University College London

This course introduces students to the structure of the British political system and the functioning of British politics in practice. Students start by exploring the social foundations of politics in the UK, looking at the roles of various national identities and of class, gender, and ethnicity. They also explore the main institutions and players in the UK system, setting these within a comparative context. Students seek to understand how the various parts of the system interact with each other in determining the character of the democratic process and the nature of policy outcomes.

This course provides students with an understanding of the tools and techniques required to interface between mechanical components and the wider world, involving sensing, actuation (e.g. motors) modelling and control.

This course explores what human rights are and the different explanations of where rights come from. How human rights have changed and become imbedded in international law since World War II is explored. An understanding of the political advantage governments seek through violating human rights is sought and the economic and social consequences of repression, examined. Whether previous cycles of repression - like slavery, for example - make countries more likely to use violence today, are considered. Real-world examples are used to test and illustrate the arguments made in the literature - the conflicts in Syria and Iraq, and the former conflicts in Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland are a few examples.