Alternative investment strategies became increasingly popular among investors to achieve better returns. This module looks beyond the traditional investments such as shares and bonds. It covers a range of topics that introduce the world of alternative investment strategies; in particular hedge funds, private equity and real estate investment trusts. Lectures are followed by in-depth practical examples using statistical packages, discussions and tools that show the real world implications.
The history of the post-war world has been powerfully shaped by the decisions and actions of American political and military leaders, and by the deployment of American defense technologies. This module considers the significance of humanitarian concerns within US national security discourse from the fire-bombing of Germany and Japan during the Second World War through to the start of the Vietnam War. It also examines the actual impacts of American war-making and war-fighting technologies upon the lives of others, including the population of Hiroshima, the victims of napalm in Korea, those exposed to radioactive fallout from US nuclear tests, and the inhabitants of strategic hamlets in Vietnam.
This module continues the exploration of the impact of defense technologies and humanitarian concerns upon US foreign policy from the escalation of US involvement in the Vietnam War into the post-Cold War era. It will examine the US approach to fighting the Vietnam War, including the strategy of attrition, the use of napalm, instances of atrocity, and the use of strategic bombing. It will also consider the role played by the United States in instances of genocide or regime change in Indonesia, Bangladesh, and Chile, and its efforts to explicitly integrate a concern with human rights into its foreign policy from the mid-1970s onwards. The module will conclude with sessions devoted to the dilemmas confronting American foreign policy in the post-Cold War eras, looking at the first Gulf War, the intervention in Somalia and the Rwandan genocide.
The module offers a history of American cinema since 1965, covering the decline of the Hollywood studio system and the moment, from 1968 to 1975, when a new wave of directors produced a number of key films sometimes known as constituting the Hollywood art-house period, through the rise of the blockbuster in the mid-1970s, to the reinvigorated New Hollywood of the 80s and 90s. It explores whether this can be called the Hollywood post-classical period, the inter-relationship of studio and independent cinema, and historical issues such as changes in marketing and exhibition practices, and how the film industry survived the rise of television and exploited the rise of new home viewing technologies such as video, DVD, and laserdisc.
As the Puritan colonialist John Winthrop said at Holyrood Church in Southampton before embarking for Boston, American was to be ‘as a city upon a hill’, a beacon of progress and enlightenment for the world. But from the beginning, America has been shadowed by an opposite set of possibilities. Poised on the cusp between rationalism and madness, freedom and claustrophobia, progress and decay, inclusivity and violence, the American dream has always had the potential to turn into a nightmare. This module investigates the anxieties that produced American Gothic literature, at its apex in the nineteenth century, exploring themes such as religious fanaticism, landscape, normativity and monstrosity, experiments in democracy, and reckoning with race and racism. We will consider not only the distinctive characteristics of American terror in literature, but also what those fears can tell us about what it means to be an American.
For many people, the phrase “American political thought” either has an obvious meaning – some version of liberal democracy, surely – or it is a contradiction in terms – America has politics, but seems to exercise little thought. This module sets the record straight. We will dive into a unique blend of cultural and political history, contemporary politics, political ideas – a blend that, as we shall see, allowed an improbable candidate like Donald Trump to win a presidential election. This module will refute the sceptic and show that American political thought is a significant intellectual tradition that actually goes back to the 17th Century. However, as we will see, this tradition is never developed through abstract scholarly theorising. It is developed by flesh and blood political actors in actual political circumstances. This is a political theory module for those who like their theory to be genuinely political. We will study ideas in action – how they emerge through political action and how they continue to be shaped and transformed by the challenges of political events and changing social circumstances.
This module is designed to provide students from a range of multidisciplinary backgrounds, such as Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Nurses, Prosthetists and Engineers with the opportunity to gain an in-depth understanding of rehabilitation following an amputation and prosthetics use. The module has currently been developed as a standalone/option module within the MSc Health Sciences programme, but will be drawn together with a second module to provide a specific MSc in Amputee Rehabilitation pathway. This module is likely to attract professionals who are currently working in the field amputee rehabilitation or prosthetic use or those who would like to move into a career in this area. The module will therefore undertake a flexible route for working professionals and will be taught in two weekly blocking involving weekend work. The module is currently endorsed by the British Association of Chartered Physiotherapist in Amputee Rehabilitation (BACPAR). The module takes an innovative approach and be linked to a wide range of prosthetic industrial partners through the inclusion of a student conference and industry day.
Where does the idea of a stateless person come from? Why did France become one of the foremost nations for refugee reception? How were refugees fleeing from persecution in other parts of Europe treated in France? Why did France establish a system of ‘concentration camps’ for refugees? This module offers you the opportunity to gain an in-depth awareness of how asylum was offered, compromised and refused during an era of mass forced displacement. You will be able to follow the experiences of various groups of refugees from the First World war through to the end of the Second World War. You will then explore the dynamics underlying the inclusion and exclusion of refugees from the commemorative practices of WWII in contemporary France. This module will appeal to students with an interest in France and European history more generally as well as those who wish to gain an understanding of how basic refugees’ rights developed during a key phase of mass forced displacement.
"The Anthropology of Everything" aims to guide students in developing engaged thinking about the various forms of anthropological knowledge production. Serving as a bridge between social and cultural anthropology, archaeology and biological anthropology modules, this module is structured around a fictionalized excavation site, using weekly topics as a springboard into creative anthropological analysis. In this way, the module explores historical and contemporary themes and debates in social and cultural anthropology, providing students with a critical understanding of the diverse theoretical frameworks, methodologies and positionalities that have shaped the discipline. By analyzing ethnographic cases from across the globe, it highlights anthropology’s unique capacity to bridge past, present and future, transcend boundaries and engage with both human and non-human lifeworlds. Building on this foundation, students will engage with classic and emerging theories and concepts grounded in ethnography to examine how anthropological knowledge is produced, circulated and contested. This module encourages students to think forward, towards innovative ways of applying ethnographic knowledge by understanding that an anthropological framing can elicit insights that can be powerful explanatory tools in many situations, both in their personal and professional lives. Ultimately, this module fosters a deeper appreciation of anthropology’s relevance in addressing pressing global challenges.
Acoustical engineers play a vital role in almost every field of technology, from the built environment to transport, from audio systems to green energy production, from underwater communication to medical imaging and treatment. Acoustical engineers need to understand the physical mechanisms of sound wave generation, propagation, but they also need to understand the way we hear and respond to sound, the way acousticians quantify and measure sounds. Beyond that acoustical engineers need to know how their role addresses the needs of society, how to communicate, both with engineers from other disciplines and the public, and what their professional and ethical responsibilities are. This module will be the first step in your journey to becoming a professional acoustical engineer. It consists of four inter-related themes. The ACOUSTICAL ENGINEERING theme explores the questions of what an acoustical engineer does, who employs them, and how they benefit society. It surveys the wide range of engineering undertakings to which acoustical engineers can contribute, and deals with the ethical and societal responsibilities of a professional engineer. The SOUND PERCEPTION theme introduces the human auditory system and how we assess hearing. It explores the relationship between objective measures such as amplitude and frequency to subjective phenomena, such as loudness and pitch. It explores how we quantify and regulate noise. The PHYSICAL ACOUSTICS theme deals with mathematical models for the physical processes involved in acoustic wave motion. It shows how wave motion arises from the fundamental laws of fluid motion and develops the relationship between pressure fluctuations (which we hear as sound) and the associated fluid motion, making use of analytical techniques learnt in your Mathematics module, and drawing on concepts from your Thermofluids module. In the DATA PROCESSING theme, you will be taught to use the Python programming language to process, visualize and (since this is an acoustics course) auralize data. You will learn to create and play audible sounds, analyse recorded sounds and make animations of wave motions to deepen your understanding of acoustical processes.
Civil engineering is a design discipline that is broad and holistic, while also focused and extremely precise. It utilises experimentation, creativity, numerical analysis and calculation and the application of scientific principles to deliver sustainable solutions for people, our societies, cultures and environments. It requires engineers who have refined their skills through experience and demonstrate they can apply learning within a highly communicative, process-driven, teamworking environment. This module introduces the theories and practical skills required for you to become a successful civil engineer. It includes a series of design projects, ranging in focus and scope, supported by lectures, practical workshops, design tutorials and presentations. You are encouraged to identify your existing skills, competencies and interests, and shape and enhance your own learning – helping you to start to define your own career within the exciting world of civil engineering.
Engineers design physical products, systems and processes. They think big with vision, research, analyse, create, refine and deliver solutions. Engineering is a design discipline that is broad and holistic, while also focused and extremely precise. It utilises experimentation, creativity, analysis and the application of scientific principles to deliver sustainable solutions for people, our societies, cultures and environments. It requires engineers who have refined their skills through experience and demonstrate they can apply learning within a highly communicative, process-driven, teamworking environment. This module introduces the theories and practical skills required for you to become a successful engineer. It includes a series of design projects, ranging in focus and scope, supported by lectures, practical workshops, design tutorials and presentations. You are encouraged to identify and build on your existing skills, competencies and interests, and shape and enhance your own learning – helping you to start to define your own career within the exciting world of engineering.
The key aim of this module is to provide the background and the methods for the understanding of the operation of basic analogue CMOS cells, and how to design common functions. The emphasis is placed on design of analogue functions specifically as part of mixed signal systems. Only a few “Digital” CMOS ICs are actually completely digital; most have some analogue functions, often signal conditioning and data conversion interfaces, but maybe only a clock oscillator. The approach adopted is based on “bottom-up” approach, by encouraging a sound understanding of the analogue behaviour of devices and a range of fundamental circuit principles, with the emphasis on gaining skills at first order design by hand as a starting point for simulation and as guidance for optimisation. Device models suitable for hand calculation are considered as well as their limits of applicability. The methods for manufacturability and robustness in design are given high priority. Functions addressed include primitive cells, biasing and references, op-amp designs, sampled and continuous time filters, A/D and D/A converters. Pre-Requisite Knowledge: - Basic MOS transistor construction and physics - Basic MOS transistor large and small signal models - DC and AC network analysis skills - Behavioural level understanding of Op-Amp circuits - Elementary appreciation of sampled data systems - Basic circuit simulation CAD skills (SPICE)
To cover in some depth those areas of circuitry likely to be used between an analogue signal source and a digital signal processing system, making maximum use of available integrated circuits. This fits in with our overall programme of providing a broad based electronics engineering course, with this module covering the main aspects of measuring outputs from a variety of sensors, designing interface circuits and amplifiers, filtering, and data conversion. The course will also cover important topics such as clock generation, noise management, power supply design, as well as practical issues such as packaging, EMC and PCB design. The issues are illustrated by case studies where applicable. It is assumed that the students at least understand the basics of opamp circuits, and basic analogue to digital conversion principles. ELEC2216 Advanced Electronic Systems is a required prerequisite as we build on and extend many of the concepts in this module.
This module encourages you to reflect on the analysis of the structure of language and its relationships to language teaching. It will demonstrate the kinds of analytic processes employed in linguistic analysis and identify the relationships between grammar and other levels of linguistic description, such as phonology, lexis and discourse. It will explore the use of pedagogic grammars of English and your own skills in linguistic analysis with respect to classroom practice.
The notion of limit and convergence are two key ideas on which rest most of modern Analysis. This module aims to present these notions building on the experience gained by students in first year Calculus module. The context of our study is: limits and convergences of sequences and series of real numbers, and sequences and series of functions. These classical results will be applied to derive properties of continues and differentiable functions. The module will introduce tools that are of importance in applications, for instance, power series expansions of functions, etc.
