The module aims to develop understanding of the role of financial markets, security analysis and valuation, efficient market theory, asset pricing theory and portfolio management. This is an excellent module to understand the basics of finance, how financial markets work, pricing important financial assets and understanding the models in which finance is based upon.
The aim of every language course at the University is to enable you to communicate in your target language (TL) at that particular level and in your particular area of interest. We use the word ‘communicate’ in its widest sense, meaning that you will not only be able to talk to people in the language but also to develop your proficiency in listening, reading, and writing. This means that the module aims for you to understand all the things which affect communication in that language, including knowledge of how the language is used, how it works and how to analyse it, and the cultural contexts in which it is spoken. This particular module will cover two language stages in one academic year, and due to its intensive nature is particularly suited to specialist linguists, who have achieved a high A-level in another language and are keen to start another language from scratch.
The aim of every language course at the University is to enable you to communicate in your target language (TL) at that particular level and in your particular area of interest. We use the word ‘communicate’ in its widest sense, meaning that you will not only be able to talk to people in the language but also to develop your proficiency in listening, reading, and writing. This means that the module aims for you to understand all the things which affect communication in that language, including knowledge of how the language is used, how it works and how to analyse it, and the cultural contexts in which it is spoken. This particular module is typically aimed at specialist linguists students having successfully met the learning outcomes of stages 1-2 accelerated. This module will cover two language stages in one academic year.
The aim of every language course at the University is to enable you to communicate in your target language (TL) at that particular level and in your particular area of interest. We use the word ‘communicate’ in its widest sense, meaning that you will not only be able to talk to people in the language but also to develop your proficiency in listening, reading, and writing. This means that the module aims for you to understand all the things which affect communication in that language, including knowledge of how the language is used, how it works and how to analyse it, and the cultural contexts in which it is spoken. This particular module is aimed at students having already met the learning outcomes of stage 4.
The aim of every language course at the University is to enable you to communicate in your target language at that particular level and in your particular area of interest. We use the word ‘communicate’ in its widest sense, meaning that you will not only be able to talk to people in the language but also to develop your proficiency in listening, reading, and writing. This means that the course aims for you to understand all the things which affect communication in that language, including knowledge of how the language is used, how it works and how to analyse it, and the cultural contexts in which it is spoken. This particular module is aimed at students having already met the learning outcomes of stage 5.
Following an emphasis on psychoanalysis and post-structuralism in the 1970s, academic writing on film since the mid-1980s focussed increasingly on the role of history in the interpretation of cinematic texts, accompanied by a ‘return to the archive’. Engagement with a new range of empirical sources and a multiplicity of ‘voices’ intensified the debate around the question where meaning resides (especially whether there is a singular and identifiable origin or source of meaning). Reception studies interrogated the traditional critical priority given to concepts such as the ‘auteur’, to psychoanalytical frameworks, and even the status of the filmic text itself. This module aims to discuss the challenges of these interventions. We will investigate what motivates particular trends in film theory, and how and why certain critical perspectives become dominant. Some of the most prominent questions this module addresses are: How have the radical technological changes over the past decades impacted on the study of cinema? What is the status and relevance today of cinema’s 20th century ‘classical’ back catalogue? What is the value of ‘old’ films, and if cinema is ‘dead’, as some commentators claim, what are the prospects for film in a post-cinema, YouTube, iPhone, NetFlix, and Wikipedia age? Looking beyond academia, what effects have these changes had on the practices of cinephilia (the love of/for cinema)?
This module is designed to explore in detail the key areas of feminism, postcolonial theory, and cultural semiotics i.e. the analysis of cultural signs, whether in visual culture, such as advertising, political culture, or based in cultural practices. The module focuses on core ideas about misogyny, discrimination, the psychology of colonialism, and cultural consumption. We will focus on selections from major texts which have been foundational in the study of culture, resistance, and domination. These texs are available in English allowing students with no prior knowledge of French or Francophone contexts to engage with the module.
The module involves audio-lectures, which include trigger questions, and independent study. Students are expected to carry out some reading in advance of listening to each session, in order to make the most of the sessions.
The framing of this module is that Machiavelli has seriously misled modern political thinking by permitting a wedge to be driven between morality and politics. Even if that was not Machiavelli’s intention, that has been the consequence of his ideas. Thus, this module can be approached as an extended criticism and response to Machiavellianism in political thought and in politics. We will recover a lost way of thinking that does not drive a wedge between morality and politics. This recovery will show us a more subtle way of thinking about morality and politics in order to understand that this earlier tradition of thought has more depth and rings more true with regard to our own moral convictions. However, the purpose is not primarily about beating up Machiavelli, enjoyable though that is; our primary purpose is to think more deeply about actual political problems that challenge our own moral beliefs. Our primary texts come from the ancient Greeks and the focus is on the ethical use of political power – whether that is possible and what it would like like in practice. Who should take this module? It should appeal to those who think Machiavelli was right, but who are not afraid to have their convictions challenged. It should appeal to those who disagree with Machiavelli and are looking for penetrating arguments to use against him. It should appeal to those who observe contemporary politics and are alarmed that we are seeing blatant dishonesty, torture, arms sales to oppressive regimes, and a host of other behaviours that we feel are deeply wrong. After a brief recap of Machiavelli to set the stage, we will dive in to an analysis of those thinkers who defined the tradition of Western political thought before Machiavelli, Plato and Aristotle. Through them we will find a richer and more profound – and more applicable to our world – understanding of the conflict between morality and politics, more profound than any modern thought infected with Machiavelli’s ideas. This module will actively undermine cynical, realist thinking about politics that becomes a lazy excuse for not asking ethical questions of our politicians or ourselves.
In this module, you will explore some of the social, cultural and political forces that transformed the medieval and early modern worlds. This was a period of momentous change characterised by invasion, political upheaval, religious conflict and a rapidly globalising world. International developments like the Renaissance, the Reformation and the Enlightenment shaped the way individuals and societies engaged with each other and the wider world. Our focus is on the transformations that took place in the British Isles and the emerging overseas empire. But there are opportunities to range further afield and consider this period of transformation from other European or global perspectives. You will explore themes such as: political upheaval; kingship and diplomacy; exploration, commerce and empire; religion and reform; violence, warfare and conflict; art, architecture and literature. In doing so, you will consider to what extent developments in this period laid the foundations for the world we live in today.
The module aims to provide a detailed understanding of more advanced topics in circuit theory, in particular developing a good understanding of the fundamental theory of power, three phase circuits and transmission lines for both high and low frequency applications.
This module introduces students to fundamental issues in the design and operation of electricity transmission and distribution networks. There is a particular focus on understanding how to specify equipment, including through the use of power flow modelling tools such as ERACS and PowerWorld. The course is primarily designed for MSc Energy & Sustainability w/EPE students, but is available for MEng students as an option on the proviso that ELEC3213 has not been taken previously. The module is assessed 50% by courseworks and 50% by exam. Throughout the assessment there is an emphasis on the provision of engineering justification for design decisions, using the results obtained from simulations and calculations. These are key transferrable skills which will be valuable throughout your career.
This module introduces the principles and applications of power electronics, focusing on semiconductor devices, practical implementation aspects and converter topologies. Students will learn the characteristics of conventional and emerging devices, design and analyse key circuits for protection and thermal management, and explore common representatives of DC-DC, AC-DC, AC-AC and DC-AC converters.
The syllabus will be based upon several topics relating to the use of power semiconductors and components in power systems. The course starts with considerations of the individual power electronic devices, before moving on to their use as part of an HVDC convertor station. Finally, you will consider issues surrounding HVDC transmission links as a whole, including the relevant cable and line technologies. This will be set against the context of the changing requirements for bulk transmission of power which are affecting electrical grids around the world.
The module content allows students to 1) Appreciate the role of electric power in the modern world – Size of the industry 2) Understand current power demands and projected increase – Geographic location – Seasonal and daily variations 3) Learn different generation technologies – Physical and engineering aspects – Economy and cost – Impact on environment – Political vector
Electric power systems are one of the most important assets of any nation and are responsible for the nation’s assured and non-stop electricity supply. This module provides an overview of the power engineering tools of dynamic modelling, stability analysis and control design, which are needed to ensure that the electricity supply exactly meets the electricity-demand at every instant, and the system operation remains stable so that any unforeseen change or disturbance in the system does not lead to partial or complete system shutdown. The importance of these power engineering tools and concepts are considered in light of the urgently needed large-scale integration of renewable sources to power systems, which may lead to several stability challenges, such as reduced system inertia, stochastic generation and converter driven instabilities.
