Ireland

The course analyzes the main historical, political, and institutional developments in the evolution of the European Community/European Union from 1945 to circa 2000. Topics include the unique nature of the European Union polity, the origins & developments of European Integration from 1945 to circa 2000, the evolving role of key EC/EU institutions, key EU treaties, the enlargement process, and Ireland's membership of the EU. 

This course provides an introduction to astronomy, from the earliest theories through to the most current scientific knowledge of the universe. Topics include the solar system, extrasolar planets, the sun, stars and their evolution, black holes, gravitational waves and the Big Bang. There is an emphasis on the role of space-based technology in our understanding of the formation and evolution of the universe and its contents. This course is not highly mathematical or quantitative and is probably not appealing to students seeking a rigorous mathematical introduction to the subject.

This course introduces students to critical scholarship in Irish popular music, drawing on writings in ethnomusicology, cultural geography, popular music studies, and Irish studies. Particular emphasis is given to histories of popular music styles and performances from 1960 to the 21st century examining key canonical figures within Irish popular music and significant recordings/events heralding new Irish identities. Topics for discussion include regional and transnational Irish music scenes; musical hybridity; gender and Irish popular music; Irish popular music and LGBT; Irish popular music in literature and visual media; and marginalized ethnic voices in Irish popular music. 

Equality is a value that commands wide support and it is commonly guaranteed by national constitutions and human rights instruments. Yet differences emerge over the appropriate role for law in combating discrimination and when equality demands the same treatment or recognition of diversity. The enduring salience of equality has been reflected in social movements, such as MeToo or Black Lives Matter. Students examine Equality Law from a national, international, and comparative perspective. The course introduces students to the legal framework on equality found in Irish Law and European Law (EU and ECHR). It examines key topics, such as the prohibited grounds of discrimination, the forms of discrimination prohibited by the law, and the role for law in promoting equality.

The course provides future marketers with a fundamental understanding of digital marketing tools and techniques and helps them to become proficient in digital marketing practice. Practical assignment include the development of a digital marketing plan for a hypothetical company by formulating a digital marketing strategy, including the planning of campaigns.

In this course, students engage in practical fieldwork to map, measure, and describe saltmarsh geomorphology, ecology, and the action of biophysical processes that shape coastal wetlands through a mini-project carried out on the wetlands in Dublin Bay. In this endeavor, they place particular emphasis on the socio-economic and political dimension of saltmarsh restoration in an urban context.

This course draws from sociological, anthropological, and psychological theory to provide a contemporary view of consumer behavior that moves beyond predominant behaviorist approaches to the subject area.  Students are introduced to research methods for studying consumer behavior, while also putting these methods into action to examine their own consuming behavior and others'.  They consider the multi-sensory nature of consumption, asking themselves why sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell are so important in understanding how and why people consume.

Topics include energy, enthalpy, work and entropy; laws of thermodynamics and their applications; rates of reaction: their quantitative dependence on concentration and temperature; and the steady-state approximation and chemical mechanisms.

The best possible introduction to philosophy as a subject is through engagement with Ancient Greek Philosophy. In this course, students look at some of Plato's writings about his friend and mentor Socrates, in particular those writings that bear on the trial and death of Socrates. These include Plato's APOLOGY, EUTHYPHRO, and CRITO, a series of short, lively dialogues that offer excellent introductions not only to Socrates, but to the practice of philosophy itself. Students also look back at the earliest Greek philosophers, such as Parmenides and Heraclitus, and forward to Aristotle and beyond. But the central focus of this course is on the figure of Socrates, and his impact on philosophy.

This course covers the concepts, theories, and techniques of ecological innovation: Innovation within the context of the environment in which we live and are interconnected. The course is both theoretical and practical. It begins with a study of innovation. The idea of ecological innovation is explored and critiqued. Systems innovation is addressed as a core innovation process for ecological innovation, but other methods of innovation are also relevant. The latter part of the course is a group project applying an innovation methodology in a business context.