University College London

This survey course is an introduction to the history of Latin America in the 20th century. Students examine processes common to the region, the experiences of specific countries, and Latin America’s relations with the rest of the world. Beyond this, like Hobsbawm, the course considers how Latin America can help us think about the history of wider world.

This course introduces students to a range of problems, positions, and arguments in the philosophy of mind - the philosophical study of mental phenomena and their relation to the rest of reality. The first half of term focuses on the mind-body problem - in particular the Problem of Consciousness. The theme for the second half of term is Self and Other - Where am I? Where is my mind? Can I know the minds of others? 

The course introduces students to both the academic and practical aspects of traditional and digital methods of archaeological illustrations including finds drawing. The academic aspects concentrate on types of technique, style, materials and equipment used, and the layout and presentation of drawings for publication. The practical work involves the creation and preparation of drawings to a publication standard (resulting in an assessed portfolio). The artefact illustration sessions concentrate on the drawing of flintwork, pottery, and metalwork for both hand inking and digital presentation. The digital element of the course includes the use of Adobe Illustrator to create artefact, site location, and historic map illustrations as well as addressing the use of computer aided design (CAD software) in archaeological site planning and the principles and conventions of image-editing using Adobe Photoshop. Students are taught to analyze archaeological illustrations and consider their effectiveness in communicating archaeological data. 

The course explains the basic concepts, techniques, and uses of modern molecular biology techniques. Practical sessions and associated tutorials give hands-on experience of molecular techniques including electrophoresis, sequencing, cloning, and the polymerase chain reaction. The course begins with lectures that introduce molecular biology concepts, or serve as a refresher for students who already have some experience. It then moves into a description of contemporary tools and then applications. Lecturers explain some of the diverse applications of these techniques, with reference to their own research in fields including metagenomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, cell and developmental biology, and forensic anthropology.

This course introduces students to the study of film genres by focusing on historical, theoretical, and technical aspects. Through lectures, seminars, and screenings, students learn how to approach and discuss film genres analytically and acquire an awareness of the history and development of different types of film narratives and of key concepts that can be used to discuss and write about them. Students study elements that are at the basis of genre theory, such as contexts, recurring themes and patterns, locations and characters, while developing an appropriate technical vocabulary to be used in class discussions and in their assessments. 

In this course students study the determinants of economic growth, as well as explanations for the current wide disparity of income levels across countries.

The last few years have seen a remarkable increase in our understanding of the basic biological mechanisms underlying human neurodegenerative diseases. Identification of mutations in a variety of genes found to encode proteins present in neuro-pathological inclusions, has suggested that a common feature of all these diseases might be the intracellular accumulation of fibrous protein aggregates within neurons, resulting in neuronal cell death. This course will discuss this hypothesis in the light of contemporary research and provide a foundation for our current understanding of neurodegenerative diseases. It will focus on the genetics, cellular and molecular biology of Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s, Parkinson’s, Motor Neuron Disease and Prion diseases, with the main emphasis on the mechanisms leading to cell death. 

This course is a challenging introductory course and is specifically for non-History of Art students. It examines early modern European art from the 13th to the 16th century, focusing on objects in London's galleries and museums and taught predominantly in front of works in these collections. The specific content of this course changes each year but the aim is to introduce students to key issues in Italian Renaissance and northern European art, focusing on paintings, sculpture, and the decorative arts in London institutions such as the National Gallery and the Victoria & Albert Museum. 

This course introduces students to global health by exploring the history of global health, the global disease burden, topical issues in health and development, and key interventions to improve health worldwide. At the same time, this course helps students understand how different disciplines - such as economics, political science, and anthropology - relate to global health.

The course comprises a set of interdisciplinary lectures designed to enquire into the brain systems that are engaged during the experience of subjective mental states such as those of beauty, desire, and love.