University College London

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. 

How do people and communities around the world raise their children, and why? Is there a "best practice" of childrearing? What are the consequences of such childrearing practices, for both caregivers and children? The primary aim of the course is to develop a holistic understanding of childrearing practices and systems across cultures, and explore how this may influence and interact with child and adolescent development. Taking an interdisciplinary bio-social approach, this course builds on an evolutionary anthropological framework, examining both biological and socio-cultural pathways in childrearing and child/adolescent development. 

This course gives non-psychology students an understanding of the theories, research, and applications in current business psychology. Topics include an introduction to business psychology, research methods, selection methods, trait predictors of work output, biodata methods and their limitations, work attitudes and values, theories of work motivation, job satisfaction, stress at work, learning and training on the job, group dynamics, decision making, leaders and leadership, working abroad, and the future of work.

The course provides an introduction to the ideas underlying the calculation of risk from a Bayesian and frequentist standpoint, and the structure of rational, consistent decision making. It is primarily intended for third and fourth year undergraduate students and taught postgraduate students registered on the degree programs offered by the Department of Statistical Science.