, and questionnaire design. Students are given the opportunity to work through the research process on a topic of independent study of your choosing.

The course provides an overview of the growth and development of the global economy during the 20th century. To develop an understanding of these processes, the course examines the forces shaping the global economy and the institutions to which it has given rise, from the World Trade Organization to the multinational enterprise. Understanding is aided by the introduction of relevant theoretical perspectives (economic, historical, management, geopolitical). Attention is given to the role of Foreign Direct Investment as a driving force in the integration of developing countries into the globalization process, although the consequences of globalization in relation to the environment, social inequalities and poverty are also examined and other measures of welfare studied. 

Students read four pairs of plays which open up questions of commerce gender, city limits, liminal space, underbellies and architecture in the urban space: Thomas Dekker, THE SHOEMAKER’S HOLIDAY (1599); Ben Jonson, THE ALCHEMIST (1610) Thomas Dekker and Thomas Middleton, THE ROARING GIRL (1607-10); Ben Jonson, EPICOENE OR THE SILENT WOMAN (1609) Christopher Marlowe, THE JEW OF MALTA (1592); John Webster, THE DUCHESS OF MALFI (c. 1614) Thomas Middleton, A CHASTE MAID IN CHEAPSIDE (1611-13); William Rowley, Thomas Dekker, John Ford, THE WITCH OF EDMONTON (1621) Students also read a selection of theory on the city from commentators such as Engels, Benjamin, Bachelard and Lefebvre. 

This course provides students with an introduction to the criminal justice system in England and Wales, as well as introducing students to key debates on crime, justice, and punishment.  Students learn about policing, the courts system, prisons and community punishments.

Art museums are increasingly programming performance and live art events. At the same time, visual artists are looking to the theatre for aesthetics and forms to incorporate into their work. This seminar uncovers points of connection between performance and the visual arts, looking at key moments in the history of relations between these forms and giving particular attention to the current rise of theatrical aesthetics in contemporary arts practice. Through the Department’s three-year partnership with Tate Exchange, students have the opportunity to work in Tate Modern and to explore performance in the context of the art gallery. Students respond to the work of a range of contemporary artists – indicatively Pablo Bronstein, Boris Charmatz, Tacita Dean, Trisha Donnelly, Tim Etchells, Tino Sehgal and others. Working through creative examples, this course raises big questions about performance, theatricality, curation, participation, and museum practice. 

The course provides an introduction to the key neuroscience concepts and research techniques relevant to psychology.  Topics include the basics of neural function, neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, sensorimotor processing, and research methods used. 

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.