United Kingdom - England

The course introduces students to the main theories and concepts in International Relations. In particular, this course covers debates such as liberalism, (neo)realism, Marxism and critical theory, constructivism and new-constructivism, gender and IR, postcolonial approaches to IR, ethics in IR, and the role of theory in IR.

Throughout history, representations of the Apocalypse or "end of the world" have evolved with the times, reflecting the changes occurring in the natural world, societies, politics, and beliefs, as well as our understanding of the world and of our place within. Taken individually, each of these stories or images mirror a society at a specific time but, together, they also illustrate the evolution of our thought-systems, philosophies, moral values, and spiritualities. Today, at a time when global environmental and health concerns are growing, and in the aftermath of the Covid pandemic, apocalyptic representations are still permeating many discourses, from the arts to politics and economics, from gender to science, AI and the physical world. Using the exciting perspectives opened by the theory of the Anthropocene, this course presents an overview of some of the original apocalyptic tales, and the work of key artists of Western apocalyptic fiction, art, and architecture.

This course explores the viability of the Afro-Gothic as a distinctive sub-genre of the postcolonial Gothic. It seeks to answer the question "What is the Afro-Gothic?" through a historicization of the concept Gothic in relation to narratives about, and by, continental and diasporic Africans. In the postcolonial Gothic, the classic tropes of the Gothic—incarceration within labyrinthine structures, tyrannical patriarchs, histories of hidden brutalities, suppressed and deadly secrets, haunting by the past oppressed and abused, and appearances of ghosts and other un-dead figures—are appropriated to exposes legacies of colonial trauma. Our more focused inquiry stems from the peculiar racialization of the Gothic during the 19th century, when Gothic darkness became increasingly associated with African blackness. 

Contemporary science fiction offers a compelling means of interrogating the current challenges of global governance and political economy. As Brad Torgersen (2013) says, “much of the Science Fiction being written in the 21st century concerns itself strictly with materialistic concerns: climate change, global warming, the decay of governments and the onset of dystopian hegemony, or anarchy”. This course provides students with an exploration of the nexus between science fiction and political economy. It uses science fiction literature as a means of understanding, exploring and critiquing concepts and theories from across Political Economy, including international relations, economics and politics. Through this, students apply the knowledge gained in other courses within political economy, applying key theories and techniques of analysis in novel areas in an engaging but rigorous way. The proposed course directly relates to a growing area of cutting-edge research, namely the interplay between popular culture and politics.

This course explores the relationships between science, technology, and democracy, and the changing role of the State in science and technology (S&T) in our societies. Students explore science and technology policy issues and look at wider challenges, such as efforts to improve public engagement in decisions about science and technology, initiatives to encourage more responsible research and innovation, and debates about the apparent rise in fraud and misconduct in science and concerns on the part of some scientists that many published scientific findings may be false. The issues explored in this course are critical to citizenship in a modern science and technology-based democracy. 

Mental disorders, such as depression and schizophrenia, are prevalent across the globe, significantly impacting individuals and communities. This course explores both the understanding of mental disorders and the psychological treatments used to address them. The first half of the course introduces students to the clinical presentation, etiology, and diagnostic frameworks of various mental disorders, and these disorders are examined through multiple perspectives, including developmental, sociocultural, neurobiological, and psychodynamic approaches. The second half of the course explores a range of psychological treatments, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Psychodynamic Therapy, Humanistic Therapy, and other therapeutic approaches, focusing on their application to specific mental health conditions. Importantly, this course involves research methods in psychology, mental health, and psychotherapy. 

This course cover three important ideas in classical physics – Newton’s Laws of Motion, Newton’s Law of Gravitation and the Wave Equation. After considering analytical solutions to each, students look at computational solutions using the Python programming language (no background in coding is necessary) and touch on ideas such as dynamical systems and chaos. Students also look at solutions in different coordinate systems which give rise to familiar ideas such as Kepler’s laws of planetary motion and the inverse square law but from a first principles approach.

This course gives an overview of political geography's historical and contemporary treatment of the questions of territoriality, state, and nation. Topics include nations and nationalism, and boundaries and territorial disputes, and students explore how territoriality, nation, and sovereignty are viewed in developing regions of the world. 

International organizations are created and expected to provide solutions whenever governments face transnational challenges, such as international and civil wars, humanitarian emergencies, flows of refugees, outbreaks of infectious diseases, climate change, financial market instability, sovereign debt crises, trade protectionism, and the development of poorer countries. But their role in world politics is controversial. Some perceive them as effective and legitimate alternatives to unilateral state policies. Others regard them as fig leaves for the exercise of power by dominant states. Others yet are regularly disappointed by the gap between the lofty aspirations and their actual performance in addressing global problems, and want to know the causes of that gap. While some commentators tend to lump all international organizations together, in reality the functioning, power, and effectiveness of international organisations differ widely – across organisations, issues, regions, and over time.

This course has been developed through an exciting international collaboration with seven institutions across the UK and Europe. Teaching content has been designed by international experts in various fields of cultural competence, linguistics, and translation/interpreting. Each week, the course tackles a theoretical and practical aspect of multilingualism and multiculturalism, in the context of topical issues, such as generative AI, climate change, democracy, global health, equality and diversity, and civic responsibilities. Having a second or third language can be an advantage, but the course does not require students to be multilingual. The course develops cultural competency in the context of multiculturalism and multilingualism (M&M), particularly through learning from translation and interpreting studies in the age of artificial intelligence to provide students with an essential understanding of the topic and the skills to learn to effectively navigate the complexity of M&M in real-world situations. to challenge students to go beyond the recognition of the coexistence of cultures and languages, by actively engaging them in discussions centered around democracy, climate change, and global health.