Global Challenges BASc

Compulsory

• Introduction to Global Challenges: Theory, Practice, and Perspectives
• Global London

  Through focusing on the concept of ‘Global London’, this module shows you how the social sciences can enable you to better understand their lived social environment. It introduces you to the techniques used by a range of disciplines within social science for gaining and validating knowledge of the social world and equips you with an academic skill base appropriate for university study. 

• Living with Environmental Change

  Through specific case studies, this module provides a holistic, integrated approach to understanding reciprocal relationships between societies and environments, drawing on both social and natural science expertise. It enables students to better understand the ways in which environmental change impacts on society at multiple scales, and the possibilities for societies to respond.  

• Biosphere and Ecology

  This module aims to give students an understanding of the natural events that damage environments and communities, including the evolution of multicellular life, ecosystems, ecosystem relationships, and biohazards (diseases and infestations).

• Power, Inequality and Society

  This module unpacks the definition, origins, evolution and trajectory of inequality in society through multiple empirical and theoretical angles. It also examines different manifestations of inequality including gender, income, educational and intersectional dynamics. Finally, it explores social mobility and how the state, charities as well as labour groups work towards redistribution of opportunities and resources.

• Computer Based Design

  To introduce students to the basics of computer-based design methods and techniques including model representations, geometric sketches, constraints, and 3D features. To develop understanding and skills required to produce computer generated digital models, technical drawings, material simulation and rapid prototyping approaches within a CAD environment. 

Compulsory

• Responses to Global Challenges

Optional

• Fundamentals of Innovation

  This module enables students to develop capabilities relating to personal innovation and creativity, to enhance entrepreneurial thinking and manage innovation. Students will be introduced to the concepts and relevant theories of innovation and entrepreneurship, while instilling their importance during the introduction, growth and survival of new products, services and businesses.

• Climate Change
• Climate Politics

  This module aims to enable students to attain a comprehensive understanding of key concepts and theories in the politics and political economy of climate change. It will provide students with resources to assist them in making informed judgments on a range of questions and debates.  

• Insurgency and Counter-insurgency

  This module examines the concept and development of insurgency and counter-insurgency from the classical period to the present, with an emphasis on the post-1789 period, especially the post-1945 wars of decolonisation. The module will conclude with the post-9/11 ‘war on terror’ and current examples of insurgency and counter-insurgency. 

• Colonialism, Migration and Global Racism

  This module explores the concept, meaning and practices of ‘race’, ethnicity, racialization, and global racisms. It identifies how ‘race’ and racism have evolved over time, and in different contexts - both nationally in the contemporary UK as well as in other parts of the world. 

• Design Practice and Minor Projects

  This module enables students to develop their ability to use methodologies to conceive, explore, develop, evaluate, synthesise, realise, externalise and communicate the design of products and solutions through virtual modelling and simulation. By tackling design challenges through innovation, they systematically apply design process tools within a variety of contexts, with consideration to design, engineering and manufacturing issues.

• Sustainable Development and Political Ecology

  Students will engage critically with principles and practices of sustainable development and learn to understand environmental questions through a lens of political ecology. The module will provide opportunities for students to develop their own of attitudes and values in relation to the environment.  

• Ecosystem Stressors

  This module aims to provide students with an understanding of pressure on Earth’s ecological systems alongside the observed and predicted impacts.

• National Security Intelligence

  This module furnishes students with an overview to the field of national security intelligence. It also examines in greater detail intelligence collection, analysis, counterintelligence, covert action, and other selected topics.

• Digital Culture

  This module considers the shape of new media technologies such as iPhones – it explores how new developments in media technology have changed the basis of contemporary social life and culture. This module will examine some of the key transformations that are taking place through digital culture.

Compulsory

• Global Challenges in Practice
• Arts and Sciences Dissertation in Global Challenges

Optional

• Environmental Management Systems

  This module introduces students to the fundamentals of environmental management in the context of production-consumption-management systems. The module also introduces the concept of governance in spatial and temporal scales to help students understand that political, economic and social dimensions are important considerations alongside environmental impacts for sustainable management of our systems.

• Media and Social Justice

  The module explores how media represent social justice and identity giving particular attention to race, ethnicity, poverty and social justice, and focusing on both theory and production. Over the course of the module, you will learn about theory and practice in relation to diversity, stereotypes and prejudice, and you will produce media content that highlights the importance of social justice.

• Advanced Design for Sustainability Project

  This module enables students to tackle sustainability challenges by shaping production-consumption systems (product-service system design, design for circular systems), individual behaviour (emotionally durable design, design for sustainable behaviour) and collective behaviour (design for social innovations). Students will analyse a complex sustainability challenge, identify critical issues and apply a combination of design for sustainability approaches to address the challenge.

• Global Migration

  Equips students with an understanding of the key concepts in global migration including the causes and consequences of migration, national and international responses to migration and the diversity of migrant flows within a global context, using cases from both Global North and Global South contexts.

• Lawyers, Guns and Money: Making the Modern World System

  This module will explore issues raised by historical and political sociology regarding the development of the modern world-system. In particular the course will focus upon the rise to dominance of Europe in the building of the modern world-system and the explanations offered for this.

• Environmental Justice

  The module introduces students to diverse notions and theories of social justice, and to the emergence and development of environmental justice movements. It enables students to explore how environmental justice claims are made in relation to substantive issues at different scales of analysis.

• Terrorism and Counterterrorism

  This module aims to address a series of empirical questions regarding the causes, conduct, and consequences of campaigns of terrorism in the modern world. It provides students with an understanding of a series of key debates in the social science literature.

• Environment and Sustainability

  The aim of this module is to look at environment and sustainability from a multipronged perspective. The module will help students develop a nuanced understanding about managing our natural resources. Both top down and bottom up approaches to manage nature will be explored. 

• War and Humanitarianism

  This module aims to provide students with a critical understanding of the main themes in the anthropology of war and humanitarian assistance. These include the anthropology of violence, how societies respond in the aftermath of violence, the origins of humanitarianism, the concept of emergency, refugees and Giorgio Agamben’s concept of ‘bare life’.

• Cities, Power and Social Change

  An introduction to urban sociology and will develop the students understanding of urban development, cultures, and representation. The course will offer theoretical tools and provide practical applications for the relationship between space, culture, and social life in contemporary cities.