University of London, Royal Holloway

The course introduces the students to the concept of sustainable energy and the main renewable energy resources. Those covered in the course are geothermal, hydro, wind, solar, and marine energy, the emphasis being on geothermal energy. The current and potential use of these energy resources for producing electricity and space heating are discussed, with application to the UK where appropriate. The focus is on current and future use of these resources, as well as on quantitative aspects and understanding some of the relevant physics. The module covers the basic concepts of energy science, including conservation of energy, basic thermodynamic concepts, energy efficiency, and related topics presented at an elementary (easily understood) level. An emphasis is on the ideal combination between geothermal energy (which is a steady source – always there) and other but non-steady renewable sources (e.g., solar and wind energy).

This course explores the concepts of diversity and inclusion in organizations, through identities of gender, race and ethnicity, disability, class, and sexuality. We explore, through case studies and in-class discussion, different management strategies for diversity and inclusion, in different contexts around the world, and critically explore their pros and cons. This course provides the theories, toolkits, and practical examples needed to manage for a diverse and inclusive organization in the 21st century. 

The course commences with an overview of contemporary CC/EC discourses, debates, the evidential base and international governance initiatives to address the challenge, including IPCC reports, UNFCCC and Stern, as well as regional and national-scale reports. It then examines the nature of urbanism and urbanization as linked networks and systems of urban areas embedded within multiscalar hinterlands. This provides the context for detailed examination of how urbanization and urbanism contribute to CC/EC; how CC/EC is affecting, and is predicted to affect, towns and cities in different regions, and how urban authorities and diverse groups of urban residents experience, perceive and respond to the phenomenon. Key concepts and literatures assessed include disaster risk, vulnerability, resilience, mitigation, adaptation, transformation, global(ized) urbanism and teleconnections, and the claimed conflict between tackling climate change and meeting immediate development needs.

In this course students develop an understanding of film, television, and digital media history. They look at how and where digital media intersect and converge with these moving image forms, examining media from the late 19th century through to the present. Students consider how even "old" technologies were "new" at some point, and analyze the relationship between technological, social, and aesthetic developments in new media forms.

This course offers students the opportunity to study the American commercial film industry since 1945, with an emphasis on the changes to the Hollywood mode of production in Hollywood's "post-classical" period, i.e., the decades since the collapse of the studio system in the 1950s. Individual films and filmmakers are considered in principal relation to the institutional, economic, and stylistic changes occurring at that point on Hollywood's historical evolution. Where appropriate, reference are also made to relevant historical context during this period of enormous social and political upheaval and momentous cultural change in the United States. 

This course introduces students to a selection of independent American films which are frequently overlooked by the dominant histories of American cinema. The films selected are chosen from a diverse range of American filmmakers from the 1960s to the present, and the course therefore hopes to provide an account of American film which reaches beyond the dominant Hollywood model. This leads to consideration of the divisions in American society and how these can be perceived through the work of independent filmmakers. 

The course considers how gaming emerged from post-War and Cold War cultures and traces its development alongside a history of contemporary capitalism up to the present. It considers games and their relation to nationalism, gender and sexuality, class and intersectionality, among other things. The course asks students to analyze the complex relationships between political context and games. To do so they develop both deep historical knowledge of the industry and solid theoretical tools through which to understand it. Students consider fan cultures, online activism, and community building around the gaming industry.

This course is concerned with introducing students to theories and concepts in sociology, and their application. Students are introduced to classical and contemporary social theories. They cover the works of the "founding fathers" of continental European sociology, Marx, Weber, and Durkheim, as well as more contemporary social theory including functionalism and symbolic interactionism. 

This course equips students with a thorough understanding of the causes and consequences of brain damage in humans. It provides knowledge on how the study of individuals with brain damage can lead to a better understanding of human brain function, and it educates students on the core ideas of recovery and neuro-rehabilitation.  
 

The musical emerged at the end of the 19th century to become one of the most popular and commercially successful theatre forms in the world. This course looks at the long history of the musical, its many varieties (from musical comedy to the integrated musical, from the concept musical to the rock musical, from SHOWBOAT to HAMILTON); considering its pleasures and its politics, its representations of gender, race and sexuality, the relationship between the stage and film musical. The course looks at the artistic achievements of the music theater form and the peculiarities of its cultural form, the role of narrative, the relation between song and story, etc. The course will examine whether musicals are appropriate vehicle for serious content, whether its apparent frivolity might be of significance and value, and the political significance of kitsch, camp, escapism, and excess in the musical’s formation.