Differential Geometry in Theoretical Physics

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Tarek Anous
Prerequisite: Before taking this module you must take SPA6308
Corequisite: In the same year as taking this module you must take SPA7018U

Description: The aim of this course is to complement the core Relativistic Waves and Quantum Fields (RWQF) module by providing the student with some advanced tools essential for research in modern Theoretical Physics. Using the same starting point as RWQF, Maxwell's theory of electromagnetism, we will focus on the Lagrangian formulation of the two most prominent theories of our time: Yang-Mills (gauge) theory and gravity. The alternative notation of differential forms will be explored and the geometric aspects of gauge theory emphasised. Building on this, and introducing elements from group theory and fibre bundles we will introduce classical solitons as localised, finite energy solutions to the classical field equations in various dimensions (kinks in 2d, vortices in 3d, monopoles in 4d, instantons in Euclidean 4d) and discuss their properties, including the existence of zero-modes, associated collective coordinates and moduli spaces.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 20% Coursework
• Item 2: 80% Examination (2 hours 30 mins)

Differential Geometry in Theoretical Physics

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Tarek Anous
Corequisite: In the same year as taking this module you must take SPA7018P

Description: The aim of this course is to complement the core Relativistic Waves and Quantum Fields (RWQF) module by providing the student with some advanced tools essential for research in modern Theoretical Physics. Using the same starting point as RWQF, Maxwell's theory of electromagnetism, we will focus on the Lagrangian formulation of the two most prominent theories of our time: Yang-Mills (gauge) theory and gravity. The alternative notation of differential forms will be explored and the geometric aspects of gauge theory emphasised. Building on this, and introducing elements from group theory and fibre bundles we will introduce classical solitons as localised, finite energy solutions to the classical field equations in various dimensions (kinks in 2d, vortices in 3d, monopoles in 4d, instantons in Euclidean 4d) and discuss their properties, including the existence of zero-modes, associated collective coordinates and moduli spaces.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 20% Coursework
• Item 2: 80% Examination (2 hours 30 mins)

Physics Investigative Project

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Dr Craig Agnor

Description: Students will use their skills and knowledge acquired at both BSc and Masters level to carry out an advanced independent open- ended research project in the area of physics or astronomy. This involves planning, executing and reporting the results of an experiment, theory or modelling at a level substantially exceeding the BSc course and involving a considerable degree of originality and independence. Each project is open-ended and performed in collaboration with a specialist supervisor.

Regular supervisor meetings are supplemented with tutorials that develop key skills such as understanding advanced research problems; effective reading and note taking; how to search existing specialist literature using Web of Science and other resources; conceptualising research; and effective showcasing of project and student skills.

The tutorials will also equip students with core employability advice and skills to prepare them for taking confident next steps into industry/academia after the end of their studies.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 20% Checkpoints
• Item 2: 10% Poster
• Item 3: 20% Oral Presentation
• Item 4: 50% Written Report (8000-12000 words)

Particle and Nuclear Physics

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Ulla Blumenschein

Description: Following an introductory rehearsal of special relativity, particle scatterings and decays, the module focuses on theoretical foundations and experimental aspects of modern elementary particle and nuclear physics. It covers modern particle accelerators and radiation detectors, conservation laws, the three fundamental forces and their unification, modern neutrino physics, various nuclear models and their implications, radioactive decays, fission and fusion. Higher-level theoretical concepts are introduced from first principles where needed. The course also includes discussions of contemporary discoveries and advances in the field.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 30% Report
• Item 2: 70% Examination (2 hours 30 mins)

MSc Physics Research Project

Credits: 60.0
Contact: Dr David Vegh

Description: The MSc Research Project is at the heart of the MSc programme. It is an independent project undertaken by the student within a working research group in the School. The project runs over three semesters in order to allow for the student to both design their project (using available literature etc.), be trained in the relevant techniques and carry out a reasonably substantial piece of research based on an actual (real) research problem.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 90% Dissertation
• Item 2: 10% Performance

Relativistic Waves and Quantum Fields

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Prof Gabriele Travaglini
Prerequisite: Before taking this module you must take SPA5304 and take SPA6325 and take SPA5218. Before taking this module you are advised to take SPA7027U

Description: Relativistic wave equations for particles of various spins will be derived and studied, and the physical interpretations of their solutions will be analysed. After an introduction to classical field theory, and the role of symmetries in field theory (including the beautiful Noether's theorem) students will learn the fundamental concepts of quantum field theory, including the quantisation of the free Klein-Gordon and Dirac fields and the derivation of the Feynman propagator. Interactions are introduced and a systematic procedure to calculate scattering amplitudes using Feynman diagrams is derived. We will also compute some explicit tree-level scattering amplitudes in a number of simple examples.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 10% Coursework
• Item 2: 90% Examination (2 hours 30 mins)

Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Linda Cremonesi
Prerequisite: Before taking this module you must take SPA5666 and take SPA5131

Description: In this module, you will learn about cutting-edge developments in the fields of machine learning and artificial intelligence, and how they are being used to solve difficult or previously intractable problems. The aim is to give you an appreciation and background knowledge of what machine learning techniques are capable of, what the most powerful current techniques are, how they work, how they can go wrong, and how you can implement them to solve problems yourself. This module is taught through a combination of lectures on the theory and operation of modern machine learning and AI techniques, and computer lab projects where you will implement such methods as random forests, support vector machines, convolutional neural networks, and generative adversarial networks to solve problems in physics and related fields that would be difficult to address using more traditional analysis techniques.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 25% Lab book portfolio
• Item 2: 25% Midterm project
• Item 3: 50% Final Project

Statistical Data Analysis

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Ulla Blumenschein

Description: Statistical Data Analysis teaches the fundamentals of probability and statistics, data analysis, and machine learning, as applied to discovering, classifying, and measuring new phenomena. It draws on examples from a wide range of applications, within physics and far beyond. Students will learn to perform statistical calculations, to understand statistical usage in scientific research papers, and to apply practical programming techniques for more advanced analyses.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 30% Statistical Data Project
• Item 2: 70% Final Exam (2 hours 30 mins)

Extrasolar Planets and Astrophysical Discs

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Edward Gillen

Description: "Ever since the dawn of civilization human beings have speculated about the existence of planets outside of the Solar System orbiting other stars. The first bona fide extrasolar planet orbiting an ordinary main sequence star was discovered in 1995, and subsequent planet searches have uncovered the existence of more than one hundred planetary systems in the Solar neighbourhood of our galaxy. These discoveries have reignited speculation and scientific study concerning the possibility of life existing outside of the Solar System. This module provides an in depth description of our current knowledge and understanding of these extrasolar planets. Their statistical and physical properties are described and contrasted with the planets in our Solar System. Our understanding of how planetary systems form in the discs of gas and dust observed to exist around young stars will be explored, and current scientific ideas about the origin of life will be discussed. Rotationally supported discs of gas (and dust) are not only important for explaining the formation of planetary systems, but also play an important role in a large number of astrophysical phenomena such as Cataclysmic Variables, X-ray binary systems, and active galactic nuclei. These so-called accretion discs provide the engine for some of the most energetic phenomena in the universe. The second half of this module will describe the observational evidence for accretion discs and current theories for accretion disc evolution."

Assessment:

• Item 1: 10% Coursework
• Item 2: 90% Examination (2 hours 30 mins)

Euromasters Project/Dissertation

Credits: 120.0
Contact: Dr David Vegh

Description: Students will develop design, experimental, computational or analytical skills through the independent study of a problem in physics. They will learn to write a scientific report summarising results of an independent investigation, placing them in a physics context, and detailing the methods used and the results obtained. The project will run through both semesters and will involve a report and an oral presentation.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 70% Dissertation (10,000 words)
• Item 2: 20% Presentation (45 min)
• Item 3: 10% Performance

Quantum Mechanics B

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Prof Andreas Brandhuber
Prerequisite: Before taking this module you must take SPA5218 and take SPA5319

Description: This module is both an introduction and revision, followed by an extended exposition of the basic principles and applications of quantum mechanics. Topics include: Operators and the general structure of quantum mechanics, observables, orthonormality of eigenstates, expansion theorem, commuting operators, theory of measurement; The harmonic oscillator; Angular momentum theory, the rigid rotator and applications to rotation-vibration spectra of diatomic molecules; Spin in quantum mechanics illustrated with spin1/2: matrix representations, Stern-Gerlach experiments and measurement theory exemplified; Indistinguishable particles in quantum mechanics: Bosons and Fermions; Spherically symmetric potentials and the Hydrogen atom.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 20% Coursework
• Item 2: 80% Examination (2 hours 30 mins)

Relativity and Gravitation

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Timothy Clifton
Prerequisite: Before taking this module you must take SPA6308

Description: This module starts with mathematics and principles required to formulate general relativity, before moving on to consider how the theory describes empty space, black holes, and the generation of gravitational waves. The motion of particles and the propagation and observation of rays of light is discussed. The module covers both strong gravitational fields (as found near black holes), and weak gravitational fields (as found in the solar system). The module ends with a discussion of the detection of gravitational waves by the LIGO/Virgo collaboration.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 90% Examination (2 hours 30 mins)
• Item 2: 10% Coursework

Astrophysical Plasmas

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Christopher Chen

Description: "A plasma is an ionized gas where the magnetic and electric field play a key role in binding the material together. Plasmas are present in almost every astrophysical environment, from the surface of pulsars to the Earth's ionosphere. This module explores the unique properties of plasmas, such as particle gyration and magnetic reconnection. The emphasis is on the plasmas found in the Solar System, from the solar corona and solar wind to the outer reaches of the heliosphere and the interstellar medium. Fundamental astrophysical processes are explored, such as the formation of supersonic winds, magnetic energy release, shock waves and particle acceleration. The module highlights the links between the plasmas we can observe with spacecraft and the plasmas in more distant and extreme astrophysical objects."

Assessment:

• Item 1: 10% Coursework
• Item 2: 90% Examination (2 hours 30 mins)

Relativistic Waves and Quantum Fields

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Prof Gabriele Travaglini

Description: Relativistic wave equations for particles of various spins will be derived and studied, and the physical interpretations of their solutions will be analysed. After an introduction to classical field theory, and the role of symmetries in field theory (including the beautiful Noether's theorem) students will learn the fundamental concepts of quantum field theory, including the quantisation of the free Klein-Gordon and Dirac fields and the derivation of the Feynman propagator. Interactions are introduced and a systematic procedure to calculate scattering amplitudes using Feynman diagrams is derived. We will also compute some explicit tree-level scattering amplitudes in a number of simple examples.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 10% Coursework
• Item 2: 90% Examination (2 hours 30 mins)

Extended Independent Project

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Dr Craig Agnor

Description: Students will use their skills and knowledge to carry out an independent research project in the area of physics or astronomy. This involves planning, executing and reporting the results of an experiment or investigation. Each project is open-ended and performed in collaboration with a specialist supervisor.

Regular supervisor meetings are supplemented with tutorials that develop key skills such as understanding research problems; effective reading and note taking; how to search existing literature; conceptualising research; and effective showcasing of project and student skills.

The tutorials will also equip students with core employability advice and skills to prepare them for taking confident next steps into industry/academia after the end of their studies.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 5% Checkpoint 1
• Item 2: 5% Checkpoint 2
• Item 3: 5% Checkpoint 3
• Item 4: 5% Checkpoint 4
• Item 5: 50% Written Report (8000-12000 words)
• Item 6: 30% Oral Presentation

Advanced Quantum Field Theory

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr David Vegh
Prerequisite: Before taking this module you must take SPA7018P

Description: This module gives a broad exposition of the modern framework for the unification of special relativity and quantum theory - relativistic quantum field theory (QFT). Lagrangian formulation and canonical quantisation of free fields with spin = 0, 1/2, 1 are revised. The construction of interacting quantum field theories is devoloped with special focus on phi^4-theory and quantum electrodynamics (QED). Perturbation theory in terms of Feynman diagrams is developed systematically, and important concepts such as regularisation and renormalisation are introduced. These tools are applied to the calculation of simple tree-level and one-loop S-matrix elements and cross-sections in phi^4 theory and QED, corrections to the electron magnetic moment and the running coupling. The course will also touch on more advanced topics such as anomalies, non-Abelian gauge theories, and modern methods for the calculation of S-matrix elements.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 20% Coursework
• Item 2: 80% Examination (2 hours 30 mins)

Stars

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Heli Johanna Hietala

Description: "Stars are a vital building block in the Universe: forming out of interstellar gas and dust, and themselves being a major component of galaxies. They are also vital for providing the nuclear reactions that create the elements from which planets and even ourselves are formed. This course describes how the fundamental properties of stars are related to observations. Temperatures and densities in the centre of stars reach values that are unattainable in the laboratory. Yet the application of basic physical principles can help us determine much about the internal structure and evolution of stars, from their formation to their ultimate end states in such exotic and spectacular objects as white dwarfs, neutron stars and black holes."

Assessment:

• Item 1: 80% Examination (2 hours 30 mins)
• Item 2: 20% Stars Project

Physical Cosmology

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Karim Malik
Overlap: In taking this module you cannot take SPA7005U

Description: "This module covers the essential concepts of modern cosmology, and in particular introduces the student to what has become known as the ""cosmological standard model"". It discusses the structure and properties of the universe as we observe it today, its evolution and the the underlying physical concepts, and the observations that formed our understanding of the universe."

Assessment:

• Item 1: 20% Coursework
• Item 2: 80% Examination (2 hours 30 mins)

Advanced Cosmology

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Prof Christopher Clarkson

Description: This module covers advanced concepts of modern cosmology, and in particular will introduce the student to cosmological perturbation theory. It discusses the observed structure of the universe, how these structures formed, and how they can be used to test our theories and models of the universe. The module will also discuss recent and upcoming experiments and large scale structure surveys and their relevance for cosmology.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 90% Exam (2 hours 30 mins)
• Item 2: 10% Coursework

Statistical Physics

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Scott Melville
Prerequisite: Before taking this module you must take SPA5219

Description: Starting from the atomic and quantum descriptions of matter the module uses statistical principles to explain the behaviour of material in bulk. It thus relates microscopic to macroscopic quantities and provides a microscopic explanation of thermodynamics. It provides the bridge between microscopic quantum physics and the behaviour of matter as we know it daily.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 20% Coursework
• Item 2: 80% Examination (2 hours 30 mins)

Study Abroad Year

Credits: 120.0
Contact: To Be Confirmed

Description: The study placement will take place at one of our partner universities and the assessment for this module will be calculated from the assessment completed at that university.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Final Mark

Psychological Therapies: Applications and Effectiveness

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Dr Ava Kanyeredzi

Description: The module maps out both classic and contemporary work in mental health and relates theory to practice, particularly in psychotherapy. Research is drawn from a number of different therapeutic treatments, such as psychoanalysis, CBT, group and family therapy and 3rd wave therapies. Students will have the opportunity to learn about the effectiveness of each method and how these are used to treat a range of mental illnesses such as Psychosis, Depression and Personality Disorders.
Students will be also submitting a reflective piece based on their clinical placement.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 40% Discussion Paper
• Item 2: 10% Attendance and Participation
• Item 3: 50% Placement Reflective Piece (2000 words)

Professional Skills for Scientists II

Credits: 0.0
Contact: Dr David Mulryne
Prerequisite: Before taking this module you must take SPA4601

Description: Career Plans and Gathering Evidence for CV; CV and Cover Letter writing; Developing and Recognising Graduate Attributes; Scientific literacy and plagiarism.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 25% Tutorial 1
• Item 2: 25% Tutorial 2
• Item 3: 25% Tutorial 3
• Item 4: 25% Tutorial 4

Astrophysical Plasmas

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Christopher Chen

Description: "A plasma is an ionized gas where the magnetic and electric field play a key role in binding the material together. Plasmas are present in almost every astrophysical environment, from the surface of pulsars to the Earth's ionosphere. This module explores the unique properties of plasmas, such as particle gyration and magnetic reconnection. The emphasis is on the plasmas found in the Solar System, from the solar corona and solar wind to the outer reaches of the heliosphere and the interstellar medium. Fundamental astrophysical processes are explored, such as the formation of supersonic winds, magnetic energy release, shock waves and particle acceleration. The module highlights the links between the plasmas we can observe with spacecraft and the plasmas in more distant and extreme astrophysical objects."

Assessment:

• Item 1: 10% Coursework
• Item 2: 90% Examination (2 hours 30 mins)

Modern Languages Year Abroad work placement

Credits: 120.0
Contact: Dr Nadezda Bragina

Description: The Year Abroad is compulsory for all students on the BA modern Languages. Students may have the opportunity to choose different placement types, and will be registered for year or semester abroad modules to a total value of 120 credits according to the activities they undertake.

The work placement will be approved by the School of the Arts and will take place in a country that allows the student to immerse themselves in the target language.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Final Mark

Applied Data Science

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Dimitrios Kalogiros

Description: This module provides a wide range of introductory object-oriented programming, data analysis and data visualisation skills. The main focus is the powerful programming languages of Python, R, Matlab and visualisation tools of Tableau, Google Charts, Microsoft Power BI and JupyterR. The weekly interactive learning sessions will be supplemented by weekly computer laboratory/coding drop-in sessions allowing students to acquire the hands-on and on-screen experience they need in exploring the landscape of data science. Students will work collaboratively to draw conclusions and extract useful information from available datasets. They will gain the invaluable skills on how to interpret and report their analysis and results in ways that are informative and appropriate to varied audiences including internal and external stakeholders for informed decision making purposes.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 10% Data Analysis and Data Visualisation Assignment
• Item 2: 10% Peer Evaluation
• Item 3: 20% Data Analysis in groups (Report and Presentation)
• Item 4: 60% Final Project (code + report)

Quantum Mechanics and Symmetry

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Constantinos Papageorgakis
Overlap: In taking this module you cannot take INK7002U
Prerequisite: Before taking this module you must take SPA5218
Corequisite: In the same year as taking this module you must take SPA6413

Description: The module will give you a grounding in the more formal and axiomatic approach to quantum mechanics and introduce you to the application of these tools in the quantum mechanical description of symmetries in particle physics. Topics include: Dirac notation; Hilbert space; linear operators; formal axioms of quantum mechanics; Schoedinger and Heisenberg pictures; harmonic oscillator; raising and lowering operators; time independent perturbation theory; transformation operators; translations and rotations of coordinates; conservation laws and good quantum numbers; rotation operators; angular momentum operators.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 20% Coursework 1
• Item 2: 80% Examination (2 hours 30 mins)

Cloud Computing in AI

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Dimitrios Kalogiros

Description: The Cloud computing in AI module is designed to familiarise yourself with the latest Cloud computing and decentralised applications technologies in the context of data management and AI and ML applications. This module will allow you to build working knowledge of the fundamentals of data management and data processing and then to explore network concepts, types of devices and data center functions. You will learn about services provided on the top 'Big Clouds' and practice on how to combine these services to support AI analyses and modelling. You will acquire confidence in applying all the tools learned in your master programme to the widest range of computing and business environments.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 40% Portfolio
• Item 2: 20% Assessed Coding Exercise
• Item 3: 40% Report

The Physics of Galaxies

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Francesco Volponi
Overlap: In taking this module you cannot take SPA7010U

Description: "Galaxies are the building blocks of the universe and deserve the extensive study they now enjoy. This course applies basic physical ideas to astronomical observations, exploring the properties of galaxies themselves and the evolution of structure in the universe."

Assessment:

• Item 1: 20% Coursework
• Item 2: 80% Examination (2 hours 30 mins)

Physical Dynamics

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr David Vegh
Prerequisite: Before taking this module you must take SPA4401
Corequisite: In the same year as taking this module you must take SPA5218

Description: Introduction to Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formulations of Newtonian mechanics. Origin of Conservation Laws and their relation to symmetry properties. Rotational motion of rigid bodies, Euler's equations, principal axes and stability of rotation, precession. Small vibration approximation, normal modes

Assessment:

• Item 1: 15% Coursework 1
• Item 2: 15% Coursework 2
• Item 3: 70% Final exam (2 hours 30 mins)

Cultural Psychology and Psychiatry: Clinical Applications

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Ms Andrea Palinski

Description: The module links theory to practice, providing an overview of culturally competent approaches to the assessment, treatment and prevention of mental illness in local and global contexts. Students are introduced to research evaluating cultural competency at different levels of service delivery including culturally adapted psychological therapies, culturally appropriate assessment tools, clinical and organizational strategies to improve accessibility of mental health services, cultural competency training frameworks as well as strategic approaches to equitable global mental health care. Students will have the opportunity to learn about the importance and effectiveness of these different approaches and how they are used to enhance and improve available psychological interventions and systems of service delivery to treat a range of mental illnesses across diverse populations.
Students will be also submitting a reflective piece based on their work/clinical placement.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 40% Microteaching
• Item 2: 50% Placement Reflective Piece (2000 words)
• Item 3: 10% Attendance and Participation

ML for Materials Discovery

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Devis Di Tommaso

Description: The ML in Materials Discovery module is designed to help you understand how artificial intelligence and machine learning can be applied to the domain of materials science for materials discovery and help you attain a deeper understanding of ML methods applied to real scientific datasets to refine your practical skills. In this module you will learn the basics of modern chemical informatics, and how AI and ML methods can be exploited to study material properties. Then you will apply these computational methods to design new materials, and to model and predict their properties. You will have the opportunity to apply these techniques to specific cutting-edge examples.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 40% Assessed Computational Laboratory
• Item 2: 20% Assessed Coding Exercise
• Item 3: 40% Report

AI in Astrophysics and Space Science

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Enrico Camporeale

Description: The AI in Astrophysics and Space Science module is designed to help you understand how artificial intelligence and machine learning can be applied to the astrophysics and space-science domains and help you attain a deeper understanding of ML methods applied to real scientific datasets to refine your practical skills and to help prepare for your independent study research project irrespective of the specific problem domain of that. In this module you will learn about data preparation and pathologies related to the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning, you will apply the methods you have studied in your other AI and ML and your Deep Learning modules, and you will explore knowledge-guided machine learning.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 40% Portfolio
• Item 2: 20% Assessed Coding Exercise
• Item 3: 40% Report

Stellar Structure and Evolution

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Francesco Volponi

Description: "Stars are important constituents of the universe. This module starts from well known physical phenomena such as gravity, mass conservation, pressure balance, radiative transfer of energy and energy generation from the conversion of hydrogen to helium. From these, it deduces stellar properties that can be observed (that is, luminosity and effective temperature or their equivalents such as magnitude and colour) and compares the theoretical with the actual. In general good agreement is obtained but with a few discrepancies so that for a few classes of stars, other physical effects such as convection, gravitational energy generation and degeneracy pressure have to be included. This allows an understanding of pre-main sequence and dwarf stages of evolution of stars, as well as the helium flash and supernova stages."

Assessment:

• Item 1: 10% Coursework
• Item 2: 90% Examination (2 hours 30 mins)

Relativity and Gravitation

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Timothy Clifton

Description: This module starts with mathematics and principles required to formulate general relativity, before moving on to consider how the theory describes empty space, black holes, and the generation of gravitational waves. The motion of particles and the propagation and observation of rays of light is discussed. The module covers both strong gravitational fields (as found near black holes), and weak gravitational fields (as found in the solar system). The module ends with a discussion of the detection of gravitational waves by the LIGO/Virgo collaboration.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 90% Examination (2 hours 30 mins)
• Item 2: 10% Coursework

Cultural Psychology and Psychiatry: Theory and Method

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Ms Andrea Palinski

Description: This module will provide a critical understanding of the intersection between culture and mental health within a global context. Students will be introduced to social science theories from disaplines such as anthropology and sociology which have been used to inform psychological and psychiatric understandings of mental illness and its treatment. Topics discussed will include the links between culture and mental processes, variations in the manifestation and interpretation of mental illness across cultures, challenges of assessment and treatment of mental illness within multicultural contexts and the impact of intersecting inequalities on the mental health of minority populations . Students will be encouraged to reflect on the impact of culture on both mental disorder and mental healthcare treatment at both local and global levels.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Critical Essay (3000 words)

Extrasolar Planets and Astrophysical Discs

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Edward Gillen

Description: "Ever since the dawn of civilization human beings have speculated about the existence of planets outside of the Solar System orbiting other stars. The first bona fide extrasolar planet orbiting an ordinary main sequence star was discovered in 1995, and subsequent planet searches have uncovered the existence of more than one hundred planetary systems in the Solar neighbourhood of our galaxy. These discoveries have reignited speculation and scientific study concerning the possibility of life existing outside of the Solar System. This module provides an in depth description of our current knowledge and understanding of these extrasolar planets. Their statistical and physical properties are described and contrasted with the planets in our Solar System. Our understanding of how planetary systems form in the discs of gas and dust observed to exist around young stars will be explored, and current scientific ideas about the origin of life will be discussed. Rotationally supported discs of gas (and dust) are not only important for explaining the formation of planetary systems, but also play an important role in a large number of astrophysical phenomena such as Cataclysmic Variables, X-ray binary systems, and active galactic nuclei. These so-called accretion discs provide the engine for some of the most energetic phenomena in the universe. The second half of this module will describe the observational evidence for accretion discs and current theories for accretion disc evolution."

Assessment:

• Item 1: 10% Coursework
• Item 2: 90% Examination (2 hours 30 mins)

Advanced Quantum Field Theory

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr David Vegh
Prerequisite: Before taking this module you must take SPA7018U

Description: "This module gives a broad exposition of the modern frame work for the unification of special relativity and quantum theory -- relativistic quantum field theory (QFT). Lagrangian formulation and canonical quantisation of free fields with spin = 0, 1/2, 1 are revised. The construction of interacting quantum field theories is devoloped with special focus on phi^4-theory and quantum electrodynamics (QED). Perturbation theory in terms of Feynman diagrams is developed systematically, and important concepts such as regularisation and renormalisation are introduced. These tools are applied to the calculation of simple tree-level and one-loop S-matrix elements and cross-sections in phi^4 theory and QED, corrections to the electron magnetic moment and the running coupling. The course will also touch on more advanced topics such as anomalies, non-Abelian gauge theories, and modern methods for the calculation of S-matrix elements. "

Assessment:

• Item 1: 20% Coursework
• Item 2: 80% Examination (2 hours 30 mins)

MSc Astrophysics Research Project

Credits: 60.0
Contact: Dr Karim Malik

Description: The MSc project involves a critical review of a chosen topic in modern astrophysics, and may include some original research. Students write a dissertation summarising current research in that chosen field and the extent of their own investigations.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Dissertation

Physics Review Project

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Craig Agnor

Description: You will examine a specialised area of physics by directed reading and independent study. You will learn to use scientific research literature databases. You will develop the skill of writing a scientific review summarising current knowledge in a field of physics. You may enrol for this project only with the permission of the Module Organiser for MSci projects. Open only to 3rd year MSci students.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 10% Checkpoint 1
• Item 2: 10% Checkpoint 2
• Item 3: 50% Written Report (8000-12000 words)
• Item 4: 30% Oral Presentation

Spacetime and Gravity

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Ricardo Monteiro

Description: "This course presents the essential concepts of both special and general relativity. The emphasis is on the physical understanding of the theory and the mathematical development is kept simple, although more detailed treatments are included for those who wish to follow them; space-time diagrams being are used extensively. The course includes discussion of the big bang and black holes."

Assessment:

• Item 1: 20% Coursework 1
• Item 2: 80% Examination (2 hours 30 mins)

Introduction to Scientific Computing

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Craig Agnor
Prerequisite: Before taking this module you must take SPA4121 and take SPA4122 and take SPA4401 and take SPA4402 and take SPA4210

Description: This module provides a general introduction to numerical problem solving with the programming language Python. Scientific computing provides an inherently interdisciplinary approach to problem solving; one that combines aspects of applied mathematics, computer science, and software engineering with concepts and models from the physical sciences.

In this module basic aspects of scientific computation, including computer number representations, machine precision, discretisation of equations, error and uncertainty, will be discussed. The mathematical underpinnings of numerical methods of problem solving will be developed, including numerical integration and differentiation, searching, data fitting, interpolation, matrix computing, and solving differential equations.

These theoretical topics will be put into practice during weekly computational laboratory exercises where computer programs will be written that utilise a variety of numerical techniques to solve problems. Authentic examples from the physical sciences and industry and will be explored.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 40% Lab book portfolio
• Item 2: 20% Mid-term
• Item 3: 40% Final report

Stellar Structure and Evolution

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Francesco Volponi

Description: "Stars are important constituents of the universe. This module starts from well known physical phenomena such as gravity, mass conservation, pressure balance, radiative transfer of energy and energy generation from the conversion of hydrogen to helium. From these, it deduces stellar properties that can be observed (that is, luminosity and effective temperature or their equivalents such as magnitude and colour) and compares the theoretical with the actual. In general good agreement is obtained but with a few discrepancies so that for a few classes of stars, other physical effects such as convection, gravitational energy generation and degeneracy pressure have to be included. This allows an understanding of pre-main sequence and dwarf stages of evolution of stars, as well as the helium flash and supernova stages."

Assessment:

• Item 1: 10% Coursework
• Item 2: 90% Examination (2 hours 30 mins)

Quantum Mechanics A

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Matthew Buican

Description: "This course aims to introduce the fundamental concepts of quantum mechanics from the beginning. By studying applications of the principles of quantum mechanics to simple systems the course will provide a foundation for understanding concepts such as energy quantisation, the uncertainty principle and quantum tunnelling, illustrating these with experimental demonstrations and other phenomena found in nature. These concepts are introduced and applied to systems of increasing (mathematical) complexity: (i)Infinite 1-D quantum wells. (ii)Finite 1-D quantum wells (introducing graphical solutions of transcendental equations). (iii)LCAO methods for modelling ions. (iv)Simple Harmonic oscillators (introducing Hermite polynomials and applying energy solutions to molecular vibrational spectra). (v)Beams of free particles, probability flux and reflection/transmission in stepwise varying potentials. (vi)Finite potential barriers and tunnelling, Tunnelling through arbitrary potential barriers (the Gamow factor), field emission and Alpha decay and tunnelling. The Scanning Tunnelling Microscope (STM). (vii)The solution to the Hydrogen atom, including separation of variables, spherical harmonics, the radial equation and electronic energy levels and the quantum numbers n, l, ml and ms and resulting degeneracy. (viii)The treatment of angular momentum in quantum mechanics, its magnitude and projection along an axis. (ix)Introduction to first order, time independent, perturbation theory."

Assessment:

• Item 1: 15% Maths Portfolio
• Item 2: 15% Synoptic problem solving
• Item 3: 10% Mid-term test
• Item 4: 60% Exam (2 hours 30 mins)

Principles of Regulation

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Douglas Arner

Description: Regulation covers virtually all significant aspects of modern life. It is here to stay but it remains as controversial as ever. This is an advanced foundational course on regulation. The module examines problems that are common to the regulation of a wide range of industries and fields and considers how these problems are (or fail to be) treated. In particular, the module considers the nature of regulation and its relationship with law, economics and politics, the regulation of risk, standard setting, compliance and enforcement strategies, the issues of accountability and legitimacy and the rise of multi-level governance and transnational regulation. Being `problem-solving sensitive¿ but 'industry neutral', this module is an ideal complement to more narrowly-focused modules irrespective of choice of LLM Specialism.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Examination (3 hours 15 mins)

International Finance Law

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Prof George Walker

Description: The purpose of the module is to examine the principal markets and main professional documentation used in the international finance and capital markets. International finance markets are key drivers in national and international economies and the new global economy. The City of London remains one of the key financial centres in the world for all of these markets and activities. This course examines the nature, function, structure, operation and importance of all of the key financial markets involved. This is essentially a private law, contract or transactional and documentation course which provides professional preparation in designing, structuring and executing all of the principal separate financial contracts involved.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Examination (3 hours 15 mins)

Corporate Governance and Responsibility in Finance

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Dr Costanza Russo

Description: The module aims at providing students with a thorough understanding of the main corporate governance problems pertaining to the financial sector. This is necessary as the governance of financial institutions is profoundly different from that of non financial institutions. The module will investigate how banks, investment funds and insurance companies are governed and controlled, the link between compensation, performance and risk, and whether structural separation in banking (also called ring fencing) will contribute to simplify banks' governance. The responsibility aspects will cover both managers' liability and corporate responsibilities towards society (CSR). The module will also consider the overall spectrum of duties owed by financial companies towards investors as included in the Mifid and in other EU Directives, and the legal consequences in case of breach. The legal systems analyzed will mostly be the UK and the EU ones with reference to international standards where applicable.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 30% Annotated Bibliography (1500 words)
• Item 2: 70% Group Response to Consultation

Portuguese II

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Mrs Frances Goodingham
Prerequisite: Before taking this module you must take POR4201

Description: This module is offered to students pursuing a degree in Hispanic Studies and Portuguese, who have A Level in Portuguese/equivalent, and/or who are heritage speakers of Portuguese and have taken POR4201. Successful students will reach Level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL). The module develops Portuguese grammar, comprehension, oral, aural and analytical skills, with an emphasis on the appropriate use of register in both spoken and written Portuguese and preparation for the Year Abroad.

As a module, it will be available to students registered on a degree programme involving Portuguese only.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 15% Semester 1: In-class News Report and Editorial (2x400 words)
• Item 2: 15% Semester 2: Lexical Field and Grammar Research Task (2x400 words)
• Item 3: 30% Oral Examination (15 mins)
• Item 4: 40% Written Examination (3 hours)

Theories and Concepts in Public Policy

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Mr Karl Pike

Description: This module will provide a structured introduction to key issues and concepts in policy analysis. The module will give students a solid grounding in theories of the policy-making process while enabling students to apply those insights to practical case-studies of policy formulation and implementation in the real world. The module will also provide students with background on the key traditions and approaches to public administration and policy-making in countries around the world, both developing and developed countries. Issues to be covered on the module will include the nature of public policies; the policy context: institutions and actors; theoretical approaches to the policy process; policy problems and agenda-setting; decision-making; implementation/new public management; evaluation; governance; public policy beyond the nation-state; policy change and policy convergence; future challenges for policy-makers.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 35% PowerPoint Brief
• Item 2: 65% Assignment 2: Case-study Analysis (4000 words)

Negotiation Theory and Practice

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Dr Debbie De Girolamo

Description: The course will explore negotiation through various theoretical approaches including strategic bargaining, cognitive theories, processual analysis, for example. The focus will be on the lawyer as negotiator and the intent is to blend theoretical analysis with practical application. Lectures will be delivered in combination with role-play simulations and exercises. Students will be expected to participate in exercises and simulated roleplays each class. This module is very well suited to a three hour weekly lecture due to the experiential nature of its delivery.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 20% Oral presentation
• Item 2: 80% Independent Research Essay (6000 words)

Regulation of Financial Markets

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Prof Rosa Lastra

Description: The module provides an overview of monetary and financial regulation drawing on a comparative study of the law in relevant financial centres in the US, UK, EU and Japan as well as on the increasing corpus of international financial `soft law¿ (such as the Basel capital rules) and considers the dynamics of financial regulation in emerging economies. The module goes beyond the description of the black letter law and explains the underlying economic and political forces which bring that law into being, analysing the interaction between law and finance. Focus is on regulatory issues, and not on contractual or transactional aspects.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Essay (4000 words)

Law and Ethics in Business and Finance

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Daniele D'Alvia

Description: The module provides students with a broad understanding of the importance of conducting business activities (both financial and non-financial) with fairness and integrity and how this is reflected in EU and UK law and supervisory powers. By making reference to real case studies, the module investigates the legal framework pertaining to bribes, market manipulation, and other malpractices and critically analyses its effectiveness taking also into account the deterrence effect, or lack thereof, of the sanctioning and prosecution regime. It then covers corporate social responsibility and sustainable/responsible investment to analyse if and how this can nudge change. The module will also touch upon the efficacy of the organizational requirements companies are obliged to have in place to prevent unethical conduct from happening and/or spreading.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 30% Individual Student Report (1500-2500 words)
• Item 2: 70% Group video

Quantitative Research Methods and Statistics in Psychology

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Daniel Bor

Description: This module builds introduces an area of special interest to applied psychologists, and one where the College has research strengths; health psychology or psychology as applied to health and medicine. The module covers the central models and evidence base concerning the relationship of psychological processes to health maintenance, treatment adherence, professional-patient interactions, stress and immune system function. Topics covered by this module include models and theories of health behaviour and their explanatory power; psychology & health promotion; adherence to treatment, health professional and patient interactions; research methods in health psychology; psychological issues in clinical trial design; personality, health and lifestyle; psychoneuroimmunology; cardiovascular disease; sexual health behaviours; and coping with chronic & terminal conditions.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 60% Lab Report
• Item 2: 40% Practical Test

Themes and Cases in US Foreign Policy

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Dr Diego De Merich

Description: This course will consider the principal forms in which US foreign policy has been practised and interpreted since the foundation of the Republic. Amongst these are American Exceptionalism and Anti-Americanism, 'spheres of influence', liberal interventionism and protectionist isolationism, Cold War containment, the `War on Terror' following 9/11, and the strains on unipolarity in the early 21st century. Amongst the case studies linked to these themes, we shall consider the role of Native Americans and immigration, the war of 1898, gunboat diplomacy in the Caribbean, the ideas of Woodrow Wilson, the Vietnam War, the consequences of the 9/11 attacks, and the challenges posed by China.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 40% Essay 1 (2000 words)
• Item 2: 60% Essay 2 (3000 words)

Brain and Behaviour

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Prof Lars Chittka

Description: This module is intended for students studying BSc Psychology (C800). This module builds on the theme of psychology as a biological science in parallel with the 'Exploring Psychology' module by specifying the proximate biological mechanisms involved in psychological phenomena. The module will focus on basic principles of biological psychology predominantly, and then introduce psychological processes to illustrate these.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 50% Coursework
• Item 2: 50% Examination (12 hours 40 mins)

Emotion

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr John Apergis-Schoute

Description: The module will allow you to learn about the different conceptualisations of emotion both in terms of historical developments as well as contemporary theoretical models of emotions. The module will also consider the biological basis of emotions in the brain and the body, how emotions are expressed and perceived in faces, bodies, voice and music. The relationship between emotions and cognitions will be considered, including emotion regulation and individual differences in emotions. Finally, cultural differences and disorders of emotion will be discussed.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 50% Group Video & Summary
• Item 2: 10% Integrated Coursework
• Item 3: 40% Examination (12 hours 40 mins)

Introductory Portuguese

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Mrs Frances Goodingham

Description: This module is designed for students with little or no previous knowledge of the Portuguese language. Successful students will complete Level A2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Language (CEFRL). The module provides basic competence in all four main language skills (reading, listening, speaking and writing). Teaching materials are selected with a view to providing a panoramic view of the history and culture of the Portuguese-speaking countries in four continents. Students are expected to actively participate in and contribute to the learning process in the classroom. They must attend five hours of teaching per week and expect to spend a further five hours per week on private study.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 20% Semester 1: Composition and Oral Task (equivalent to 500 words)
• Item 2: 20% Semester 2: Reading Comprehension and Composition and Listening (equivalent to 500 words)
• Item 3: 20% Oral Examination (10 mins)
• Item 4: 40% Written Examination (3 hours)

International Arbitration Law and Practice: Theory and Context

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Prof Loukas Mistelis

Description: The growth of international commercial transactions, including infrastructure and investment projects, financial and IP transactions, has been accompanied over the last four decades by the increasing use of arbitration to settle disputes. Arbitration is now established as the preferred method of international dispute resolution as it provides for the neutrality and flexibility commercial parties seek. In the last ten years more than 5,000 arbitration cases have been recorded annually in London alone. This module examines the fundamental theoretical concepts and legal framework for international commercial arbitration. The teaching approach taken for this module is international and comparative, drawing on the laws of all major legal systems (including England, France, Switzerland, the USA, Model Law Countries, Singapore, China and Hong Kong) as well as the most important institutional and ad hoc arbitration rules (including the rules of the International Chamber of Commerce, the London Court of International Arbitration, the UNCITRAL Rules, the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce, the Singapore International Arbitration Centre and the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre). Particular focus is also given to the 1958 United Nations Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards (the New York Convention) which has a central importance in international commercial arbitration.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Examination (3 hours 15 mins)

Ethics in International Arbitration

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dominic Underhill

Description: Parties, attorneys, and arbitrators come to international arbitral proceedings different jurisdictions and with often distinctive legal cultures and ethical assumptions. As a result, many ambiguities exist about what rules apply to their professional conduct and often parties and counsel from different jurisdictions effectively play by different ethical rules. This module, which is to be offered as an option at the Centre for Commercial Law Studies, will address these issues.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Independent research essay (3000-4000 words)

War and International Security

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Dr Diego De Merich

Description: Violent conflict and the use of force remain salient issues in contemporary international relations. While some have theorised that the advent of globalisation and spread of liberal democracy would make the use of force and violent conflict less relevant to the world, war and conflict have remained an integral part of the international system, as well as forming an obstacle to providing stability and security for many states. This module will engage with these issues.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 40% Essay 1 (2000 words)
• Item 2: 60% Essay 2 (3000 words)

Transnational Law and Governance in Practice

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Theodora Christou

Description: The central question this module discusses is the application and implication of Transnational law, its formation, supervision, and enforcement process in the context of the transnational business community and globalised markets. This module will take a series of case studies from different areas of law to provide examples of how governance can be conducted in a globalised world. The focus will be on the role and functioning of transnational law in a globalised world. Guest lecturers will be invited to talk about the impact of globalisation on their specialism and a Transnational Law solution.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Independent research essay (3000-4000 words)

Strategic Decision Making for Lawyers

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Mr Rutger Metsch

Description: "This module provides the students with effective decision analysis skills, coupled with comprehensive theoretical background in the fields of decision making, game theory, and contracting theory to provide the theoretical context for applied decision analysis in a legal context. Aspects of various decision-making theories will be examined which may include: decision analysis involving independent decision-making under uncertainty which may include basic probabilistic modelling, decision tree construction and rollback, assessment of probabilities and ranges, sensitivity analysis, analysis of risk profiles and risk-attitudes, and application of decision analysis to litigation; game theory involving interdependent decision-making under certainty and uncertainty which may include consideration of relevant case studies, sequential and simultaneous games, common cooperative and noncooperative games, dominant strategy, iterated dominance and Nash equilibria, information asymmetry, Akerlof¿s adverse selection and moral hazard, and specific application of game theory in the legal setting; contracting theory involving function of contracts and key elements of effective agreements which may include risk allocation and incentive analysis, value creation in legal work, impact of strategic considerations and information asymmetry, probabilistic analysis of zone of possible settlement in litigation, and analysis of common contracts such as construction and production contracts, principal-agent contracts, sale and lease of property contracts, financing contracts and joint venture agreements; and decision-making Irrationality involving various aspects of bounded rationality and judgmental heuristics, information availability driven biases, anchoring, judgmental overconfidence, and instances of bounded awareness in strategic settings (inattention and change blindness, winner¿s curse in negotiation and in auctions). Classes combine classic academic teaching with a case method approach with particular emphasis on utilising the presented material for improvement of students¿ strategic decision making in the legal context."

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Examination (2 hours 15 mins)

Dissertation

Credits: 60.0
Contact: Dr Diego De Merich

Description: The Masters' Dissertation is an independent programme of study of an approved topic within the field of Politics. It is designed to enable students to undertake independent research and, through this, allow them to develop a specialised knowledge in an area of the Politics discipline which is of particular interest to them. Thus, it may draw upon, and develop an existing topic or issue associated with a module that they have studied in the earlier part of their programme, or emerge out of a student's specific research interest in an area not covered by other course modules. Although the dissertation is meant to be an exercise in independent research and writing, each student will be offered guidance and support through the assigning of a supervisor within the School who will oversee the progress of the dissertation.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Dissertation

Corporate Rescue and Cross-border Insolvency

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Prof Rodrigo Olivares-Caminal

Description: The module covers the various procedures available in cases of reorganization and insolvency of corporations; the relationship between the general law of property, obligations and insolvency; and, the law of credit and security issues in the context of distress scenarios. The module will have a transactional focus with actual case studies and will also analyse general principles of international financing techniques.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Independent research essay (3000-4000 words)

Dissertation

Credits: 60.0
Contact: Dr Diego De Merich

Description: The Masters' Dissertation is an independent programme of study of an approved topic within the field of Politics. It is designed to enable students to undertake independent research and, through this, allow them to develop a specialised knowledge in an area of the Politics discipline which is of particular interest to them. Thus, it may draw upon, and develop an existing topic or issue associated with a module that they have studied in the earlier part of their programme, or emerge out of a student's specific research interest in an area not covered by other course modules. Although the dissertation is meant to be an exercise in independent research and writing, each student will be offered guidance and support through the assigning of a supervisor within the School who will oversee the progress of the dissertation.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Dissertation

Globalisation and the International Political Economy of Development

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Dr Diego De Merich

Description: The course provides students with a detailed examination - and critique - of theories of globalisation and assessment of contemporary globalising processes, and how these particularly influence the developing world.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 40% Essay 1 (2000 words)
• Item 2: 60% Essay 2 (3000 words)

Introduction to Biopsychology

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Rani Moran

Description: This module aims to provide you as psychology students with a scientific overview of biology, emphasizing concepts relevant to behaviour and its study. This supports the distinctiveness of QMUL psychology as a natural and experimental science and introduces students to the growing notion of psychology as a branch of the biological sciences (e.g., that ¿behaviour¿ is the end product of whole organism biology).
It will also introduce you to the integrative scientific thinking skills required to study subsequent psychological topics. You will be introduced to empirical findings and will critically evaluate the range of methods in the field.
Topics covered include basic cell biology, genetics, cell signaling, development, and principles of evolution as related to behaviour.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 50% Coursework: In-class test
• Item 2: 50% Examination (12 hours 40 mins)

Cognitive Psychology

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Paraskevi Argyriou

Description: This module is only available to students who enter under the C1C8 programme. This module builds upon themes developed in level 4 psychology modules and considers specific cognitive functions and properties of the human mind. The material covered will include traditional cognitive psychology, cognitive neuroscience and cognitive neuropsychology (the understanding of normal cognitive processes through unique case studies of human brain damage). Cognitive functions examined will include visual, object and spatial perception, psychophysics, memory processes, complex reasoning, language, face processing and the relationship between emotion and these processes. Experiments and studies from classical and modern cognitive psychology will be provided throughout.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 50% Coursework
• Item 2: 50% Examination (2 hours)

"Contemporary World Politics: Theories, Concepts, Themes"

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Dr Diego De Merich

Description: The module is designed to give students a good command and understanding of key concepts and theoretical traditions in International Relations and their relevance for understanding contemporary themes in world politics.

The module seeks to provide students with a more nuanced understanding of the various social forces and processes shaping world politics including the co-constitutive relationship between the theory and practice of international relations. The module also aims at developing the students' capacity to reflect critically about the main claims, strengths and weaknesses of theories in international relations.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 40% Essay 1 (2000 words)
• Item 2: 60% Research Essay (3000 words)

"Contemporary World Politics: Theories, Concepts, Themes"

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Dr Diego De Merich

Description: The module is designed to give students a good command and understanding of key concepts and theoretical traditions in International Relations and their relevance for understanding contemporary themes in world politics.

The module seeks to provide students with a more nuanced understanding of the various social forces and processes shaping world politics including the co-constitutive relationship between the theory and practice of international relations. The module also aims at developing the students' capacity to reflect critically about the main claims, strengths and weaknesses of theories in international relations.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 40% Essay 1 (2000 words)
• Item 2: 60% Research Essay (3000 words)

Portuguese III

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Mrs Frances Goodingham
Prerequisite: Before taking this module you must take POR5200 or take POR5201

Description: This module is for students who have completed Portuguese II Intensive. The focus will be on fluency, expansion of vocabulary, grammatical accuracy, advanced oral and reading comprehension, and development of writing skills.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 15% Semester 1: Essay (800 words)
• Item 2: 15% Semester 2: Literary Commentary (800 words)
• Item 3: 30% Oral Examination (20 mins)
• Item 4: 40% Written Examination (3 hours)

Nationalism and International Order

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Dr Jaakko Heiskanen

Description: The demise of the nation-state and the disappearance of nationalism have been predicted on many occasions, yet they stubbornly stick around. This module explores the past, present, and possible futures of nationalism through an interdisciplinary approach that brings together insights from sociology, history, political theory, and international relations. During the module, students will acquire an advanced understanding of the sources of nationalism, the role of nationalism in the making of the international order, and the multifaceted ways that nationalism continues to shape society and politics today.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 40% Essay 1
• Item 2: 60% Essay 2

"Contemporary World Politics: Theories, Concepts, Themes"

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Dr Diego De Merich

Description: The module is designed to give students a good command and understanding of key concepts and theoretical traditions in International Relations and their relevance for understanding contemporary themes in world politics.

The module seeks to provide students with a more nuanced understanding of the various social forces and processes shaping world politics including the co-constitutive relationship between the theory and practice of international relations. The module also aims at developing the students' capacity to reflect critically about the main claims, strengths and weaknesses of theories in international relations.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 40% Essay 1 (2000 words)
• Item 2: 60% Research Essay (3000 words)

Advanced Introduction to International Political Sociology

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Prof Jozef Huysmans

Description: This module equips students with the necessary analytical tools to navigate a complex world that is constantly challenging borders and boundaries. It highlights the interconnectivity between local and global processes, as well as the intricate relationship between human societies, technology and nature. Through this module, students will develop a critical understanding of the value and limitations of International Political Sociology as a transdisciplinary field. They will gain fresh perspectives on current international, global, and planetary conditions, which will enable them to engage with pressing world political issues in creative and meaningful ways.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 40% Essay
• Item 2: 60% Take-home examination

US Public Policy

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Dr Richard Johnson

Description: US politics attracts high levels of attention around elections, but far less notice afterwards. In order to understand the politics of the United States, we must study not only who holds power but also how power is exercised. Public policy is the marshalling of public resources and legal power to shape individual and collective outcomes. This module explores the US policy-making process before examining a wide range of domestic and foreign policy competences, such as education, housing, trade, and immigration.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 40% Oral Examination (12 hours 45 mins)
• Item 2: 60% Research Essay

Latin America in the Modern World

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Dr Rowan Lubbock

Description: This module will examine the historical and contemporary place of Latin America in the world system through issues of political economy, cultural identity and international relations. The module will explore dependency, modernization and marxist theories, the legacy of European empires, and the independence movements of the 19th century. It will then consider the more contemporary phenomena of a contested Pan-Americanism, exceptionalist theses for Cuba and Brazil, the evolving role of indigenous American societies and that of Latinos in the USA. The module will conclude with appraisal of the regional experience of neo-liberalism and the reactions to it on continental and international planes.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 40% Research Essay 1 (2000 words)
• Item 2: 60% Research Essay 2 (3000 words)

Latin America in the Modern World

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Dr Rowan Lubbock

Description: This module will examine the historical and contemporary place of Latin America in the world system through issues of political economy, cultural identity and international relations. The module will explore dependency, modernization and marxist theories, the legacy of European empires, and the independence movements of the 19th century. It will then consider the more contemporary phenomena of a contested Pan-Americanism, exceptionalist theses for Cuba and Brazil, the evolving role of indigenous American societies and that of Latinos in the USA. The module will conclude with appraisal of the regional experience of neo-liberalism and the reactions to it on continental and international planes.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 40% Research Essay 1 (2000 words)
• Item 2: 60% Research Essay 2 (3000 words)

Animal Law, Media and Culture

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Prof Johanna Gibson

Description: This module brings together an interdisciplinary perspective on behaviour science, welfare, economics, and law in order to introduce students to a range of legal and welfare issues arising through the use of animals in media, culture and entertainment. The module will deal with both domesticated and wild animals, considering animals in film and television, advertising, fashion, zoos and conservation, circuses, and sport. Students will also explore a range of critical questions and specific episodes on animals and creativity, including the animal as performer and the animal as author, analysing the significance for sentience and welfare, and gaining important insight into creativity and intentionality in other areas of the law (including intellectual property).

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Independent research essay (3000-4000 words)

"Introduction to Social Science 1: Epistemology, Research Design, and Qualitative Methods"

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Dr Maria Cristina Juverdeanu

Description: The module provides you with advanced research skills, including the ability to select and use relevant resources effectively and to devise research questions appropriate for postgraduate research. You will develop the capacity to undertake independent guided research at postgraduate level.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Research proposal (5000 words)

Exploring Psychology II

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Sophie Pettit
Prerequisite: Before or while taking this module you must take PSY124

Description: This module builds upon PSY124 Exploring Psychology I by extending the introduction of basic concepts, theories, methods and research findings in psychology. The areas introduced include the core and interdisciplinary fields in psychology. Lectures for exploring psychology II will include an introductory lecture followed by lectures on specific topics in psychology.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 50% Coursework
• Item 2: 50% Examination (12 hours 40 mins)

Qualitative Research Methods in Psychology

Credits: 15.0
Contact:

Description: This module is intended for students studying BSc Psychology (C800) and its variants. This module introduces you to qualitative research methods in Psychology. You will understand and critically appraise the different qualitative research methods commonly used in psychology research and understand issues critical to research design and analysis such as data collection protocols, sampling, and researcher positionality. Through interactive lectures and practical sessions, you will learn how to select the best data collection protocol from a range of methods to answer a research question.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 50% Ethics Proposal
• Item 2: 50% Lab Report

Portuguese I

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Mrs Frances Goodingham
Prerequisite: Before taking this module you must have a-level or equivalent knowledge of portuguese

Description: This module is offered only to students who have A-Level or equivalent in Portuguese or who are heritage speakers of Portuguese. Basic grammatical structures are revised and reinforced. Practice in comprehension and composition is given using a wide variety of source material in contemporary Brazilian and European Portuguese, designed to develop appropriateness and accuracy in the spoken and written language. The language of instruction is predominantly Portuguese. Successful students will reach Level B1(+) of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL).

Assessment:

• Item 1: 15% Semester 1: CV, Cover Letter, Interview (600 words)
• Item 2: 15% Semester 2: Reading Comprehension and Composition (600 words)
• Item 3: 30% Oral Examination (15 mins)
• Item 4: 40% Written Examination (3 hours)

International Construction Contracts and Dispute Resolution

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Marion Smith

Description: International construction contracts have by their nature special features, which affect the methods of resolving disputes arising from them. The module, conducted through series of seminars, examines in detail the nature of international construction contracts, the typical clauses included in the standard form of FIDIC conditions, the parties to construction contract (and in particular the role of the Engineer and the Contractor), their structure, and the types of disputes that arise under them.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Examination (3 hours 15 mins)

Transnational Law and Governance Applied

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Dr Theodora Christou

Description: The central question which this module will address is how Transnational law impacts on the future of law-making, supervision and enforcement of rules in a globalised world of transnational business and markets. Globalisation and polycentrality are phenomena that influence every aspect of the world society and challenge the efficiency and validity centralized law-making by the states. In a globalised world where business is mostly done at transnational level coupled with the pace that both economic and technology change, traditional national law-making is proving ineffective and as a result we have witnessed alternatives appearing, including from regional and international organisations but also from private transnational market actors too. The law has emerged from its national setting and presents itself as transnational which has important ramifications for policy making. A weekly topical issue related to Transnational Law will be discussed in depth. The discussions are based on readings and will follow a presentation of the readings. Potential issues which could be covered include: Is Transnational Law, Law?; The World Justice Forum Index; the Cape Town Convention; Climate Change as a Transnational Legal Order; private law-making in the diamond trade and financial markets; and Transnational lawyering.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 80% Independent research essay (5000-6000 words)
• Item 2: 20% Annotated Bibliography (1000-1500 words)

International Relations of the Middle East

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Prof Christopher Phillips

Description: This module gives students the opportunity to study the international relations of the Middle East through the lens of contemporary conflict. The Middle East is often characterized as the most conflict-ridden region of the world. This module seeks to explore firstly if that is an accurate assessment and secondly why so many conflicts have occurred in this region. Focusing on the contemporary Middle East, while also discussing recent history, `conflict¿ is broadly defined to mean not just wars, but also contested politics. Exploration of these conflicts will be framed by international relations theory and the theories of civil conflicts. The module will first consider the key state (and non-state) actors involved in many of these conflicts, whether regional (Turkey, Iran, Saudi, Israel, UAE/Qatar) or international (US, Russia, China). Thereafter, we will explore different conflict case studies each week in which these rivalries have play out and interacted with domestic politics: Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Lebanon, Kurdistan, Palestine and Libya.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 40% Research Essay 1 (2000 words)
• Item 2: 60% Research Essay 2 (3000 words)

Dissertation in Commercial and Corporate Law

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Prof Christiana Hjipanayi

Description: Dissertation - independent research. An advanced, in depth examination of a particular area of law: the chosen topic should relate to a relevant issue within the academic field

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Dissertation (10,000 words)

International Sports Arbitration

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Mairi Mitsi

Description: Sport is now big business which means there is more at stake when sporting disputes arise between athletes and sports organisations. In 2021, over 900 cases where filed with the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which conducted over 250 hearings that year.

This course examines: the organisation and politics of international sport; how sports regulations are made; the legal and binding nature of sports regulations on all participants; the various forms of sports regulation (ie. 'doping', 'integrity', 'eligibility', 'selection', 'conduct' (on and off field), 'game-rule', 'sports governance' and more recently, 'gender-sex issues in sport'); how sporting disputes are determined in an international arbitral framework; the role of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (and other sports tribunals) in the determination of sporting disputes; and the means of challenging sports arbitration awards.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Essay (4000 words)

Advanced Topics in European Trade Mark Law

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Apostolos Chronopoulos

Description: This module deals with advanced topics in trade mark law, theory and practice, including current developments in European jurisprudence and policy. The module will also provide students with an in-depth knowledge of the laws and procedures governing the acquisition, maintenance and enforcement of European Union Trade Marks (EUTMs), as well as substantive trade mark law and practice, policy and theory.
This module will be taught intensively over a period of 1 week in semester 3. Sem 3 is the final teaching semester taught early June to early July.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Essay (4000 words)

Exploring Psychology I

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Sevasti Foka

Description: This module introduces and develops basic concepts in the philosophy of science and its relevance to psychology as a discipline. A biological framework for psychological science is also provided. It then introduces basic cognitive science/psychology, social psychology, differential psychology and an introduction to brain and behaviour relationships.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 50% Coursework
• Item 2: 50% Examination (12 hours 40 mins)

Alternative Dispute Resolution

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Debbie De Girolamo

Description: This module explores fundamental core elements of ADR processes. The purpose of this module is to impart knowledge about a range of dispute resolution processes alternative to conventional forms of adjudication and to consider their impact on the legal system, private disputes and parties in dispute. The module will provide an understanding of the various dispute resolution processes available to parties in dispute, and to understand the necessity of considering the process which best suits the dispute.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 20% Oral Presentation
• Item 2: 80% Examination (3 hours)

Maritime Disputes

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Dr Filip Saranovic

Description: The module will focus on the enforcement of maritime claims from procedural and private international law (conflict of laws) perspectives. The module will cover the distinct elements of maritime dispute resolution, including the frequent need for pre-trial security, either directly in the form of ship arrest or indirectly by means of a freezing injunction. The pre-requisite for ship arrest in England is a claim in rem (as distinct from general civil claims in person). The nature, availability and special characteristics of a claim in rem in the Admiralty Court will be covered.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Examination (4 hours)

International Shipping Law

Credits: 60.0
Contact: Dr Filip Saranovic

Description: International Shipping Law module is a unique module in that it combines both `dry shipping law¿ (mainly contractual aspects) and `wet shipping law¿ (mainly non-contractual liabilities) thereby providing an excellent foundation for a future career even with a slightest connection to maritime law. The module has three main components: 1) charterparty contracts (focusing on time and voyage charters), 2) international carriage of goods (focusing on bill of lading contracts), and 3) wet shipping law (focusing on liabilities of shipowners towards third parties arising out of maritime incidents such as a collision at sea).

Assessment:

• Item 1: 50% Essay (5000 Words)
• Item 2: 50% Examination (4 hours)

The Law of the Sea: International Regulation of Shipping

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Filip Saranovic

Description: The module will focus on the public international law aspects of shipping (primarily issues of jurisdiction) and the regulatory and compliance issues (with a focus on decarbonisation of shipping). The module will cover ship registration including the use of open registers (formerly called ¿flags of convenience¿), a topic which cuts across many of the regulatory issues including compliance with decarbonisation-related requirements (e.g. Carbon Intensity Indicators for vessels).

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Examination

International and Comparative Competition Law

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Dr Maria Ioannidou

Description: The course is designed to include `international¿ and 'comparative' elements, looking at issues such as, the process of internationalisation; the role of international organisations; the extraterritorial reach of competition rules; and the relationship between competition and trade policy. Competition law has witnessed an impressive increase during the last two decades. With this unprecedented increase in significance and remarkable geographical expansion, it has become important to examine the role of competition law in a globalised economy. The course aims at such an examination.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Independent Research Essay (7,500 Words)

Art, Sustainability & Human Rights

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Debbie De Girolamo

Description: This module will examine the cultural values and ethical considerations that guide both the public and private treatment and management of art and cultural property. This extends down from the values accepted in widely followed internationals conventions like the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property, into national law, and finally into the ethical guidelines and codes of museums and other cultural institutions. The approach will also be sensitive to non-Western approaches to 'cultural property' and will consider the alternative conceptions of cultural dominion, guardianship and responsibility. Finally, the module will address the issues stemming from requests and claims for restitution and repatriation of cultural objects.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Independent research essay (3000-4000 words)

The EU and International law: EU external economic relations

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Angelos Dimopoulos

Description: This course focuses on the relations of the EU with other countries, focusing on particular on international economic relations. It discusses a vital component of the European edifice, that is the international economic agreements the EU concluded in the framework of EU external relations law.
The EU is an active player globally and participates in manifold international agreements. Trade and Investment policy has always been one of the most important areas where the EU has been active in relations with third countries. After the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty, the EU has acquired the much-needed and long-awaited institutional and substantive instruments to implement a comprehensive, consistent and effective external action in this field . The module provides a thorough analysis of the relevant legal framework and offers a critical review of its efficacy. It deals with the basic constitutional foundations of EU External Relations law and engages in a detailed analysis of the EU¿s substantive policy on international economic matters.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Independent research essay (3000-4000 words)

International Natural Resources Law

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Dr Rebecca Bates

Description: The international legal regime relating to natural resources is complex and multi-dimensional. It is found in many places, based on doctrines of public international law, regional and local laws as well specific treaty obligations. It is also a dynamic area of international law as changes in technology and environmental awareness of the impact of such developments have led to further changes in legal regime. Concepts in Natural Resources Law: Climate, Energy and Water intersects and supports the study of other disciplines including international environmental law, energy law, as well as international investment law and international economic law. Concepts in Natural Resources Law: Climate, Energy and Water examines the area of International Natural Resources Law from a multi-dimensional perspective with a particular emphasis on climate, energy and water resources. The impact of globalisation and international legal rules on activities in the natural resources sector will be explored throughout the unit.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Independent research essay (5000-7500 words)

Dissertation in Public International Law

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Mr Andrew Pitt

Description: Dissertation - independent research. An advanced, in depth examination of a particular area of law: the chosen topic should relate to a relevant issue within the academic field

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Dissertation (10,000 words)

The Law of Theatre and the Performing Arts

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Mr Gavin Sutter

Description: This module provides students with the opportunity to study the relevant laws pertaining to the theatre industry and aspects of the performing arts. The module covers key aspects of productions, including development and rights acquisition and management, co-productions, financial and licensing considerations, censorship, exploitation and streaming. Various creative contributions will also be examined, including set and prop design, makeup and costume design, music and musicians, choreography, and performance. Some aspects of performance art will also be considered.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Independent research essay

Tax Administration and Procedure

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Bernard Schneider

Description: The module is designed to enable students to understand a range of legal issues that arise in connection with the organisation and operation of tax administrations and the design and implementation of tax procedures. In particular, it will consider organisational models for and core functions of tax administrations, legal design of tax procedures, tax procedure and taxpayer rights, and tax dispute resolution and prevention mechanisms. It will also examine case studies of tax administration and tax procedure reform.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Independent Research Essay (3000-4000) words)

Art and Intellectual Property

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Dr Gaetano Dimita

Description: This module will examine the interplay between art and intellectual property, in particular copyright, including digital issues. The module will involve a comparative approach, looking in depth at the protection of intangible rights in the UK, before comparing this with the regimes of other countries (namely France and the United States). the module will focus on the related intellectual property rights that impact the art trade: moral rights and the artists' resale right. The module will then look specifically at museum and gallery practice to see the effect of the 2014 UK copyright changes. This will cover the two 'orphan works' schemes, extended collective licensing and the new copyright exceptions, many of which are aimed specifically at the museum and heritage sector

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Independent research essay (5000-7500 words)

Dissertation in International Business Law

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Prof Christiana Hjipanayi

Description: Dissertation - independent research. An advanced, in depth examination of a particular area of law: the chosen topic should relate to a relevant issue within the academic field

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Dissertation (10,000 words)

Modern Physics

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Nicola Mcconkey

Description: This module covers the dramatic developments in physics that occurred in the early twentieth century, introducing special and general relativity and quantum theory. In relativistic mechanics we will study special relativity; the Lorentz transformation; length contraction and time dilation; the clock paradox; relativistic kinematics and dynamics; general relativity and its tests and consequences; and black holes and galactic lenses. In quantum theory, we will study descriptions of the evidence for particle-like properties of waves, and wave-like properties of particles, followed by their consequences and their formal expression in physical law: topics include Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, Schrodinger's equation and elementary quantum mechanics.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 10% Maths Portfolio
• Item 2: 10% Poster Presentation
• Item 3: 10% Mid-term Test
• Item 4: 10% Tutorials
• Item 5: 60% Final Exam (2 hours 30 mins)

Independent Research Essay

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Prof Guido Westkamp

Description: Independent research. An advanced, in depth examination of a particular area of law: the chosen topic should relate to a relevant issue within the academic field.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Essay (5000 words)

Media Law: Reputation Management

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Mr Gavin Sutter

Description: Media Law: Reputation Management covers the key areas of law used by those who seek to build and protect a media 'brand' for commercial gain. The module will open with a detailed consideration of libel law and how that protects the public image of an individual (or, indeed, an entity with legal personhood). Whereas perhaps three decades ago the law in this area seemed well settled, the challenges of the internet combined with much of the Defamation Act 2013 remaining to be refined through interpretation by the courts makes this an important and ongoing focus for study by the commercial media lawyer. The second aspect of law which the module will look at is the developing area of privacy. While traditionally English law has not offered direct protection for privacy, a wide range of las have been used in effect to prevent or at least compensate individuals aggrieved by private elements of their lives being published to the masses. Sometimes this has simply been about the privacy of an individual, while in other circumstances it has been about the protection of a direct commercial relationship (such as that between the Douglases and OK Magazine in Douglas v Hello). The development of the tort of Misuse of Private Information, a result of the application of the Human Rights Act 1998, has arguably created a de facto common law privacy protection which continues to explore new nuances at the discretion of the courts. The continued existence of the tabloid press, the fallout from the phone-hacking scandal, and the apparently unending appetite on the part of the general public for 'celebrity' gossip indicates that this is an area of law which will continue to see development for some time to come. The final area of law to be covered in this module focuses on intellectual property in a media context, in particular the use of IP in personality rights and, more broadly, as a means of controlling an individual's brand. As of yet, English law does not recognise personality rights, instead protecting only those who choose to actively merchandise themselves via a form of passing off ('false endorsement'). The course will open up the debate on this issue and consider the potential for this to be expanded, as well as other ways in which IP may be used to protect personal reputation (or not - see, for instance, application of HUbbard v Vosper in this regard). Although English law will be the primary context in which this module will be taught, it is intended that this will provide more a 'case study' context in which the issues raised will be debated rather than a course solely about English law per se. Laws in other jurisdictions (such as, for example, the ongoing debate on defamation reform in Scotland and Northern Ireland) will be raised and discussed where appropriate.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Computer-based exam (2 hours 15 mins)

Dissertation in Banking and Finance Law

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Prof Rosa Lastra

Description: Dissertation - independent research. An advanced, in depth examination of a particular area of law: the chosen topic should relate to a relevant issue within the academic field

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Dissertation (10,000 words)

Dissertation in Regulation and Compliance

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Dr Daniele D'Alvia

Description: The chosen topics should relate to a relevant specialisation within the academic fields of Regulations and Compliance.
The particular subject area is the student's own choice, guided and agreed by their supervisor.
It is expected that students will undertake primary research and/or secondary research based in the sources where the data has not been already subjected to a relevant analysis.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 50% Case Study (5000 words)
• Item 2: 50% Independent Research Essay (5000 words)

Art, Crime and regulation

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Dr Debbie De Girolamo

Description: The module will enable students to learn about state regulation of art, art transactions and transfers of art. In particular, it will examine four areas of state regulation of art: criminal law provisions related to art, import and export controls on art, the impact of competition law on art acquisitions and transactions and the taxation of art. Coverage of criminal law issues will include the handling of stolen art, art fraud and forgery, the treatment of obscene artworks, trade in artefacts from war zones and treasure offences. The module will also cover how states control the cross-border movement of cultural treasures, competition law as it relates to agreements prevalent in the art industry and the direct and indirect tax regimes governing art and dispositions of art.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 20% Group Oral presentation
• Item 2: 80% 6000 word essay

Law and Social Justice

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Ms Maria Fanou

Description: This course offers an introduction to the complex relationship between law and social justice from the 18th to the 21st century. Each week focuses on a particular concept or approach that has attempted to find a role for law, including its particular forms, in furthering social justice, such as vulnerability, social democracy, liberalism, pluralism, and second person ethics. These concepts and approaches are studied in context, and thus in relation to such issues as inequality, migration, poverty, racism, and slavery.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Essay (7,500 words)

Advocacy in Commercial Disputes

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Mr David Pope

Description: This module offers the opportunity to learn about advocacy from an experienced English commercial barrister. The module begins by examining the role and nature of advocacy in commercial disputes. It then considers the theory of persuasion, a subject that is - surprisingly - rarely taught to law students. The rest of the module investigates the key skills of professional advocates, including oral and written submissions, and cross-examination. The module draws on a range of materials, from the rhetoric handbooks of classical antiquity to videos of recent hearings in the UK Supreme Court.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Independent Research Essay (3000-4000 words)

Economics of Intellectual Property

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Prof Noam Shemtov
Overlap: In taking this module you cannot take CCLF002

Description: This module seeks to introduce an economic approach to understanding intellectual property. It will present the main branches of intellectual property as economic categories and will explain their economic characteristics, functions, impacts and conditions for efficiency. Each type of IP will be analysed as an income generating asset. The module will review the complex value chain, the opportunities that the exploitation of the asset generates and the specifics of its management. The module will examine the relevant issues from a global perspective providing perspectives from developed and developing economies.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Final assessment exercise (3 hours)

European Law of Patents

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Prof Duncan Matthews

Description: Patents are exclusive rights granted for the protection of an invention that offers a new and inventive technical solution or way of doing something. This module compares the process of obtaining and enforcing a patent under the provisions of the European Patent Convention (EPC) with special reference to the Unified Patent Court (UPC).

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Written assessment (5000 words)

WTO Law: Domestic Regulations and Compliance

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Kamala Dawar

Description: The module examines how WTO rules, as interpreted by adjudicators, seek to balance the tensions between free trade obligations and the right to regulate in pursuance of national policy objectives. On completion of the module, students should be able to advice public authorities, private companies or civil society organisations on the consistency of domestic regulations affecting international trade with WTO Law and the operation of the WTO System and Dispute Settlement Body. While not obligatory, students which are not familiar with WTO law are strongly advised to take SOLM192 WTO Law: Fundamental Principles. The module covers WTO rules and principles on domestic regulations and the compliance issues that have arisen under the WTO dispute settlement system.

Week 1: WTO Non-discrimination obligations and their interface with domestic regulations
Week 2: The Technical Barriers to Trade Agreement: Definitions, obligations and scope of application through WTO disputes
Week 3: The Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement: Definitions, obligations and scope of application through WTO disputes
Week 4: The Government Procurement Agreement: Definitions, obligations, scope of application and relationship with WTO multilateral agreements and dispute settlement
Week 5: Balancing trade liberalisation and domestic policy objectives under the WTO System

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Assignment (4000 words)

Sustainable Finance, Technology and Development

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Douglas Arner

Description: The module "Sustainable Finance, Technology and Development" explores the intersection between sustainable development, finance and technology, through historical, philosophical, economic and legal perspectives. This module offers an in-depth understanding of the frameworks and compliance mechanisms evolving to address sustainability risks in finance as well the role of finance in supporting sustainable development particularly through support for innovation and technology, focusing on risk, resilience, adaptation and resilience, transition and inclusion.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Final Assessment Exercise

Intellectual Property Law in the Era of Artificial Intelligence

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Prof Noam Shemtov

Description: This module explores the intersection of intellectual property (IP) law and artificial intelligence (AI), examining how traditional IP frameworks adapt to the challenges posed by AI technologies. Students will analyse key issues such as the patentability of AI-generated inventions as well as patentability of AI technology, copyright protection for AI-created works, data ownership complexities in AI development and more. The module covers global approaches to regulating AI-driven innovation. The course prepares students to address evolving legal challenges in the AI era.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Independent Research Essay (4000 words)

AI law and policy: security considerations

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Guan Hong Tang

Description: This module examines the interaction between security considerations and AI law and policy. The aim is to critically assess the challenges that international community and national jurisdictions face, and analytically discuss how the global societies may benefit from the advances and applications of AI through systematic AI laws and policies. Discussions will be formed around specific themes, including (1) AI applications and the security policy, (2) Economic security and sustainability, (3) Digital security and privacy, (4) Drone, AI in aviation and security issues, and (5) Laws on automated decision-making and human security.

This is a 15-credit module that encourages independent research, critical thinking and class participation. Students are expected to conduct research individually or in group and contribute to weekly issue-based roundtable discussions.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 25% Presentation
• Item 2: 75% Independant Research Essay (2000 Words)

Data Protection Law Compliance and Practice

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Ms Clemence Tanzi
Prerequisite: Before or while taking this module you must take SOLM209 or take SOLM222

Description: This module offers a practical legal learning experience in data protection law compliance. It will be based on various compliance scenarios and activities that a data protection officer or in-house privacy counsel would likely face in assisting the processor or controller for whom they work to meet the requirements of the relevant legal framework in their ongoing personal data processing activities of the data . Although this module will primarily focus on the EU/UK General Data Protection Regulation, the skills and knowledge acquired from the course materials and learning exercises will be relevant to most data protection legal frameworks and data protection compliance practice.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 15% Group Practice Exercise Presentation Evaluation
• Item 2: 85% Independent Research Essay (3000 words)

Condensed Matter

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Christopher White

Description: This module provides an introduction to the fundamental concepts in modern condensed matter physics. Topics include bulk properties of matter (e.g. elastic moduli and thermal expansion coefficients); crystal structures and interatomic potentials; diffraction of waves through crystals and determination of crystal structures; dynamics of crystal lattice vibrations (including phonons and the heat capacity); dynamics of electrons in solids; the origin of conductors, insulators and semiconductors; quasiparticles and holes; properties of magnetic materials.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 20% AI report
• Item 2: 20% Mid-term test
• Item 3: 60% Examination (2 hours 30 mins)

Condensed Matter A

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Christopher White

Description: This module provides an introduction to the fundamental concepts in modern condensed matter physics. Topics include bulk properties of matter (e.g. elastic moduli and thermal expansion coefficients); crystal structures and interatomic potentials; diffraction of waves through crystals and determination of crystal structures; dynamics of crystal lattice vibrations (including phonons and the heat capacity); dynamics of electrons in solids; the origin of conductors, insulators and semiconductors; quasiparticles and holes; properties of magnetic materials.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 20% AI report
• Item 2: 20% Mid-term test
• Item 3: 60% Examination (2 hours 30 mins)

Dissertation in Intellectual Property Law

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Dr Gaetano Dimita

Description: Dissertation - independent research. An advanced, in depth examination of a particular area of law: the chosen topic should relate to a relevant issue within the academic field

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Dissertation (10,000 words)

Seminar on AI Regulation, Rights and Responsibilities

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Guan Hong Tang
Overlap: In taking this module you cannot take SOLM221

Description: This seminar-based module offers a multidisciplinary study of artificial intelligence (AI). The module examines AI regulations through the lens of AI technology and application and investigates the impact of AI on the economy and regulatory landscape. It discusses rights and responsibilities of AI from a technological, economic and legal perspective, reviews diverse approaches to AI regulatory frameworks in a comparative and competition context. Participants are expected to conduct research in group and to lead weekly issue-based roundtable discussions.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 25% Roundtable Participation
• Item 2: 75% Independent Research Essay

Mathematical Techniques 2

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Elham Rezasoltani

Description: By the end of this course, a student would be expected to be able to: understand and use basic complex analysis into solving complex equations; have a familiarity with double and triple integrals, polar and spherical coordinates, line and surface integrals and coordinate transformations; use and understand the meaning of scalar and vector quantities, vector differential operators, div, grad and curl and properties; comprehend matrices, their order and type, operations, inverse and transpose, symmetry, orthogonality, Hermiticity and unitarity, determinants, eigenvalues and eigenvectors, use in solving linear systems of equations; be able to solve simple, linear first and second order differential equations.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 10% Maths Portfolio
• Item 2: 10% Presentation
• Item 3: 10% Mid-term Test
• Item 4: 10% Tutorials
• Item 5: 60% Final Exam (1 hours 15 mins)

Dissertation in Human Rights Law

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Dr Filip Saranovic

Description: Dissertation - independent research. An advanced, in depth examination of a particular area of law: the chosen topic should relate to a relevant issue within the academic field

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Dissertation (10,000 words)

Advanced US Trademark Law

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Apostolos Chronopoulos

Description: The module will offer students the opportunity to obtain a solid knowledge of the legal principles related to the registration of signs as trade mark in the US, the infringement of US trade mark rights, the defences to trade mark infringement, the maintenance of trade mark registration etc. Among others, the module will cover issues related to the protection of non-traditional trade marks, the enforcement of famous marks, trade mark protection on the internet and parallel imports.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Online exam (4 hours)

International Arbitration: Skills and Advocacy

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Prof Maxi Charlotte Scherer

Description: International Arbitration is a specialized area of law requiring certain skill sets. In this module, students will learn the practical skills needed to become a successful arbitration lawyer. Oral and written advocacy is central to the arbitral process. Students need to know about the main issues dealt with by a Tribunal starting with Procedural Order 1. This module will explain how to make persuasive submissions - both written and oral - to an international Tribunal. It is also important to understand different cultural legal backgrounds as the international arbitral community is diverse. Students will take part in practical exercises, stepping in to the shoes of arbitrator, counsel or clients. Applying the theoretical concepts of international arbitration in practice, students will learn the fundamental skills that will given them an important qualification in a competitive legal market.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 80% Examination (3 hours)
• Item 2: 20% Class Work

Dissertation in Common Law Theory and Practice

Credits: 60.0
Contact: Prof Maksymillan Del Mar

Description: Dissertation ¿ independent research. An advanced, in depth examination of a particular area of law: the chosen topic should relate to a relevant issue within the academic field

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Dissertation (15,000 words)

Dissertation

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Dr Bernard Schneider

Description: Dissertation - independent research. An advanced, in depth examination of a particular area of law: the chosen topic should relate to a relevant issue within the academic field

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Dissertation (10,000 words)

Competition Law in the Digital Era

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Maria Ioannidou

Description: We live in a world of unprecedented technological change. The way we live our lives today, with the most essential services being only a click away, has radically transformed our existence as consumers. On the face of it, markets are performing well, as the prices for services have radically decreased - or are even provided for 'free', that is, without monetary payment ¿ through the use of online platforms. We can shop for less money, compare products in real time, search virtually any question, hail a cab on our mobile phone, order any kind of food in an instant ¿ the list is seemingly endless. As such, these technological advancements have transformed consumers¿ choice, yet they have simultaneously created new causes of concern about competition in the marketplace and the role of consumers within it. This course will critically examine how big data, algorithms and AI are transforming market dynamics, challenging the foundations of competition law enforcement and raising new challenges for competition authorities, regulators, businesses and consumers.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Independent research essay (3000-4000 words)

Mathematical Techniques 3

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Elham Rezasoltani
Prerequisite: Before taking this module you must take SPA4122

Description: This module includes foundational topics in differential equations such as exact and non-exact equations, power series solutions and Laplace transform; partial differential equations with applications in physics (e.g. the heat equation, Laplace's equation); and linear algebra including vector spaces, linear operators, basis transformations, and orthogonalization techniques, with a focus on Hermitian matrices and eigenvalue problems, similarity transformations and matrix diagonalisation.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 15% Maths Portfolio
• Item 2: 15% Synoptic problem solving
• Item 3: 10% Mid-term test
• Item 4: 60% Exam (2 hours 30 mins)

Dissertation in Art, Business and Law

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Dr Debbie De Girolamo

Description: Dissertation - independent research. An advanced, in depth examination of a particular area of law: the chosen topic should relate to a relevant issue within the academic field

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Dissertation (10,000 words)

Competition Law and AI

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Maria Ioannidou

Description: The course will examine the impact of AI across the different areas and tools of competition law, namely in the area of anticompetitive agreements, abuse of dominance and merger control. It will assess various anticompetitive concerns with respect to AI technologies as well as the possible tools to address them, including but not limited to competition law enforcement. The course will also make particular reference to the Digital Markets Act (`DMA').

The focus will be on EU competition law but the course will also adopt a comparative approach and offer insights from other jurisdictions, such as the UK, the US and China. Finally, the course will also cover the potential of various AI tools to assist competition authorities in the detection of various anticompetitive practices.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Independent Research Essay (4,000 words)

Dissertation

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Prof Guido Westkamp

Description: Dissertation - independent research. An advanced, in depth examination of a particular area of law: the chosen topic should relate to a relevant issue within the academic field

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Dissertation (10,000 words)

Dissertation in Laws

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Dr Shalini Perera

Description: Dissertation - independent research. An advanced, in depth examination of a particular area of law: the chosen topic should relate to a relevant issue within the academic field

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Dissertation (10,000 words)

Comparative and International Artificial Intelligence Law

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Ms Laura Edgar

Description: The Module examines the legal and ethical issues raised by artificial intelligence. It analyses the technologies (such as LLM, Chat GPT, robotics, predictive systems) and considers the legal issues arising from a range of applications (in areas such as financial services, healthcare, employment, judiciary).
It provides an overview of existing and emerging legislation on an international and comparative basis (such as the EU Artificial Intelligence Act, US approaches to AI regulation on a state and federal level, developments in the UK, in Asian states, incl. China and at the international level) and self-regulatory systems. The module will analyse the issues arising from data use and the various approaches to allocating responsibility and liability along with the question of legal personhood.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Essay (5000 Words)

Dispute Resolution and Artificial Intelligence

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Prof Maxi Charlotte Scherer

Description: This module explores the challenges and opportunities artificial intelligence brings for anyone in the field of alternative dispute resolution. Both from a theoretical point of view, and with very concrete practical examples, the module discusses the profound impact artificial intelligence has in the field.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Essay (3,500 words)

Theory of E-Commerce Regulation

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Prof Christopher Reed

Description: "This module examines the theoretical basis of the legal and regulatory framework within which online commercial transactions have to be undertaken (bearing in mind that there is much commercial activity which is, ostensibly, 'free' ¿ Facebook and Google are prime examples). It does this through the lens of legitimate authority, asking the fundamental question: 'Why should an e-commerce business accept this particular law and comply with it?' This question arises because of the regulatory and legal difficulties involved in e-commerce as a cross-border activity. The proposition that an e-commerce business must obey all the laws of the world is, simply, both unrealistic in practice and unsustainable in theory. The first part of the module examines jurisprudential theory in some depth, and the second part applies this theory to particular areas of e-commerce activity to explain how law and regulation there works (or, often, doesn¿t work). Because e-commerce is a global activity it doesn't examine the law of one country alone, but focuses on the underlying principles for regulation, how they differ between jurisdictions, the justifications for and limits on national lawmaking, and how e-commerce businesses respond to regulation. This module uses elements of lawmaking and regulatory theory to illuminate how e-commerce regulation operates in practice."

Assessment:

• Item 1: 30% Essay 1 (1500 words)
• Item 2: 70% Essay 2 (4500 words)

Fashion, Law and Social Justice

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Prof Johanna Gibson

Description: The fashion industry is confronting important contemporary issues of social justice, from representation and inclusion in the industry, to issues of equality and welfare. This module provides students with the opportunity to explore issues of social justice in fashion through seminar-based discussions of specific research materials provided in advance. The concept of social justice and its importance for the fashion industry will be explored through a range of topics, including: diversity and inclusivity (in both products and practice); cultural appropriation; freedom of expression; fashion activism; and access and cultural participation in fashion.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Independent Research Essay (5000 Words)

Philosophy of Human Rights

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Prof Eric Heinze

Description: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 tells us that `the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world¿. But on what grounds? What counts as `dignity¿ and what makes it `inherent¿ to human beings? What counts as equality and what makes human rights the `foundation¿ of freedom, justice and peace? Many governments throughout history have promised various goods, but do human goods mean the same thing as human rights? If not, then what turns goods into rights? Given the historically recent concept of human rights must we conclude that societies lacking the concept necessarily lack freedom, justice and peace?

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Essay

Consumer Law for the Digital Age

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Eleni Kaprou

Description: The digital environment is developing rapidly bringing forward new opportunities for business and challenges for regulators. This is an exciting time for consumer law with many changes underway as the regulation of the digital environment has become a priority. This module examines the latest developments in the UK and in other jurisdictions, such as the EU. From dark patterns to regulation of very large online platforms to online contracts, this module aims to get students to critically engage with the latest digital business practices and the regulatory responses.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 40% Podcast presentation
• Item 2: 60% Self-reflective report

Scientific Measurement

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Prof Eram Rizvi

Description: Practical work in the laboratory serves to illustrate basic concepts in physics, and the processes of carrying out experiments and interpreting their results. You will be taught techniques of measurement and the use of instruments and computers. There are some lectures on statistics and data analysis, which are applied to the laboratory measurements. There is no final examination. All assessment is by coursework and laboratory reports.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 20% Lab skills
• Item 2: 20% Quiz portfolio
• Item 3: 60% Final lab report

International Law of Patents

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Prof Duncan Matthews

Description: Patents provide, for a limited time, the right to exclude others from acts of making, using, selling, keeping or importing products containing the patented invention. Under the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Agreement on Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rights (the TRIPS Agreement) WTO Members, in particular developing countries, face challenges in meeting their obligations to provide patent protection and related rights. The module will assess the extent to which these obligations derived from international law impact on access to healthcare treatments, traditional knowledge, biological diversity, farmers' rights, food security and human rights.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Written assessment (5000 words)

Social Media Law

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Mr Gavin Sutter

Description: This digital revolution has had an enormous impact on fundamental rights such as freedom of expression and privacy (and personality rights more widely), and on concepts such as identity, autonomy and agency online. The Module will analyse (1) how the law protects these rights and balances them with the rights of others; (2) whether new fundamental rights should be recognized online and (3) how the law balances potential harms online with these rights. The Module will examine the relationship between law, technology and behaviour. It has a practical dimension by looking at liability relating to online communication and the management of that risk and by examining how these existing and emerging rights can be enforced (including for example the disclosure of a pseudonymous identity). It has a theoretical, law & policy dimension by examining concepts such as identity, privacy and autonomy and how these concepts relate to the law. It will compare traditional approaches to (offline) media regulation and how they relate to new phenomena on social media. The Module therefore examines traditional approaches to content regulation on 'old' media and how these censorship regime(s) is challenged by new media, reflecting on how the law needs to adapt to 'cope' with new (and ever evolving) technologies and business practices. As in traditional media regulation, this encapsulates administrative, civil and criminal law approaches to content regulation and censorship.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Examination (3 hours 15 mins)

Minority and Group Rights: International and Comparative Perspectives

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Dr Prakash Shah

Description: This module provides coverage of a number of domains within the sphere of minority and group rights at international law and in comparative laws. It includes theories of minority rights, the development of minority protection, self-determination, legal pluralism, regulation of racism and racial discrimination, cultural rights, religious freedom, regulation of Islamophobia, regulation of caste, and linguistic rights.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Independent Research Essay (5000-7500 words)

Electricity Law and Regulation

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Silke Goldberg

Description: This module provides a highlevel overview of the regulations and legislation pertaining to the electricity sector. It will provide an overview of the electricity value chain, including transmission, distribution, generation, supply as well as wholesale trading and discuss models of electricity market design and regulations, with emphasis on electricity pool models and bilateral trading arrangements in both pre-liberalised and liberalised energy economies.
The module will analyse the impact of new technology such as battery storage (BESS) on both electricity market organisation and regulation and consider the role and impact of renewable energy (including support regimes for the same) in electricity markets and wider society.
Regulatory concequences of the changes in the energy mix due to the increase of renewable forms of electricity generation, such as capacity markets and the current market reforms considered in GB and the EU will also be analysed. The model will also give students the opportunity to engage with different forms of power purchase agreements and their regulatory context (eg, REMIT and MiFID II).

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Essay

Electromagnetic Waves and Optics

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Edward Macaulay
Prerequisite: Before taking this module you must take SPA4210

Description: The course covers electromagnetic wave theory, and its relationship with classical and quantum optics. Topics include Maxwell's equations and its wave solutions (including the concepts of Poynting vector and intensity); discussion of group and phase velocities for wavepackets; reflection and transmission at interfaces (including the Fresnel equations); waveguides and their modes; polarisation and birefringence; interference and diffraction; lenses and optical devices (e.g. telescopes and microscopes); simple two-level quantum systems and lasers.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 20% AI report
• Item 2: 20% Mid-term test
• Item 3: 60% Examination (2 hours 30 mins)

Dissertation in European Law

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Dr Filip Saranovic

Description: Dissertation - independent research. An advanced, in depth examination of a particular area of law: the chosen topic should relate to a relevant issue within the academic field

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Dissertation (10,000 words)

Researching Powerful Organisations

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Prof David Whyte

Description: The module will provide a set of skills that will enable participants, through a series of taught activities, to enhance research that focusses upon powerful institutions, namely governmental organisations and profitmaking corporations. It will introduce students to a range of innovative methodological techniques capable of generating novel data. The module will instruct students to uncover hidden aspects of the ways that powerful organisations `talk¿ and `act¿ in order to produce original case study materials.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Independent Research Essay (3000-4000 words)

Dissertation in Competition Law

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Prof Michael Harker

Description: Dissertation - independent research. An advanced, in depth examination of a particular area of law: the chosen topic should relate to a relevant issue within the academic field

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Dissertation (10,000 words)

Outer Space Law

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Ms Berna Akcali Gur

Description: The objective of the course will be to examine the sources and fundamental principles of Space Law and the role of international law and multilateral organizations in space governance. The topics covered will include the exploitation and sustainability of space resources ¿ emphasis on commercialization of space activities, space debris mitigation and space traffic management, communication satellites and space, the convergence of cybersecurity and space security, environment and space, and the liability regime for damage caused by space activities. References will be made to relevant regulations of space-faring nations to establish the relationship between international and national law in this area of law.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Examination (3 hours)

Professional Skills for Scientists

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Prof Jonathan Hays

Description: This module develops professional and computational skills that are fundamental to the discipline, enable student engagement with employers, and expand student networks. Students develop introductory computational skills including using and writing computer programs to model physical systems, analyse quantitative data, and solve problems. These computational skills are applicable to any role that requires quantitative analysis and evidence-based decision making. Students will become proficient in preparing professional quality documents including scientific project reports, presentations and job application materials.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 15% Coursework CV preparation, mock job-application materials and related
• Item 2: 35% Continuous Assessment in Lab
• Item 3: 50% Coursework - Written computer code submission, data Analysis write-up

Dissertation in AI and the Law

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Ms Laura Edgar

Description: The dissertation in AI and the Law is an independent research dissertation. It is an advanced, in-depth examination of a particular area of AI and the law. The chosen topic must relate to a relevant issue within the academic field of AI and the Law

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Dissertation (10,000 words)

Dissertation in International Maritime Law

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Dr Miriam Goldby

Description: Dissertation - independent research. An advanced, in depth examination of a particular area of law: the chosen topic should relate to a relevant issue within the academic field

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Dissertation (10,000 words)

Dissertation in International Trade and Economic Law

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Dr Kamala Dawar

Description: Dissertation - independent research. An advanced, in depth examination of a particular area of law: the chosen topic should relate to a relevant issue within the academic field

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Dissertation (10,000 words)

Dissertation in Fashion Law

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Prof Johanna Gibson

Description: The Fashion Law Dissertation is an independent research dissertation. It is an advanced, in-depth examination of a particular area of fashion law. The chosen topic must relate to a relevant issue within the academic field of fashion law.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Dissertation (10,000 words)

Dissertation in Energy and Climate Change Law

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Ms Norah Gallagher

Description: Dissertation ¿ independent research. An advanced, in depth examination of a particular area of law: the chosen topic should relate to a relevant issue within the academic field.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Dissertation (10,000 words)

Dissertation in Insurance Law (30 credits)

Credits: 30.0
Contact: To Be Confirmed

Description: Dissertation - independent research. An advanced, in depth examination of a particular area of law: the chosen topic should relate to a relevant issue within the academic field

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Dissertation (10,000 words)

Dissertation in International Shipping Law

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Dr Miriam Goldby

Description: Dissertation - independent research. An advanced, in depth examination of a particular area of law: the chosen topic should relate to a relevant issue within the academic field

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Dissertation (10,000 words)

Physics Laboratory

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Prof Alan Drew
Prerequisite: Before taking this module you must take SPA4103

Description: This course aims to illustrate some important aspects of physics through experimental measurements. The course will be marked by continuous assessment of student laboratory notebooks, which will not be allowed to be removed from the laboratory. Students will perform a number of experiments over the term and will then have to write a scientific paper on one of the experiments that they have performed. The experiments are: Alpha particle spectroscopy; Thermal equation of state and critical point of ethane, Hall effect measurement of germanium; Building a Helium Neon Laser; Nuclear Magnetic Resonance; Building a Michelson Interferometer and measuring the magnetostriction of metals and the refractive index of air; X-ray diffraction spectroscopy; The Zeeman effect.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 20% Experiment 1
• Item 2: 20% Experiment 2
• Item 3: 20% Experiment 3
• Item 4: 40% Final report

Principles of Intellectual Property Law

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Prof Noam Shemtov

Description: This module covers key areas of intellectual property law, including patents, copyrights, trademarks, and designs. It examines how legal frameworks incentivise innovation and creativity while balancing the public interest. Students will explore underlying legal principles and policy rationales, gaining insight into international, regional, and national regimes that shape the IP landscape. By the end, they will possess a robust understanding of core IP doctrines and the skills to apply this knowledge across multiple industries and legal contexts.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Final Assessment Exercise (24 Hours)

The Law of Geographical Indications (GIs)

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Gail Evans

Description: This module will examine the EU regulation of Geographical Indications (GIs) for food, wine and craft products, including the definition and eligibility of geographical names for registration and the relationship of GIs with trademarks. The module is intended for those interested not only in the drafting of specifications for the registration of geographical indications (GIs); or the formulation of law and policy governing the regulation of GIs; but also for those interested in the administration of registered trade mark systems.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Examination (3 hours)

Children's Rights

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Dr Hedi Viterbo

Description: This module explores children¿s rights from two main perspectives. First, it examines the special legal protections and services afforded to children under the law in various areas of life, such as court proceedings, school, the family, work, and the public sphere. Second, it considers whether children should have access to additional human rights, such as the right to vote and to make autonomous decisions about their lives. Drawing on a wide range of theories and disciplines, the module critically analyses both the strengths and weaknesses of legal norms concerning children¿s rights, as well as tensions within and between legal principles of child rights and human rights.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 60% Independent research essay (3000 words)
• Item 2: 15% Class Presentation
• Item 3: 5% Weekly written assignment 1
• Item 4: 5% Weekly written assignment 2
• Item 5: 5% Weekly written assignment 3
• Item 6: 5% Weekly written assignment 4
• Item 7: 5% Weekly written assignment 5

Advanced European Union Competition Law

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Prof Eyad Dabbah

Description: The Module will offer participants the opportunity to study EU competition law and policy at some depth. The It will explore Articles 101 and 102 and the EU Merger Regulation and the surrounding jurisprudence, secondary legislation and guidance in a sophisticated manner. The Module will focus on key business phenomena and their treatment in practice. The Module will also look at relevant enforcement tools and the powers of the European Commission and those of national enforcers.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Examination (4 hours)

International Arbitration Law and Practice: Advanced Procedural Issues

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Prof Loukas Mistelis

Description: This course develops students¿ knowledge and critical understanding of international commercial arbitration as an independent comparative law subject. It first examines generically, without any reference to any national laws, arbitration rules or international instruments; and then various national and institutional approaches are presented.

- Law Governing the Arbitration Procedure
- What are Procedural Issues?
- Managing the Arbitral Process / Case Management
- Provisional Measures / Emergency Arbitrator
- Multiparty, Multi-contract and Multi-action arbitration ¿ Third parties in Arbitration
- Taking of Evidence
- Costs and Efficiency
- Parallel proceedings, res judicata

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Examination (3 hours)

Fundamentals of Public International Law

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Prof Malgosia Fitzmaurice

Description: This module focuses on the most fundamental elements of the law of treaties. It is based on the analysis of the text of the 1969 Vienna Convention on the law of Treaties. It relies on the case law of international courts and tribunals and the theory of international law. Anyone who wants to study or practice international law should take this module, as giving an invariable analysis of the law of treaties, which is the pillar of international law. This module deals with such important issues as the definition of the treaty in international law; consent to be bound; interpretation of treaties; reservations to treaties.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 20% Presentation
• Item 2: 80% Essay (3500 words)

Sustainability and Human Rights

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Tibisay Morgandi

Description: The module on 'Sustainability and Human Rights' explores the intersection between sustainability - a term that is classically defined as balancing economic growth, environmental care and social wellbeing - and human rights, through historical, philosophical and legal perspectives.

This module offers an in-depth understanding of the frameworks and compliance mechanisms developed to make companies internalise sustainability and human rights concerns.

Part I offers an historical and philosophical account of the private and public law origins of law focused on the protection of public goods, beginning with human rights and broadening more recently to the notion of sustainable development, which includes environmental concerns.

Part II examines, contrasts and evaluates the effectiveness of three different types of recent human rights and sustainability compliance mechanism:

1. Social auditing of the implementation by companies of non-binding codes of conduct (eg UN Global Compact, which covers biodiversity and ocean governance, and ILO Tripartite Declaration of Principles Concerning Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy);

2. Enforcement of international treaties on business and human rights (eg UN Treaty on Business and Human Rights);

3. Use of trade law enforcement mechanisms to encourage companies to comply with human rights and environmental standards in overseas production (eg bans on imports of forced labour products, USMCA Rapid Response Mechanism, EU deforestation regulation).

Assessment:

• Item 1: 30% In-class oral presentation
• Item 2: 70% 2500-word essay

Advanced Research Seminar in International Dispute Resolution

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Ms Maria Fanou

Description: An advanced research seminar on topical and current issues in the resolution of international disputes. Highly interactive seminar involving lectures but also students' presentation. A genuine interest in conducting research and active participation are required. Taught intensively in two parts:(i)lecture/seminar on a hot/current umbrella topic in IDR and research methods (e.g.,empirical work). Thematics will be flexible and aim to encapsulate different 'hot' issues in arbitration reflecting the ongoing research of the lecturers and global discussion. (ii)Students will present on the topic of their essay and receive feedback (from the lecturer/their peers).

Assessment:

• Item 1: 20% Oral Presentation
• Item 2: 80% Essay (4000 words)

Tax and Technology

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Ms Vasiliki Koukoulioti

Description: The module will delve into the interaction of tax and technology. It will cover the challenges that technology poses on international and domestic tax systems and the policy solutions that countries and international organizations developed as a response to these challenges, including the taxation of digital giants, cryptoassets and the metaverse. It will examine the role of taxation to facilitate innovation and simultaneously assuage emergent societal risks arising from new technologies, in particular the disruption of the labour market. The case for a tax on artificial intelligence (AI), its design features, and implications of its introduction from an international perspective will be analysed. The module will also discuss the benefits of using predictive AI in tax administration and the tax judiciary, as well as the challenges for taxpayers¿ fundamental rights, including privacy, data protection and property rights, and the importance of safeguards, including explainable AI, to achieve accountable, trustworthy and transparent taxation systems. The module will also examine the theory and application of technology to tax practice and procedures, in particular, how technology is, and could be, deployed to provide tax advice, procedural risk analysis, and practice management.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 20% Presentation
• Item 2: 80% Research Essay (4000 words)

AI and Financial Law

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Prof George Walker

Description: The module will examine the nature of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in its application in the banking and financial market areas. This will develop a new core subject area of 'Artificial Financial Intelligence' (AFI) with the associated developments in the new field of 'Artificial Financial Intelligence Law' (AFIL). The module will examine the nature of Artificial Intelligence (AI), its origin and development, principal technological specifications, advantages and disadvantages, new forms of associated risk and exposure and new regulatory models and solutions.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Essay (4000 words)

Select Public International Law Issues in Energy

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Dr Tibisay Morgandi
Overlap: In taking this module you cannot take SOLM155

Description: The module on 'Select Public International Law Issues in Energy' examines the application of public international law to inter-state energy activities.

States have long taken responsibility for satisfying domestic demand for energy. Traditionally, this could largely be done at the local or, at times, regional level. Over the last fifty years, however, increasing demand for energy and, in part as a result, the progressive exhaustion of traditional energy sources has led to a more extensive interdependence between mineral resource-rich and mineral resource-scarce countries and cooperation in the energy sector. This, in turn, has led to state regulation of these activities and the emergence of a complex web of inter-state norms and practices. These norms have also evolved significantly as a result of the climate emergency and Russia's invasion of Ukraine which has led to a recent energy crisis.

Part I of the module provides the foundations of public international law concepts and principles applicable to energy activities, as well as covering the actors engaged in these activities, with a strong focus on states as the primary actors initiating and endorsing energy activities. Part II covers plurilateral and bilateral treaties governing energy activities, including treaties on the joint exploitation of common offshore oil and gas deposits, treaties on the joint exploitation of international watercourses, treaties on cross-border transportation of hydrocarbons, and energy cooperation treaties. This Part also cover the interplay between these treaties and custom. Part III examines how public international law deals with the decommissioning of energy installations.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Online Examination (5 hours)

Common Law from Theory to Practice

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Dr Noam Gur

Description: Common law adjudication often appears like a patchwork of decisions with limited overall coherence. Are there any fundamental theoretical principles that can help us gain a deeper understanding of the common law and its workings, both as legal scholars and as practitioners? The central aim of this module is to identify such principles, use them to critically evaluate the common law, and examine how they operate in court cases. The module consists of three parts, as follows.

The first part looks at the common law from the perspective of political and legal theory concepts such as the rule of law, democracy, separation of powers, and social utility and change. It discusses questions such as: Do common law judges make policy? Is the common law undemocratic? Is the common law able to provide the certainty required for modern commercial life? The learning will include, inter alia, a case study, whereby students will have the opportunity to apply the above themes to a court case of their choice.

The second part looks at the common law¿s operation in a colonial context. Here the common law will be discussed, e.g., as an arena of struggle for emancipation from colonial power, and special attention will be given to the delicate interface between the common law and local norms (such as customary and religious laws) in colonies or former colonies.

The third part turns the spotlight onto private law as a central area of common law adjudication. It explores questions such as: Is there a unifying theory that can hold together different areas of private law, such as tort, contract, and property law, and, if so, what is that theory? Should common law judges use private law as an instrument for advancing of policy goals, such as social utility or more equitable distribution of wealth, or should they focus solely on correcting wrongs?

Graduates of this module will gain a theoretically-informed insight into the common law, which would benefit their work as practitioners and scholars alike.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Essay (5000 words)

European Union Corporate Tax Law

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Prof Christiana Hjipanayi

Description: This module examines some of the tax implications of European integration affecting companies in their cross-border movement, as well as their investment strategies. It does not focus on a specific national tax system but rather looks at the general scheme of affairs.

The module considers the Union¿s governance model and how that model affects tax harmonization. Issues such as the fiscal veto, the powers of the various institutions in this area and the role of the Court of Justice in the development of EU tax law are considered. The module examines the actual sources of EU tax law, with a focus on corporate tax law (legislative instruments and case law). A number of topics are studied such as taxpayers' rights and protection, the role of the state aid prohibition etc.

The module also examines recent developments and high-profile debates in the intersection of international tax law and European tax law.

Prior knowledge of tax law is not a prerequisite but helpful. Prior knowledge of EU law is not a prerequisite but again helpful.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Final Assessment Exercise (24 hours)

Planetary Systems

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Francesco Volponi
Prerequisite: Before taking this module you must take SPA4121 and take SPA4122 and take SPA4401 and take SPA4402

Description: "Ever since the dawn of civilisation human beings have charted the paths of the planets across the night sky and speculated about their nature. Indeed the word planet has its origin in the ancient Greek term `planete' meaning wanderer. Used in its modern scientific context the word planet refers to an object which orbits about a star, but which itself is not a star. Planets have a special philosophical significance since they are the bodies on which life itself is expected to come into existence. This course provides an in depth description of our current knowledge and understanding of the planets in our Solar System, and of the planetary systems now known to orbit around stars other than the Sun and the extrasolar planets. The properties of individual planets and their satellites will be described and contrasted, and basic physical principles will be used to explain their orbits and physical features. Our understanding of how planetary systems form will be explored, and current scientific ideas about the origin of life will be discussed."

Assessment:

• Item 1: 10% Coursework
• Item 2: 90% Examination (2 hours 30 mins)

Legal Design

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Ms Karen Watton
Overlap: In taking this module you cannot take SOLM213 or take SOLM307

Description: In this practical module, students will work in teams to solve a problem for a real client using a Legal Design approach. Legal Design is a creative problem-solving framework used by lawyers and legal innovators to help them adapt for the future of legal practice. Students will learn the theory and practice of Legal Design and apply their legal knowledge to develop and deliver a prototype solution to the client. Students will engage with the client and external lawyers in addition to the teaching team.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 10% Client file
• Item 2: 40% Assessed Presentation
• Item 3: 50% Essay

Dissertation in Environmental Law

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Dr Rebecca Bates

Description: Dissertation - independent research. An advanced, in depth examination of a particular area of law: the chosen topic should relate to a relevant issue within the academic field

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Dissertation (10,000 words)

Thermodynamics

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Jan Mol
Prerequisite: Before taking this module you must take SPA4121

Description: Thermal and Kinetic Physics is a course designed as an introduction to the notion of energy and its transformations. The thermodynamic methodology that is constructed, largely through the paradigm of the ideal gas, is widely applicable throughout the realm of physics. We begin by developing a language capable of dealing with the thermodynamic method and this requires that concepts of equilibrium and temperature are disentangled before work and heat are described in detail en route to the First Law of Thermodynamics. With the First Law many things become readily accessible to an analytic approach previously unavailable including; engines, refrigerators and heat pumps. Entropy will then make a natural appearance as a macroscopic thermodynamic variable in the build up to the Second Law of Thermodynamics with a brief look at its microscopic origins. New thermodynamic potentials including the Gibbs potential and the Helmholtz free energy, and their applications, are discussed in order to generalise further the thermodynamic method. Phase changes for simple systems are briefly covered and the Third law of Thermodynamics described. Finally an introduction to the kinetic description of gases in equilibrium and of phenomena such as diffusion and heat conduction will complete the module.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 15% Maths Portfolio
• Item 2: 15% Synoptic problem solving
• Item 3: 10% Mid-term test
• Item 4: 60% Exam (2 hours 30 mins)

Mathematical Techniques I

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Prof Christopher Clarkson

Description: This module develops the mathematical techniques that will be used and built upon throughout the rest of Physics and Astronomy. Topics include vectors and their operations (addition, subtraction, scalar multiplication, dot / cross products); functions of a single variable; single variable calculus (including integration and differentiation); functions of many variables and partial differentiation; Taylor series (including the binomial expansion, and for functions of two variables); Fourier series; proof by induction; properties of complex numbers; hyperbolic functions; integration techniques (e.g. substitution, by parts, partial fractions); applications of integration (e.g. averages of functions, volumes of revolution); multiple integration with applications; Fourier transforms.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 10% Maths Portfolio
• Item 2: 10% Poster Presentation
• Item 3: 10% Mid-term Test
• Item 4: 10% Tutorials
• Item 5: 60% Final Exam (2 hours 30 mins)

Dissertation in Tax Law

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Dr Bernard Schneider

Description: Dissertation - independent research. An advanced, in depth examination of a particular area of law: the chosen topic should relate to a relevant issue within the academic field

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Dissertation (10,000 words)

Public Legal Education for Start-Ups

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Ms Eliza Tamsin Platts-Mills
Overlap: In taking this module you cannot take SOLM213 or take SOLM308

Description: The Public Legal Education for Start-Ups module gives students hands on experience preparing commercially aware, engaging and accessible legal education videos and other resources for UK start-ups and entrepreneurs. Module students will be trained and supervised in the preparation and delivery of legal education resources covering UK commercial, corporate, intellectual property, data privacy and employment law. Students learn through inter-active class discussions and exercises during the classes and are supervised in their legal education work by qLegal staff and UK practicing solicitors.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 50% Two x 1,200 word essays
• Item 2: 50% 3 X 5-10 minutes long oral presentation videos

Investment Treaty Arbitration: Investor Claims and State Defences

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Mairi Mitsi

Description: The module will discuss the legal basis of the investors¿ substantive claims and state defences in investment treaty Arbitration. It will analyse the treaty substantive protection standards such as protection against unlawful expropriation and fair and equitable treatment. It will also present the State¿s perspective and the typical defences a State can raise in response to the investors¿ claims. The module will also analyse the topic of arbitral decision-making and the methods the investment Tribunals use to decide the disputes.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Essay (3,500 Words)

Law of International Financial Institutions

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Prof Rosa Lastra

Description: This module will analyze the law of international financial institutions, in particular the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and regional development banks such as the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

It will also consider the law and institutions of the Economic and Monetary Union and examine the law of the European Central Bank and the law of the euro, as well as the pillars of the Banking Union: the Single Supervisory Mechanism (SSM); the Single Resolution Mechanism (SRM) and the proposed European Deposit Insurance Scheme (EDIS).

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Essay questions

Telecommunications Law

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Prof Ian Walden

Description: This module examines the law and regulation of the telecommunications sector in the European Union and at an international level. In particular, the course will concentrate on the licensing and authorisation of the provision of equipment, networks and services; the various obligations imposed upon all operators and those with market dominance, such as universal service; the building of international networks and the regimes established under the International Telecommunications Union and the agreements under the World Trade Organization; as well as regulatory issues in developing countries.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Examination (3 hours 15 mins)

Our Universe

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Prof Richard Nelson

Description: The module is a broad survey of Astronomy aiming to acquaint you with evolution of the universe and its constituents. A particular theme is the role played by the known laws of physics in understanding astronomical observation. You will: (i) gain a familiarity with the constituents of the observed universe; (ii) appreciate, and be able to explain, the important part played by the laws of physics in designing observations, and in interpreting and understanding them; (iii) be able to explain the different types of information obtainable from observations across the entire electromagnetic spectrum from gamma rays to radio waves.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 15% Coursework 1
• Item 2: 25% Coursework 2
• Item 3: 60% Coursework 3

Dissertation in Comparative and International Dispute Resolution

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Ms Maria Fanou

Description: Dissertation - independent research. An advanced, in depth examination of a particular area of law: the chosen topic should relate to a relevant issue within the academic field

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Dissertation (10,000 words)

Applied Research Methods 1: Theory

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Ava Kanyeredzi

Description: This module provides students with essential knowledge and skills about Applied Research Methods. The general aim is to equip students with transferable skills that can be either used towards completing an empirical project or conducting a systematic review.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 40% Annotated Bibliography (1000 words)
• Item 2: 60% Research Protocol (1500 words)

Exploring AI: Understanding and applications

Credits: 30.0
Contact: To Be Confirmed

Description: The increasing prevalence of machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) in our lives has been called the fourth industrial revolution. This module will review the wide range of applications of ML / AI, taking examples from different sectors (e.g. finance, healthcare, commerce, art, science and the humanities). Ethical issues surrounding the development and use of AI will be identified, and students will also learn the key types of machine learning algorithm, and how to tailor these to particular problems.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 50% Group media project
• Item 2: 40% Code generation project
• Item 3: 10% nalysing human language

Coding practices in AI development

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Dr Christopher White

Description: This module introduces the key computational techniques that are used in machine learning and artificial intelligence systems. Students will be introduced to computing fundamentals using the Python programming language from scratch, as well as industry-standard code development practices such as notebooks, environments and version control. In the second semester, students will get hands-on experience of key Python packages used for machine learning. Examples throughout will be taken from real-world scenarios in both an academic and industrial context.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 30% Code repository
• Item 2: 20% Coding challenge
• Item 3: 50% Report

Mathematical Principles for Artificial Intelligence

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Dr Christopher White

Description: The design, implementation and analysis of modern artificial intelligence technology uses a range of key mathematical concepts and techniques. This module introduces students to the relevant topics, including aspects of linear algebra, calculus of several variables, probability and statistics, information theory, numerical computation, optimisation and the mathematical basics of machine learning algorithms. Practical examples are used to illustrate abstract ideas, and students will develop their understanding through hands-on problem solving.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 25% Maths skills portfolio
• Item 2: 25% Essay
• Item 3: 50% (2 hours 30 mins)

Pharmacology and Innovative Therapeutics Research Project

Credits: 45.0
Contact: Dr Aisah Aubdool

Description: An experimental investigation involving laboratory work, resulting in a piece of original research in the area of pharmacology and therapeutics. The work also involves critical evaluation of previously published results. A dissertation is prepared describing the research work undertaken, and placing it in the context of other research in the field.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 60% Dissertation (12,000 words)
• Item 2: 20% Practical work
• Item 3: 20% Oral presentation (15 min)

Supersymmetric Methods in Theoretical Physics

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Matthew Buican
Overlap: In taking this module you cannot take INK7090P
Corequisite: In the same year as taking this module you must take SPA7018P

Description: This course introduces core concepts in supersymmetry that can be applied to quantitatively understand a broad variety of physical systems and is a complement to the AQFT and FMQFT modules. Starting with supersymmetric quantum mechanics as a toy model, the course covers the supersymmetry algebra, its representations, the Witten Index, and the resulting constraints on quantum dynamics. We then move on to introduce supersymmetric field theories in three space-time dimensions consisting of scalars and fermions while giving a basic introduction to symmetry currents, the classical and quantum Wilsonian renormalization group flow, moduli spaces, spurions, and non-renormalization arguments. The course culminates in a study of simple dualities in three-dimensional supersymmetric abelian gauge theories. We conclude with a discussion of supersymmetry in four space-time dimensions and, time permitting, the embedding of our constructions in string theory.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 30% Coursework 1
• Item 2: 70% Coursework 2

Information Security and the Law

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Prof Anne Flanagan

Description: The security of important data, including personal, is of considerable concern to governments around the world as is the safety of critical infrastructure assets, systems, and networks (both public and private) that are considered so vital that their incapacitation or destruction would have a debilitating effect on security, national economic security, national public health or safety. Concerns about former have led to growing legal obligations to ensure the security of information and the systems that transmit and store it. Whether as part of personal data protection regimes, sector-specific regulations (e.g., healthcare, banking and finance) private law or company law obligations, these present a growing source of potential corporate liability. Concerns about the latter have produced frameworks to enable oversight and cooperation needed to manage and mitigate risks to critical infrastructure. This course examines various EU and US legal frameworks

Assessment:

• Item 1: 30% Coursework essay (1500 words)
• Item 2: 70% Essay (2500 words)

Applied AI Collaborative Project

Credits: 30.0
Contact: To Be Confirmed

Description: This module introduces students to key concepts in project management, written and oral presentation skills, and research (including engagement with relevant literature). Students work in groups to meet an industry-style brief, requiring the application of machine-learning methods to a real-world problem. Students will hone their data visualisation skills by writing a report and delivering a presentation to a panel including non-numerate stakeholders.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 25% Project checkpoint 1
• Item 2: 25% Project checkpoint 2
• Item 3: 50% Final panel assessment

Professional Skills in Mental Health

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Ava Kanyeredzi

Description: This module equips students with knowledge of core skills employed by Mental Health professionals in their workplace. The module maps out both classic and contemporary work in mental health settings and relates theory and research to practice, particularly in psychotherapy. Theory and research are drawn from a number of distinct areas, such as clinical and counselling psychology with a review of core mental health skills, such as assessment, diagnosis and formulation.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 20% Attendance and Participation
• Item 2: 80% Iterative Case Study (2000 words)

Practical Astrophysics

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Prof Richard Nelson

Description: Astrophysics has been revolutionized by the advent of large accessible data sets and public domain software for accessing that data and also for modelling astrophysical systems. This module will introduce a range of data analysis and modelling methods used in astrophysics, such as Markov Chain Monte Carlo fitting and N-body simulation. Students will develop practical skills with hands-on experience of modern software packages and data from observatories and space missions such as the James Webb Space Telescope, Kepler and the Parker Solar Probe. Minimal programming background is assumed, but students should be familiar with using computers and mathematics at a level commensurate with BSc in Physics (or equivalent).

Assessment:

• Item 1: 50% Poster presentation
• Item 2: 50% Final investigation report

Theories and Critical Concepts of Digital Media and Cultures

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Dr Cristina Moreno Almeida

Description: This module explores key theoretical frameworks and critical concepts related to digital media and culture. Students will examine how digital technologies influence identity, power, and social structures, while investigating topics such as platform economies, datafication, surveillance, and debates on the extraction of Big Data and AI. Through interdisciplinary approaches, the module equips students with analytical tools to critically engage with the cultural, political, and ethical implications of digital media in a globalized, networked society.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 40% Reflective essay (2000words)
• Item 2: 60% Reflective essay (3000 words)

International Financial Regulation

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Prof Rosa Lastra

Description: The purpose of this module is to examine the regulation of non-bank financial institutions and markets, in particular securities firms, insurance companies, fund managers, financial derivatives, financial infrastructures, clearing and settlement. The module also considers the sources and evolution of international financial regulation and the competing demands between prudential regulation and financial services liberalisation.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Independent Research Essay (3500 words)

Practical Astrophysics

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Prof Richard Nelson

Description: Astrophysics has been revolutionized by the advent of large accessible data sets and public domain software for accessing that data and also for modelling astrophysical systems. This module will introduce a range of data analysis and modelling methods used in astrophysics, such as Markov Chain Monte Carlo fitting and N-body simulation. Students will develop practical skills with hands-on experience of modern software packages and data from observatories and space missions such as the James Webb Space Telescope, Kepler and the Parker Solar Probe. Minimal programming background is assumed, but students should be familiar with using computers and mathematics at a level commensurate with BSc in Physics (or equivalent).

Assessment:

• Item 1: 50% Poster presentation
• Item 2: 50% Final investigation report

Digital Global Audiences and Participatory Culture

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Ms Xumeng Xie

Description: This module examines the dynamics of global digital audiences and the rise of participatory culture in the digital age. Students will explore how media consumers have become active participants in content creation and engagement, while also analyzing the impact of digital platforms on cross-cultural communication, fandom, and social movements. Key topics include media convergence, platform politics, digital labor, and the ethical implications of participation. The module provides critical insights into the evolving relationship between media, technology, and global audiences.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 40% Reflective essay (2000words)
• Item 2: 60% Reflective essay (3000 words)

Digital Methods and Ethics in Digital Media and Cultures

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Ms Xumeng Xie

Description: This module offers an introduction to key trajectories of digital social research and practical training in methodological approaches relevant to the evolving field of digital media and culture. Students will acquire the digital tools and skills necessary to navigate the complexities of digital media research, leading to the development of a research design upon completing this course. This module foregrounds critical debates around digital ethics to foster ethical and responsible problem-solving and decision-making in and beyond academic contexts.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 40% Interview Guide Design
• Item 2: 60% Research Proposal

Deep Learning

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Abigail Waldron
Overlap: In taking this module you cannot take ECS708U or take MTH786U

Description: Machine learning influences modern life through many different avenues and is silently revolutionising the way we live and work. We can see the influence of machine learning algorithms in social media, web search engines, mobile device spell checkers and self-driving cars. This module provides an introduction to machine learning using the Python programming language and the TensorFlow (TM) programming toolkit from Google (TM). Minimal programming background is assumed, however students wishing to take this module should be familiar with using computers, and mathematics at a level commensurate with a BSc in Physics or equivalent degree (calculus and linear algebra).

Assessment:

• Item 1: 50% Project 1
• Item 2: 50% Final project

Mental Health in Context

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Dr Ava Kanyeredzi

Description: This module provides students with knowledge about how mental health can be viewed in different contexts. From causal and protective factors to prevention, stigmatization, rehabilitation and social integration. It is also aimed at addressing contemporary issues, such as the impact of digital technology on mental health and the extent to which world crises can affect the onset and prognosis of mental illness. This module aims at enhancing critical thinking skills by giving the opportunity to reflect on the reciprocal relationship between the context and the individual. Issues or health inequalities, continuity of care and accessibility to mental health care are also addressed.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Critical Essay (4000 words)

Advanced Cosmology

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Prof Christopher Clarkson
Prerequisite: Before taking this module you must take SPA6311 and take SPA6308. Before or while taking this module you are advised to take SPA7019U

Description: This module covers advanced concepts of modern cosmology, and in particular will introduce the student to cosmological perturbation theory. It discusses the observed structure of the universe, how these structures formed, and how they can be used to test our theories and models of the universe. The module will also discuss recent and upcoming experiments and large scale structure surveys and their relevance for cosmology.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 90% Exam (2 hours 30 mins)
• Item 2: 10% Coursework

Digital Media and Global Cultures Dissertation

Credits: 60.0
Contact: Dr Cristina Moreno Almeida

Description: The MA Dissertation gives students the opportunity to pursue an independently conceived research project. Students will identify their specific research field and topic, and, working with the support of individual supervisors, explore the relevant literature to date, develop their own approach and conduct their independent research. They will produce a substantial piece of academic writing (ca 12.000 words).
Students are encouraged to think carefully about their choice of dissertation topic and to discuss this with teachers on the MA and other members of academic staff. Formal project supervision typically begins in May for full-time students, and the submission deadline is usually in August.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Dissertation

Content Creation for the Creative Industries Project

Credits: 60.0
Contact: Prof Martin Welton

Description: This project allows you to design and create an original arts and media project in response to a brief given by one of STA¿s external Creative Industries partner organisations, and you will work in response to the `real world¿ needs and requirements that they identify, supported The external partner will provide some additional support In doing this, you will be enabled to use your skills and knowledge to meet the needs and values of a professional organisation and their audience through the creative making of an original project.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 70% Creative Industries Project
• Item 2: 30% Reflective commentary

Making Media

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Prof Martin Welton

Description: What does it mean to create 'audio-visual' media in the context of contemporary creative arts? What sorts of surfaces, screens, tools, channels, materials and processes might be involved in these practices of creative making? What advantages might digital tools have over the analogue and vice-versa? Where, when and how might audience members consume such content outside or including established institutions such as cinemas or theatres?

Working collaboratively with colleagues in response to a project brief, this workshop-based module will give you the opportunity to produce and develop new audio-visual materials for audiences who might be variously present or virtually in place.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 60% Production Project
• Item 2: 40% Portfolio

Writing for Production

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Prof Martin Welton

Description: Writing for production enables you to initiate, develop and present creative writing that meets the needs of a range of different contexts of creative production. Whether you're interested in playwriting, dramatic monologues, film scripts, augmented-reality storytelling, video game narratives or other forms of creative writing for media, you will gain new skills through writing workshops, critical discussions of set readings, and group activities. You will be led by an experienced practitioner who will provide expert guidance, intellectual and creative rigour, and a mutually supportive environment in which to enhance your craft as a writer. You will also deepen your skills in initiating, developing, and presenting your writing to an audience.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Portfolio

Technological Aesthetics: Art, Power, and Cold War Divides

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Maria Chekhonadskih

Description: This module crosses the East-West divides of the Cold War era to offer an interdisciplinary exploration of the major approaches to the question of technology and its aesthetic dimensions. Case studies and visual analyses will include discussions of the human, the post-human and the cyborg across the Cold War frontiers, the utopian urbanism and science fiction in the Soviet Union, the debate over NASA's first satellite image of the Earth, the involvement of the British cyberneticist Stafford Beer in the Chilean project Cybersyn, Qian Xuesen¿s project of engineering cybernetics in the Cold War environment and the first AI systems in the USSR and the US. In covering these diverse materials, the module fosters visual fluency and cultural competence in assessing the continuing impact of Cold War dynamics on contemporary technological narratives.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 40% Case Study Plan
• Item 2: 60% Case Study

Latin American Digital and Visual Cultures: Identity and Resistance

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Rachel Randall

Description: In response to the frequent conception of the internet as an Anglophone arena, this module explores contemporary digital and visual cultural productions made by Latin American or Latinx artists. These works are united by their explorations of the experiences of individuals living or labouring in precarious or violent circumstances, including women, migrants, and domestic and cleaning workers. Students will analyse the use of different types of media online, and the opportunities the internet provides to combine art and social activism.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 25% Group Presentation
• Item 2: 75% Comparative Essay (3500 words)

Entrepreneurship Law Clinic

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Ms Karen Watton
Overlap: In taking this module you cannot take SOLM308 or take SOLM307

Description: Entrepreneurship Law Clinic is a unique opportunity to learn and reflect on the legal issues that face entrepreneurs. In this module you will have the opportunity to (i) develop a number of professional skills and your professional identity; (ii) understand the practical legal issues that are faced by entrepreneurs and how to respond to those issues; (iii) interview and draft advice for a client; (iv) develop and practice public speaking and presentation skills; (v) work within a team and network closely with legal experts and entrepreneurship specialists in London's Tech City. Students must adhere to the Legal Advice Centre's practices and procedures including the signing of a confidentiality agreement and student contract.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 25% Research Essay 1 (1250 words)
• Item 2: 10% Client File
• Item 3: 40% Assessed Presentation
• Item 4: 25% Research Essay 2 (1250 words)

Personalised Media and The Digital Self

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Ms Xumeng Xie

Description: This module explores topical issues revolved around the digital self, personalisation and social media. It encourages critical perspectives on how digital technologies shape our sense of self and societies through various forms of digital engagements from selfie, self-tracking to online dating. By situating these practices within specific cultural, socioeconomic, political and technological contexts, students will develop nuanced understandings of theoretical debates surrounding the promises and pitfalls of social media and digital technologies.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 30% Group presentation
• Item 2: 70% Reflective essay

Dissertation

Credits: 60.0
Contact: Dr Ava Kanyeredzi

Description: This module is designed for students undertaking a research project in their chosen area of mental health.
Although this module is predominately independent study, students are expected to complete a set of formative assessments and have regular contact with their supervisor in order to monitor progress.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Dissertation (15,000 words)

Deep Learning

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Abigail Waldron
Overlap: In taking this module you cannot take ECS708P or take MTH786P

Description: Machine learning influences modern life through many different avenues and is silently revolutionising the way we live and work. We can see the influence of machine learning algorithms in social media, web search engines, mobile device spell checkers and self-driving cars. This module provides an introduction to machine learning using the Python programming language and the TensorFlow (TM) programming toolkit from Google (TM). Minimal programming background is assumed, however students wishing to take this module should be familiar with using computers, and mathematics at a level commensurate with a BSc in Physics or equivalent degree (calculus and linear algebra).

Assessment:

• Item 1: 50% Project 1
• Item 2: 50% Final project

Radiative Transfer and Astrochemistry

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Thomas James Haworth
Overlap: In taking this module you cannot take SPA7006U

Description: Radiative transfer describes the emission and propagation of light. In this course students will learn how we use radiative transfer to infer the properties and evolution of distant objects from light alone. They will also learn how light influences the temperature and motion of matter. Light also affects the composition of astrophysical systems which naturally links the course to an introduction to astrochemistry. This module provides a key toolkit for most observational and theoretical astrophyiscs.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 10% Coursework Problems Set
• Item 2: 90% Examination (2 hours 30 mins)

School of the Arts Review (STAR): Edit, Write, Publish

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Guy Westwell

Description: This module offers students across the School of the Arts the chance to develop editorial and publishing skills. Working as part of an editorial board, you¿ll curate, critique, and edit exceptional student work, preparing it for publication on a dedicated public-facing website (STAR). The material you will work with spans film, literature, theatre, digital media, and related fields, with a strong focus on contemporary culture. You will also write your own short piece of work for publication. The module will help you develop career-ready skills, build a portfolio of work and gain talking points for job or academic interviews.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 25% Participation
• Item 2: 25% Edited piece for publication
• Item 3: 50% Short guide

Study Abroad Semester

Credits: 60.0
Contact: To Be Confirmed

Description: Students who secure a placement for a semester abroad will spend their Semester 1 at the host institution. The study placement will take place at one of our partner universities and the assessment for this module will be calculated from the assessment completed at that university. This module will be credit-bearing but a zero-weighted Pass / Fail model.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Pass/Fail

Study Abroad Semester

Credits: 60.0
Contact: To Be Confirmed

Description: Students who secure a placement for a semester abroad will spend their Semester 1 at the host institution. The study placement will take place at one of our partner universities and the assessment for this module will be calculated from the assessment completed at that university. This module will be credit-bearing but a zero-weighted Pass / Fail model.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Pass/Fail

Modern Languages Semester Abroad Study placement

Credits: 60.0
Contact: Dr Nadezda Bragina

Description: The Year Abroad is compulsory for all students on the BA modern Languages. Students may have the opportunity to choose different placement types, and will be registered for year or semester abroad modules to a total value of 120 credits according to the activities they undertake.

The study placement will take place at one of our partner universities and the assessment for this module will be calculated from the assessment completed at that university.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Final Mark

Modern Languages Semester Abroad Study placement

Credits: 60.0
Contact: Dr Nadezda Bragina

Description: The Year Abroad is compulsory for all students on the BA modern Languages. Students may have the opportunity to choose different placement types, and will be registered for year or semester abroad modules to a total value of 120 credits according to the activities they undertake.

The study placement will take place at one of our partner universities and the assessment for this module will be calculated from the assessment completed at that university.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Final Mark

Modern Languages Semester Abroad work placement

Credits: 60.0
Contact: Dr Nadezda Bragina

Description: The Year Abroad is compulsory for all students on the BA modern Languages. Students may have the opportunity to choose different placement types, and will be registered for year or semester abroad modules to a total value of 120 credits according to the activities they undertake.

The work placement will be approved by the School of the Arts and will take place in a country that allows the student to immerse themselves in the target language.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Final Mark

Modern Languages Semester Abroad work placement

Credits: 60.0
Contact: Dr Nadezda Bragina

Description: The Year Abroad is compulsory for all students on the BA modern Languages. Students may have the opportunity to choose different placement types, and will be registered for year or semester abroad modules to a total value of 120 credits according to the activities they undertake.

The work placement will be approved by the School of the Arts and will take place in a country that allows the student to immerse themselves in the target language.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Final Mark

Modern Languages Self-Study Semester Abroad Assessment

Credits: 60.0
Contact: Dr Nadezda Bragina
Overlap: In taking this module you cannot take STA5004A

Description: This module is designed as part of the BA Modern Languages, which includes a compulsory Year Abroad, and forms part of the School¿s suite of study abroad programmes . The module is intended for Modern Languages students unable to travel abroad during the semester, and to facilitate independent study during this period. Students will follow a menu of recommended activities and be assessed at the end of that for a single 60 credit module mark.

The module follows QMUL¿s international strategy and aims at developing students¿ academic capacities and personal qualifications.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 70% Self-study written assessment
• Item 2: 30% Self-study oral assessment

International Economic Law Clinic

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Dr Tibisay Morgandi
Prerequisite: Before or while taking this module you must take SOLM192 or take SOLM189. Prerequisite applies: students must take one of two modules SOLM189 and SOLM192 in semester 1 - academics will advise students which module applies to them during selection process

Description: This module offers the unique opportunity to work on a real legal project on international economic law of practical importance to a beneficiary. The module is conducted as a legal clinic running over semesters 2 and 3. Students will be grouped in project teams each consisting of a maximum of four students and assigned a project to work on specific questions posed by real beneficiaries who are seeking legal advice on specific problems in international economic law. Under the supervision of an academic supervisor and with the support of professional mentors, each team will prepare written legal memoranda on the assigned problem and present it to the beneficiaries at the end of semester 3. The bulk of the module consists on students' independent work on the project along with meetings with academic supervisors, mentors and beneficiaries as well as workshops on professional skills.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 65% Written report submitted to beneficiary (group grade)
• Item 2: 35% Individual oral assessment

Psychological Therapies: Applications and Effectiveness

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Dr Robert Blakey

Description: The module maps out both classic and contemporary work in mental health and relates theory to practice, particularly in psychotherapy. Research is drawn from a number of different therapeutic treatments, such as psychoanalysis, CBT, group and family therapy and 3rd wave therapies. Students will have the opportunity to learn about the effectiveness of each method and how these are used to treat a range of mental illnesses such as Psychosis, Depression and Personality Disorders.
Students will be also submitting a reflective piece based on their clinical placement.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 40% Discussion Paper
• Item 2: 10% Attendance and Participation
• Item 3: 50% Placement Reflective Piece (2000 words)

Modern Languages Self-Study Semester Abroad Assessment

Credits: 60.0
Contact: Dr Nadezda Bragina
Overlap: In taking this module you cannot take STA5004B

Description: This module is designed as part of the BA Modern Languages, which includes a compulsory Year Abroad, and forms part of the School¿s suite of study abroad programmes . The module is intended for Modern Languages students unable to travel abroad during the semester, and to facilitate independent study during this period. Students will follow a menu of recommended activities and be assessed at the end of that for a single 60 credit module mark.

The module follows QMUL¿s international strategy and aims at developing students¿ academic capacities and personal qualifications.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 70% Self-study written assessment
• Item 2: 30% Self-study oral assessment

Public Affairs Advocacy

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Prof Ian Walden

Description: This module will examine the theory and practice of public affairs advocacy. Public affairs advocacy concerns how organizations try to influence the development of public policy and its resultant implementation through laws, regulations and related measures. Such advocacy may occur at a national, regional or international level, and is an increasingly important area of practice for lawyers. With technological disintermediation culling many functions of traditional legal services, a premium is placed on the very human skills of political advocacy - the ability of legal counsel to help their clients and organizations navigate the external world to influence and effect positive changes.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Independent Research Essay (3000-4000 words)

Art Transactions

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Dr Miriam Goldby

Description: This module will examine the various rules of domestic and international private law that can impact the art trade, from the sale and purchase of artworks by private individuals, to acquisitions by other private law means, such as gift and exchange, and loans and other bailments involving museums, galleries and other cultural institutions. Beyond this, the module will also consider the impact of statute: one notable example being the statutory immunity of certain loaned cultural objects from seizure. Owing to the high value and irreplaceable nature of the art being traded, the issue of insurance is an important one. This section will consider both private cover and public insurance. Finally, the module will look at the law of auctions. Auctions are of course a favoured forum to buy and sell art, and the law that applies to the auction is different from the law of the open market.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Examination (3 hours 15 mins)

Trade, Environment and IPRS

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Prof Uma Suthersanen

Description: The tragedy of the commons doctrine argues that humans are locked into a system whereby our pursuit of self-interest erodes the commons. But according to a different view, human society is fully capable of managing the commons in ways that protect the commons and benefits us all. Continuous trade and economic growth may eventually lead to an exhaustion of environmental resources. But this is not inevitable and trade relations can be managed in sustainable and mutually beneficial ways. One means to combat this is to accept that institutional intervention and technical progress should be focused so that resources are continuously directed towards environmental improvement. Moreover, the regulation of the environment (as in food, traditional genetic resources, green technologies) affects the trading patterns of both large and small producer countries.

This module explores these concerns by studying the interrelation between : (i) the environment (as in food, agriculture, climate, bio-prospecting, and other ancillary rights such as human rights, Nagoya Protocols on climate and biodiversity rules, access and benefit sharing); (ii) trade (as in regulations within the EU, US and WTO, and other UN organisations), and (iii) IPRs (as in patents, plant variety rights, utility models, trade marks, geographical indications and technology transfer).

Our environment is of fundamental importance. Activities that derive from our environment (including agriculture, fishing, consuming natural resources) matters more than almost any other productive human activity. Our environment supplies our most basic human needs, and it employs vast numbers of people. Human activities have a transformative effect on the biosphere. Indeed, it has arguably done more than any other activity to give rise to a new era in the Earth¿s history: the Anthropocene. One example is the commercial agricultural sector where farmers are supplied with inputs such as seeds and agrochemicals and advanced new technologies produced by high-tech corporations like Monsanto and Syngenta. The processing of food and other products that are grown or reared by farmers and pastoralists is carried out by transnational corporations. These products are delivered to customers by retailers that may be small and local or are massive operations. The vital role of small-scale farmers especially in the developing countries needs to be acknowledged but all too rarely is. Along all parts of the value chain there is much pressure to innovate and intellectual property rights are an essential feature of the way businesses and markets operate, how investment choices are made and where innovative activities do (and do not) take place.

Thus, this module will analyse the legal regulation of such resources from national and international levels, with reference to technology, intellectual property, agricultural and climate policies, and human rights vis-a-vis the global industries.

The module is intended to complement substantive modules on the protection of intellectual property. Therefore, students are assumed to have a basic understanding of intellectual property rights.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 20% Presentation of Research Topic (30 minutes)
• Item 2: 80% Independent Research Essay (3000 words)

Radiative Transfer and Astrochemistry

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Thomas James Haworth
Overlap: In taking this module you cannot take SPA7006P

Description: Radiative transfer describes the emission and propagation of light. In this course students will learn how we use radiative transfer to infer the properties and evolution of distant objects from light alone. They will also learn how light influences the temperature and motion of matter. Light also affects the composition of astrophysical systems which naturally links the course to an introduction to astrochemistry. This module provides a key toolkit for most observational and theoretical astrophyiscs.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 10% Coursework Problems Set
• Item 2: 90% Examination (2 hours 30 mins)

Art Disputes and their Resolutions

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Dr Debbie De Girolamo

Description: This module will explore the many ways in which art disputes can be resolved including litigation and alternative processes to litigation. It will examine specifically the public processes of litigation in national courts, administrative tribunals and international tribunals, and also private processes such as arbitration, mediation and other alternative processes. In so doing, it will consider the nature of the art dispute, the appropriate methods to resolve the disputes, and the remedies and solutions available. This will be led in seminar style, with lecture and interactive participation from students through exercises and dialogue.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 20% Oral Presentation
• Item 2: 80% Examination (3 hours 15 mins)

AI, Robotics and the Law

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Ms Laura Edgar
Overlap: In taking this module you cannot take SOLM284

Description: The evolving area of AI and Robotics gives rise to many ethical and legal questions over the status of robots, the rights and responsibilities arising from their use and liability for any harm caused. The module will explore the issues of legal personhood, the protection of robots through IP, the responsibilities arising from data use and the various approaches to allocating responsibility and liability. The module covers both embodied artificial intelligent systems (robots) and non-embodied ones (intelligent agents). Distinction is also made between the behaviour of robots as tools of human interaction, and robots as independent agents in the legal arena and its legal ramifications.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% 3000 word Essay

EU Data Protection Law

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Prof Anne Flanagan

Description: This module examines EU data protection laws and examples of the regulatory frameworks established in the Member States. It explores the key debates surrounding and commercial and other implications under the new regime of the General Data Protection Regulation, the Policing and Criminal Justice Data and the E Privacy framework, including the challenges of particular developments, such as telecommunications, cloud computing and the Internet of Things.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 30% Independent Research Essay
• Item 2: 70% Final assessment exercise (2 hours)

Legal Tech

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Ms Karen Watton

Description: A course will be taught by leading practitioners in legal engineering and design, combining both academic and hands-on practical experience using some of the latest legal tech. This module will examine the theory and application of technology to legal practice and procedures It will consider how machine learning and AI has been, and could be, deployed within the legal sector to provide substantive legal advice, procedural risk analysis, the provision of legal services and contract and practice management. The interaction of technology and legal design will be examined, as well as the practical, legal and ethical issues that legal tech raise.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Independent Research Essay (3000-4000 words)

Climate Justice

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Prof David Whyte

Description: This module is about crime committed by corporates and states and it explores the definition and nature of crime that causes harm to the environment in criminological, legal and political discourse. The module aims to develop a critical understanding of the nature and the scale and type of crimes committed by companies, states and their agents that damage the environment and ecosystems. There will also be an exploration of resistance tactics, from law-fare to civil society censure of environmental harm. Consisting of lectures, seminars and film, the following list is indicative (but not exhaustive) of the subjects that will be covered: corporate environmental crime, food insecurity, state and state-corporate environmental crime, CSR and 'green' business practice, the economy of environmental protection, the power of civil society to resist planet degradation, the genocide-ecocide nexus, corruption, agribusiness, toxic waste dumping and land grabbing. The course will also feature visiting leading scholars, and representatives from key NGOs.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Independent Research Essay (3000-4000 words)

Esports Law

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Gaetano Dimita

Description: Esports law focuses on the legal, contractual, commercial and regulatory issues that affect competitive video gaming. The module recognises the magnitude of the phenomenon and delineates the legal and commercial parameters under which esports industries operates.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Independent Research Essay (3000-4000 words)

Applied Research Methods 2: Practice

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Robert Blakey

Description: This module provides students with practical application of Applied Research Methods. The general aim is to equip students with transferable skills that can be either used towards completing an empirical project or conducting a systematic review.
There is no taught component in this module, except for 4 hours of tutorial sessions delivered on alternate weeks. These 4 sessions will be complementary to 5 tutorial sessions delivered in Semester 2 for Psychological Therapies:Paradigms and Systems and Psychological Therapies: applications and Effectiveness. The aim of these 4 tutorial sessions is to provide academic support for their completion of their Pilot study.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 45% Poster Presentation (reassessment by poster resubmission)
• Item 2: 55% Poster Presentation Abstract

Introduction to Strings and Branes

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Congkao Wen
Corequisite: In the same year as taking this module you must take SPA7018P

Description: The module will cover the basics of string theory, and provide an introduction to the perturbative formulation of string theories. The topics that we will cover include the classical physics of strings, and the quantisation of bosonic and superstrings, perturbative aspects of D-branes, duality symmetries, and two-dimensional conformal field theory and its application to string theory. A brief discussion on some advanced topics in string theory will be given towards the end of the module.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 20% Coursework
• Item 2: 80% Examination (2 hours 30 mins)

Seafarers' Law

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Prosir Hilton Staniland

Description: Over 90% of international world trade is carried by ships, crewed by around 1.5 million seafarers. The work of these seafarers is of global significance. But seafarers face a growing and fast evolving range of issues, including, for example, unpaid wages (approximately 30$million is recovered annually as unpaid wages); abandonment; civil, criminal and administrative investigations following maritime casualties; fatigue; suicide; piracy; ship automation; ship safety; and ship based pollution. A very wide range of shipping documents and contracts are impacted by the work of seafarers.

This module addresses the manner in which these issues are addressed by: the International Labour Organization; the International Maritime Organization; the Admiralty Court in England and some other courts around the world; port states; flag states; shipowners and international and national unions.

Given the essential and crucial work of seafarers regarding international trade, no study of shipping law would be complete without a critical understanding of seafarers' law and how this area of the law impacts other areas of shipping law.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Examination (2 hours 15 mins)

Serious Mental Illness

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Natalie Shoham

Description: This module will introduce students to the aetiology, diagnosis and management of conditions typically seen in secondary mental healthcare. We will cover the full lifespan, beginning with a general overview of key issues, controversies and uncertainties. Sessions will include: mental illness in pregnancy and the postpartum period, mental illness in childhood / adolescence, psychosis, bipolar affective disorder, personality disorders, eating disorders, and mental illnesses presenting in older people, including the impacts of delirium and dementia. Teachers will be clinicians and researchers with experience of working with people with serious mental illnesses.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Critical Essay (1500 words)

Compliance Systems in Practice

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Mr Sucheen Patel

Description: This module seeks to give students a thorough grounding in the essentials of regulatory and compliance environment. To prepare students for issues likely to arise in the application of regulatory framework in various economic and business environments . No previous knowledge of the subject is required. In addition, the module does not require prior knowledge of regulatory framework . The module takes a very practical approach with a number of case studies and always with an eye to the real world implications. Guest lecturers will provide their practical experience and the challenges they face.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Independent Research Essay (3000-4000 words)

Cybercrime: Forensic Investigations

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Prof Ian Walden

Description: Internet technologies have enabled new ways of committing crimes and have moved "old"" crimes such as fraud online- this has created interesting challenges to the investigation, prosecution and enforcement of the criminal law. Internet technologies are borderless and have enabled an increase in transnational crime. This Module will examine the legal procedural issues arising from transborder online crime: international co-operation, mutual assistance, extradition; the role played by private actors/industry in the enforcement of cybercrime (payment intermediaries; hosting providers (eg cloud computing); internet access providers; domain name registries and registrars etc); the relationship between public and private enforcement; the national and international powers of collecting intelligence & evidence (including surveillance); the law of evidence and admissibility; computer, device and network forensics."

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Examination (3 hours 15 mins)

Modalities of Psychological Therapy

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Robert Blakey

Description: This module provides students with major theories of different schools of thought and paradigms within psychology, such as the Psychoanalytic Paradigm, the Sociocultural Paradigm, the Trait Paradigm, the Learning Paradigm, the Evolutionary Paradigm and the Existential-Humanistic Paradigm. Students will have the opportunity to learn about the history of psychology and the nature of psychopathology. This module also touches upon branches of philosophy such as epistemology, rationalism and empiricism and explores how contemporary philosophers, such as Kuhn's and Popper's view of science.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Critical Essay (1500 words)

Supersymmetric Methods in Theoretical Physics

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Matthew Buican
Prerequisite: Before taking this module you must take SPA6413
Corequisite: In the same year as taking this module you must take SPA7018U

Description: This course introduces core concepts in supersymmetry that can be applied to quantitatively understand a broad variety of physical systems and is a complement to the AQFT and FMQFT modules. Starting with supersymmetric quantum mechanics as a toy model, the course covers the supersymmetry algebra, its representations, the Witten Index, and the resulting constraints on quantum dynamics. We then move on to introduce supersymmetric field theories in three space-time dimensions consisting of scalars and fermions while giving a basic introduction to symmetry currents, the classical and quantum Wilsonian renormalization group flow, moduli spaces, spurions, and non-renormalization arguments. The course culminates in a study of simple dualities in three-dimensional supersymmetric abelian gauge theories. We conclude with a discussion of supersymmetry in four space-time dimensions and, time permitting, the embedding of our constructions in string theory.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 30% Coursework 1
• Item 2: 70% Coursework 2

Cyberspace: Jurisdiction and Dispute Resolution

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Prof Julia Hornle

Description: The module analyses the concept and theories of jurisdiction under International Law (Public International Law), from the perspective of international criminal law, especially in the context of transnational crimes such as cybercrime, from the perspective of regulation (eg data protection and transborder data flows; online gambling; online content regulation) and from the perspective of private international law/conflicts of law (jurisdiction and applicable law in civil and commercial disputes such as contract, torts generally, defamation & privacy infringements, IP infringements). It therefore takes a novel approach by looking both at private law and public law- but this approach is necessary as internet communications are not restricted to private law and private international law.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Examination (3 hours 15 mins)

Modalities of Psychological Therapy

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Robert Blakey

Description: This module provides students with major theories of different schools of thought and paradigms within psychology, such as the Psychoanalytic Paradigm, the Sociocultural Paradigm, the Trait Paradigm, the Learning Paradigm, the Evolutionary Paradigm and the Existential-Humanistic Paradigm. Students will have the opportunity to learn about the history of psychology and the nature of psychopathology. This module also touches upon branches of philosophy such as epistemology, rationalism and empiricism and explores how contemporary philosophers, such as Kuhn's and Popper's view of science.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Critical Essay (1500 words)

International Child Law

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Dr Hedi Viterbo
Overlap: Students who studied their llb at qmul and took the undergraduate module LAW6468 (children and the law) cannot take SOLM270 or SOLM271 without prior approval from the module convenor.

Description: This module examines the broad and continuously expanding field of international child law. It provides an in-depth analysis of the world's most widely ratified treaty, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, along with various other legal instruments and provisions relating to children at the international, regional, and national levels. The module looks at how international child law relates to wide-ranging contexts, such as armed conflict, migration, and criminal justice. Our discussions draw on a rich array of theoretical perspectives, including historical and anthropological studies of childhood, postcolonial theory, queer theory, and critical scholarship on international law.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 60% Independent research essay (3000 words)
• Item 2: 15% Class Presentation
• Item 3: 5% Weekly written assignment 1
• Item 4: 5% Weekly written assignment 2
• Item 5: 5% Weekly written assignment 3
• Item 6: 5% Weekly written assignment 4
• Item 7: 5% Weekly written assignment 5

Media Regulation

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Mr Gavin Sutter

Description: The content of the proposed module will cover the content of both current modules SOLM217 and SOLM218. This includes:
- Ownership & Control of the Media
- Press Regulation
- EU Broadcasting Law & the shift to regulation of online, streaming content
- UK Broadcasting Law & the shift to regulation of online, streaming content
- Advertising Regulation
- Article 10, Freedom of Speech and the reasonable limits thereon with a view to protecting the Article 6 right to a fair trial, in the context of media reporting the courts
- Contempt of Court and the media - filming and livestreaming the courts, contempt by publication
- Reporting restrictions and the media - including identification of victims of serious crimes, statutory restrictions on reporting proceedings involving children and vulnerable adults, discretionary judicial orders, the media's right to representation and to appeal orders.
- Protection of journalists sources & materials, including digital resources and communications, from undue state / police interference.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Examination (3 hours 15 mins)

State Crime

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Eleanor Godwin

Description: This module is about crime committed by governments and it explores the definition and nature of state crime in criminological and political discourse. The module aims to develop a critical understanding of the nature of the state and the scale and type of crimes committed by governments and their agents. The definitional processes involved in labeling states acts as criminal are explored, as are the forces which explain why and how states enter into deviant or criminal practices. Consisting of lectures, seminars and film, the following list is indicative of the subjects that will be covered: Torture, State-corporate crime, counter-terrorism and human rights, Natural Disasters, Asylum Policy as state crime, War Crimes, Genocide, Resisting State Crime: the power of civil society, corruption, state crime denial, comparative genocides, and forced evictions. The course will also feature visiting leading scholars, and representatives from key NGOs.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Independent research essay (3000-4000 words)

Serious Mental Illness

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Natalie Shoham

Description: This module will introduce students to the aetiology, diagnosis and management of conditions typically seen in secondary mental healthcare. We will cover the full lifespan, beginning with a general overview of key issues, controversies and uncertainties. Sessions will include: mental illness in pregnancy and the postpartum period, mental illness in childhood / adolescence, psychosis, bipolar affective disorder, personality disorders, eating disorders, and mental illnesses presenting in older people, including the impacts of delirium and dementia. Teachers will be clinicians and researchers with experience of working with people with serious mental illnesses.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Critical Essay (1500 words)

International Merger Control: The Jurisdictions

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Claudia Lemus

Description: Within the field of competition law, merger control has attracted special attention. The reason for this attention can be found in the special nature of mergers as a business phenomenon, especially when compared with other business phenomena, such as abuse of dominance by firms or cartel activities. The process of relentless globalisation which has been developing since the 1990s has meant that merger operations can produce an effect on the conditions of competition in more than one jurisdiction. This means that, quite inevitably, regulatory approval in more than one jurisdiction may need to be sought. Such a consequence ¿ as is widely accepted ¿ can give rise to uncertainty for the firms concerned and cause huge expense and significant delay. Those who are involved in advising business firms in a merger situation are also not immune from the uncertainty when merger operations have to be notified to more than one competition authority. Often legal advisors have to answer extremely difficult questions in merger cases, such as whether notification of the merger to the competition authorities in one or more jurisdictions is necessary or mandatory or even desirable; which authorities need to be notified; what is required for this purpose and how to go about notifying the authorities concerned; and how will the authorities assess the merger, including any relevant time framework within which they will operate and ultimately reach a decision in a given case.

The Module will aim at a thorough examination of the highly important phenomena of international mergers and their regulation worldwide. Different merger control regimes worldwide and their operation will be an important part of the focus in the Module.

The Module will be taught in a very practical manner, to reflect the very nature of the topic. A highly interesting range of case studies and the knowledge and expertise of practitioners in the field will be a key aspect of the course. The Module should prove to be attractive for students attending other competition law courses and those with an `international¿ dimension in other areas of commercial orientation on the LLM.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Examination (2 hours 30 mins)

Research Methods

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Abigail Waldron

Description: The research methods module is designed to help you attain the relevant skills to assess, understand, and visualise data and to undertake your research project. This includes essential skills such as communication and organising information from the literature, through to being able to extract information on data science methods from a multidisciplinary environment and report writing. A strong emphasis will be placed on enabling you to engage with complex information from seminars and to discuss that information to explore how it relates to material studied on your programme. Discussion sessions will be a key part in helping you develop as a data scientist and enhance transferable skills that will benefit you in the rest of your degree and future employment.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 40% Portfolio
• Item 2: 30% Report (2000 words)
• Item 3: 30% Presentation

Research Project in Data Science

Credits: 60.0
Contact: Dr Marcella Bona

Description: The students work on research topics in one of the areas of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Science set by their project supervisors. Computational work is the principal component of the projects. The work also involves critical evaluation of previously published results. A dissertation is prepared.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 50% Dissertation (7500 words)
• Item 2: 20% Practical work and record
• Item 3: 30% Oral assessment and presentation

Machine and Deep Learning

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Dr Andrew Danos

Description: The module covers fundamental concepts of machine learning with emphasis on the development of practical skills required for the selection and application of machine learning methods to defined problems. Topics include data representation and preparation, unsupervised learning methods, regression and classification methods, artificial neural networks and performance evaluation. Face-to-face teaching will be combined with extensive hands-on sessions in the computational lab.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 15% Online test
• Item 2: 20% Portfolio
• Item 3: 30% Project 1
• Item 4: 35% Final project

Modalities of Psychological Therapy

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Robert Blakey

Description: This module provides students with major theories of different schools of thought and paradigms within psychology, such as the Psychoanalytic Paradigm, the Sociocultural Paradigm, the Trait Paradigm, the Learning Paradigm, the Evolutionary Paradigm and the Existential-Humanistic Paradigm. Students will have the opportunity to learn about the history of psychology and the nature of psychopathology. This module also touches upon branches of philosophy such as epistemology, rationalism and empiricism and explores how contemporary philosophers, such as Kuhn's and Popper's view of science.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Critical Essay (1500 words)

Compliance in Global Markets

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Mr Sucheen Patel

Description: The module will have four general sessions in which all the students will study together advanced cases in Compliance. The course covers advanced topics in compliance. Then the students will be split into specialist groups as specified above for another four sessions. For the final sessions the students will get together for a conclusion of the module.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Independent Research Essay (3000-4000 words)

Applied Research Methods 2: Practice

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Ava Kanyeredzi

Description: This module provides students with practical application of Applied Research Methods. The general aim is to equip students with transferable skills that can be either used towards completing an empirical project or conducting a systematic review.
There is no taught component in this module, except for 4 hours of tutorial sessions delivered on alternate weeks. These 4 sessions will be complementary to 5 tutorial sessions delivered in Semester 2 for Psychological Therapies:Paradigms and Systems and Psychological Therapies: applications and Effectiveness. The aim of these 4 tutorial sessions is to provide academic support for their completion of their Pilot study.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 45% Poster Presentation (reassessment by poster resubmission)
• Item 2: 55% Poster Presentation Abstract

International Arbitration and Energy

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Prof Maxi Charlotte Scherer
Prerequisite: This module is only suitable for students with prior experience in international arbitration (i.E. For those who are studying those topics during their llm at qmul or those who have studied or worked in the field in the past).

Description: International arbitration proceedings in the energy sector have seen an important increase in recent years, both in terms of their numbers and their economic and political importance. This module provides students with the basis for understanding the particular issues of disputes in the energy sector, both in international investment and commercial arbitration. It gives students aiming to work in the arbitration area an important qualification in a very competitive market.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Independent research essay (5000-7500 words)

Maritime Arbitration

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Dr Miriam Goldby

Description: Specialist dispute resolution mechanisms catering to specific industry needs are popular in international commerce, and arbitration has emerged as the dominant industry choice for resolving shipping disputes, in particular charterparty disputes. Indeed important maritime arbitration centres have long been established in London and New York, and more recently others have started to emerge in countries such as Russia, China and Singapore. London remains a leader in this field with a large number of disputes being decided each year through arbitration in accordance with the terms of the London Maritime Arbitrators Association. The module will tackle questions such as: What is special about maritime arbitration and what distinguishes it from general commercial arbitration? What are the features of maritime arbitration that make it particularly popular? Is arbitration by its nature more suited to the resolution of disputes arising in connection with certain types of shipping contracts (e.g. charterparties) rather than others (e.g. contracts of carriage contained in bills of lading)? Why? What are the implications of widespread use of arbitration for the continued development of shipping law?

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Examination (3 hours 15 mins)

Tax System Design and Policy in Emerging and Developing Economies

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Bernard Schneider

Description: The module considers tax system design and tax policy issues relevant to emerging and developing economies. It examines tax policy and design issues regarding the choice of taxes, expanding the tax base, expanding the tax net, encouraging taxpayer compliance and strengthening administrative capacity. In this context it considers the political economy of direct and indirect taxes, the incidence of taxation, fiscal federalism and the impact of tax treaties. It will also look at options for reform of existing systems and for improving tax administration and collection in emerging and developing economies.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Independent research essay (3000-4000 words)

Terrorism, Migration and Human Rights

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Mr Andrew Pitt

Description: "This module looks at the relationship of terrorism, human rights and migration. Among the key questions will be the relationship of foreigners to threat, the treatment of suspected terrorists through immigration laws, the entitlement of foreigners to protection against return to persecution and torture (as refugees) and the transformation of the technologies around movement of people across international borders which are driven by terrorism related concerns. The module is designed to provide students with an overview of the law around terrorism and how it intersects with migration and border crossing issues. The module will include: an introduction to the course from citizens to foreigners including Human Rights, Political Violence, Terrorism and Extradition. We will examine the issues around refugees, political violence/terrorism and the principle of non-refoulement and how they interact with the prohibition on torture in the context of terrorism allegations. The question of the political issue of diplomatic assurances and legal obligations of protection will be examined as well as the convergence of terrorism, criminal law and refugee protection. The use of digital means by state authorities to counter terrorism and the use of the personal data of foreigners will also be part of the reflections of this course. Students will have an opportunity to present in class their research."

Assessment:

• Item 1: 20% 'Conference' Presentation
• Item 2: 80% Essay (5000 words)

Public International & European Air Transport Law

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Dr Antigoni-Aikaterini Lykotrafiti

Description: Air transport is one of the most heavily regulated sectors of the economy. For passengers and goods to be transported safely, regularly, economically and efficiently, a dense web of rules is governing aspects such as the use of airspace, safety, security, air navigation, airports and the environment. This module examines the international, supranational and national rules that make aviation pride itself on being the safest and most innovative mode of transport, as well as the industry that has globalised the world, contributing to peace and economic growth. It also examines critically the lack of uniformity in the international regulatory framework and its implications for the industry and the economy at large.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 80% Essay (3500 words)
• Item 2: 20% Presentation

International Environmental Law

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Prof Malgosia Fitzmaurice

Description: This course focuses on international legal and institutional arrangements concerning the management of the environment. It examines both theoretical and practical dimensions of these arrangements. This course explores some of the most salient aspects of the expanding area of international environmental law. It examines, in particular, global environmental issues that have risen to the top of the international law and policy agenda in the wake of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (Rio Conference) and the 2002 Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development and 2015 UN Goals . It deals with the fundamental questions of IEL : the precautionary principles ; polluter pays principle, environmental impact assessment. The notion of sustainable development occupies an important place in this course. It provides an acknowledgment that environmental law needs to be considered at the same time as social and economic dimensions of development The module is linked with human rights law and economic law (WTO).

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Independent research essay (5000-7500 words)

UK Tax Law

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Mr Richard Walters

Description: The module will provide an introduction to the UK system of taxation, both personal and business. It will also allow students to gain an understanding of the key concepts of tax law from a UK perspective. It will cover the basic principles of the taxation of individuals in the UK on their earnings, gains and wealth. The rationale for various types of taxes will be explored, in particular the UK inheritance and capital gains taxes. Much discussed issues such as tax avoidance, sin taxes and zero hour employment contracts will also be considered. The international perspective will be included and comparisons will be made with taxes in other jurisdictions.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Examination (3 hours 15 mins)

Transfer Pricing

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Mrs Joy Svasti-Salee

Description: The module will provide students with knowledge of transfer pricing and the various principles and standards developed to deal with it. There will be a historical overview of the issues followed by an analysis of the evolution of principles leading to the BEPS Action Plan and the updated 2017 Transfer Pricing Guidelines. The module will consider major current transfer pricing issues around intangibles, business restructuring, the digital economy, services and financing. It also examines issues such as transfer pricing documentation and dispute resolution (both arbitration and litigation). The intersection of transfer pricing with EU law will also be considered and the case law on state aid and APAs will be reviewed in detail. The course is not jurisdiction specific; rather it offers a holistic approach to the topic with cameos of the different approaches of countries to it.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Final Assessment Exercise (24 hours) (2 hours)

Foreign Investments and Public Policy

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Angelos Dimopoulos

Description: This module examines the different public policy interests that guide regulation of international investments. It explores theories on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), how the law deals with FDI and in particular what is the role and objectives of international investment law. Moreover, this module examines how different legal instruments balance investment promotion and protection objectives with other regulatory interests, such as human rights and environmental protection. The aim is to enable students to critically reflect on the objectives of investment regulation and whether existing rules offer an appropriate balance of (conflicting) public policy interests.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Independent research essay (3000-4000 words)

Marine Insurance Law

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Dr Miriam Goldby

Description: Marine insurance is a fascinating and important area of international shipping law. Shipping has always been perilous - adverse sea conditions, piracy, accidents and pollution at sea, deterioration of goods during transportation - and both owners of vessels and cargo have increasingly sought, over the years, to protect themselves in the event of loss. This module deals with the law of marine insurance. This module will examine, among other issues, the definition and formation of a marine insurance contract (including the duty of disclosure and insurable interest), the parties to the contract and the various risks covered (as well as those excluded), what constitutes evidence of the contract and its terms, claims under the contract, assignment, subrogation and contribution, the rule of proximate cause, and the diverse forms of loss that a vessel or cargo owner might suffer.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Examination (3 hours 15 mins)

International Tax Law in Practice

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Mrs Joy Svasti-Salee
Prerequisite: Before taking this module you must take SOLM119

Description: The module focus is on how multinational enterprises are structured and operate. In particular, the module will cover how groups finance their business, structure their operations and own and protect their intellectual property. There will also be some consideration of the impact of mergers, acquisitions, disposals and reorganisations. The module will also look at the challenges created by new forms of technology and new ways of doing business. The module will discuss these issues from the viewpoint of the enterprise and of the relevant revenue authorities.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Independent Research Essay (5000-7500 words)

International Economic Law

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Kamala Dawar

Description: The module examines the law that governs international economic relations between states and between states and non-state actors. It provides an overview of international agreements and organizations concerned with state conduct affecting trade, foreign investment, finance and monetary stability. It also considers less formal means of international economic governance such as standards, principles and guidelines. The study of the relevant law is informed by pressing development, environmental and financial stability concerns arising from the globalisation of the world economy and shifts in global economic power. The module aims to provide the foundation and context for further exploration of specific areas of international economic law covered by other modules offered by this programme. The knowledge and skills gained on this course are suitable for careers in government, international organizations, law firms and NGOs concerned with international trade, investment, finance and development.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Independent research essay (3000-4000 words)

Critical Jurisprudence

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Prof Eric Heinze

Description: This module introduces students to a broad range of theoretical critiques of conventional (doctrinal) legal scholarship. The course begins with liberal political theory (Aristotle, Locke and Hobbes). It then considers more specific liberal critiques of law (Economic analysis, Rule of Law critique, and Mill¿s harm principle). The last section of the course looks at Foucault, Feminist legal theory, and Critical Legal Theory.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Independent research essay (3000-4000 words)

Punishment in England 1750-1950

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Prof Sean Mcconville

Description: The study of punishment in the period 1750 -1950 provides a number of fruitful encounters with political and social theory, evolving legal doctrine and concurrent economic and social developments. It requires and imparts versatility and flexibility in the identification of core issues. Handling this and related material can supplement and enrich broader legal studies. Full of human interest and controversy, it is challenging, engrossing and illuminating. Debates range from theories such as moral agency and culpability, to varieties of determinism to consideration of the powers, prerogatives and duties of the state.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Independent research essay (3000-4000 words)

Law of Economic Crime: Corruption

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Prof Peter Alldridge

Description: "The treatment of tax evasion in the UK, including the alternatives to prosecution and the developing regime for dealing with evasion. It will then turn to the national and international law of corruption, dealing with misconduct in public office. The treatment of bribery will include its history and theory, the developing international régime and the trend towards greater negotiation with persons suspected1 of bribery and placing greater duties in respect of enforcement and reporting on the private sector. There will be detailed case studies of corruption in sports and of the Trump Presidency. "

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Examination (3 hours 15 mins)

Ethics of Migration and Asylum

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Dimitri Van Den Meerssche

Description: "This module introduces the main philosophical and ethical debates concerning border control, citizenship, migration and refugee/asylum-seeker status. It sets out the arguments for and against ¿open borders¿, the political theory of citizenship and the nation state, and the relationships between citizens¿ rights and universal human rights. As well as matters of general philosophical principle, we will look at the ethics of border control practices, from identity cards and entry controls to surveillance and access to public services, detention and repatriation. We will also consider the cultural dimensions of migration control, in particular the relationship between discourses of security, citizenship, and race/ethnicity/cultural difference."

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Independent Research Essay (3000-4000 words)

Nuclear Energy Law

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Ms Norah Gallagher

Description: This module will cover all of the legal and policy issues relating to nuclear power generation. It is one of the most heavily regulated sectors of the energy industry. The course will consider the policy aims of Governments in building nuclear power plants to comply with their obligations to transition to clean energy. Nuclear power provides a stable, secure and efficient clean base load of power. The course will also review of all of the international treaties and standards applicable to the nuclear industry from safety and liability to transportation of highly active waste material. Nuclear power is not without its challenges including time and expense of contruction, security concerns post Fukishima, wast management and decommissioning.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Independent research essay (3000-4000 words)

US International Taxation

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Dr Bernard Schneider

Description: The module is designed to cover the structure, principles, rules and application of the US international tax system. In particular, it will cover the US tax principles and rules that apply to US and foreign entities and individuals engaged in cross-border operations and transactions. Coverage will include jurisdictional principles, the inbound and outbound regimes, income tax treaties and the treatment of corporations and shareholders. The module will also cover the taxation of trusts, estates and gifts, reporting requirements and tax administration and procedure, all with a focus on the cross-border context. The module will examine how the system operates in practice and also consider US tax policy in these areas.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Online Exam (4 hours 30 mins)

International Energy Law and Ethics

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Tibisay Morgandi

Description: The International Energy Law and Ethics module is concerned with legal and ethical issues arising in the energy sector. It aims to provide both a theoretical and practical approach to the analysis of these issues.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 30% In-class oral presentation
• Item 2: 70% Essay

International Investment Law

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Dr Angelos Dimopoulos
Overlap: In taking this module you cannot take SOLM048

Description: This module offers a comprehensive treatment of international law governing foreign investments. It identifies and analyses the sources of international investment law, such as Bilateral Investment Treaties and their content, examining the international law rules that determine investor-State relationships, and discussing their application in practice. It looks into the standards of investors¿ treatment and protection, such as Fair and Equitable Treatment, and assesses their application in arbitral practice. The aim is to familiarise students with the complexities of international investment law, enabling them to give advice about the application of investment law in specific cases.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Independent research essay (5000-7500 words)

International and Comparative Petroleum Law and Contracts

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Mr Carlos Bellorin Nunez

Description: Petroleum laws and contracts are the ultimate manifestation of policy and are the result of lengthy negotiation processes and have an unusual dynamic. According to the World Bank, between 1999 and 2010 more than 30 countries revised their petroleum contracts and made major amendments or completely changed their petroleum legal and fiscal framework. Several more countries have done the same since the 2014 oil price downturn in order to adapt themselves to the changes in the industry. This module will examine the main type of contracts used in the upstream petroleum industry (Production Sharing Agreements, Concessions and Service Agreements) and their most important legal and fiscal mechanisms and the reasons why these are so frequently changed. This course will also focus on the study of these contracts dynamics within the so-called energy transition, risk mitigation strategies in order to avoid the most common forms of legal and political risks: expropriations and contract renegotiation.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Independent research essay (5000-7500 words)

International Tax Law

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Mrs Joy Svasti-Salee

Description: The module is designed for students who wish to gain an understanding of the key concepts of international tax law and of how multinational enterprises are taxed on their profits. It is also designed to equip students to participate in International Tax Law in Practice, for which it is a prerequisite. The module covers the basic principles of jurisdiction to tax, the factors used by countries in imposing taxes and the issues governing major types of income. It looks at how conflicts lead to international double taxation, the problems this creates for international trade and solutions provided for in double taxation treaties. The taxation of multinational enterprises has become a political issue, with the G20 and the OECD undertaking substantial work to address Base Erosion and Profit Shifting. This work has progressed rapidly and features prominently in the module.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Final Assessment Exercise (24 hours) (2 hours)

WTO Law Domestic Regulations and Trade Remedies

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Dr Kamala Dawar

Description: The module covers WTO rules and principles on domestic regulations (technical standards, rules on services, intellectual property protection) and on trade remedies to protect domestic industries against both fair and unfair trade (safeguards, anti-dumping duties and countervailing duties). It examines how WTO rules, as interpreted by adjudicators, seek to balance the tensions between free trade obligations and the right to regulate in pursuance of national policy objectives and free trade and unfair trade. On completion of the module, students should be able to advice public authorities, private companies or civil society organisations on the consistency of trade defence measures and domestic regulations affecting international trade with WTO Law and on the remedies available for breaches of WTO Law. Students which are not familiar with WTO law are strongly advised to take SOLM192 WTO Law: Fundamental Principles.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Examination (3 hours 15 mins)

EU Tax Law

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Prof Christiana Hjipanayi

Description: This module provides students with an understanding of EU tax law, with an emphasis on EU corporate tax law. Sources of EU corporate tax law (legislative instruments, soft law and case law) are examined. A number of corporate topics are covered, including parent-subsidiary relationships, permanent establishments, passive income, reorganisations, anti-abuse provisions, proposed directives (CCCTB, FTT) etc. The module also examines recent developments and high-profile debates in the intersection of international tax law and European tax law. Topics such as international tax avoidance, corporate social responsibility, good tax governance, harmful tax competition, state aid and tax treaty abuse are considered from the angle of EU tax law and international tax law. The interaction of the OECD/G20's BEPS project with the European Commission's measures to fight tax fraud and tax evasion is also considered.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Final Assessment Exercise (24 hours) (2 hours)

Common Law Reasoning

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Prof Maksymillan Del Mar

Description: This course is an advanced introduction to common law reasoning. We will examine key issues and debates over the character of common law reasoning, including: is the common law a system of rules? What is the binding content of precedent? What is the place of policies in common law reasoning? What is analogy and how important is it to common law reasoning? And, how is common law reasoning affected by transnational and global forms of legal reasoning?

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Independent research essay (5000-7500 words)

Renewable Energy Law

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Prof Peter Cameron

Description: This module will cover all of the legal and policy issues relating to renewable power generation. There are a range of renewable energy sources available from solar to wind, biomass to geothermal. Students will learn how the energy transition will impact the renewable sector as the world moves towards low-carbon energy. This module will consider this move towards reducing Green House Gas emissions and the growing international, regional and national laws that require States to encourage green investment. China, Denmark, Germany and the Middle East will be used as case studies.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Independent research essay (3000-4000 words)

Taxation of Individuals

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Bernard Schneider

Description: The module will consider the tax policy, system design and technical issues involved in the taxation of individuals. It will look at a range of issues in the design of an individual income tax system, including the construction of the tax base, tax rates and deductions and incentives. It will also look at options for the taxation of savings and wealth. The increasingly important area of cross-border taxation of both income and wealth will also be examined.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Independent Research Essay (3000-4000 words)

Energy Law Principles

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Ms Norah Gallagher
Overlap: In taking this module you cannot take SOLM309

Description: This module provides students with an overview of the energy sector. It identifies the sources of energy law from international treaties to soft law guidelines for example the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. Energy is the largest sector globally and is one of the most heavily regulated. Students will learn about the evolution of the energy sector and the difficulties for the future as the sector adapts to the energy transition. There are many interested parties in the energy sector from hosts states, international oil companies, national oil companies, NGOs, IGOs as well as service providers. The different interests of the main actors can be addressed in contracts, national laws or international obligations for example the Nationally Determine Contributions of each State under the Paris Agreement 2015.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Online Exam (3 hours 30 mins)

Climate Change Law

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Miss Hannah Polakowski

Description: Climate Change Law and Policy Application focuses on specific aspects of international, regional and national law in relation to climate change: Human Rights, international and national litigation, state responsibility, non-state actors and participation, capacity building and trade and climate change. There is also an overview of the core principles of the UNFCCC regime , including the Paris agreement and principles of international environmental law applicable to climate change, both of which are examined in depth in Climate Change Law.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Independent research essay (3000-4000 words)

UK Tax Avoidance

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Mr Richard Walters

Description: The module is designed for students who wish to gain an understanding of tax avoidance from a UK perspective. The module approaches tax avoidance firstly from a historical viewpoint and distinguishes it from both evasion and mitigation. The responses of both courts and the UK Parliament to the perceived problem are examined from the viewpoint of both individuals and businesses. Apart from judicial approaches, the General Anti-Abuse Rule will be examined as will other anti-avoidance measures, including the Disclosure of Tax Avoidance Schemes rules. The international perspective will be explored, including the use of transfer pricing, controlled foreign companies and tax havens. The penalties that tax authorities wish to impose will also be discussed.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Examination (2 hours 15 mins)

Modern Languages Research Project

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Prof Angus Nicholls
Prerequisite: Students are not allowed to take more than one research project module and before taking this module you must have a 60 average mark from years 1 & 2

Description: Entry to this module will not be automatic. All students wishing to take this module must meet the entry requirements, present an approved topic and have an agreed supervisor. It is designed to enable suitably qualified final-year students to pursue a sustained piece of individual or group research on an agreed topic which may not necessarily be covered in the taught modules. Introductory group sessions on research methods will be followed by individual supervision. You should note that failure to provide evidence of satisfactory progress will lead to de-registration.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 10% Project Progress Exercise (1500 words)
• Item 2: 90% Research Project (8000 words)

WTO Law: Fundamental Principles

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Dr Kamala Dawar

Description: The module examines the fundamental principles of the law of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Topics covered include sources of WTO law, the relationship between WTO law and international and domestic law, the WTO dispute settlement system, and substantive rules on market access (tariffs and non-tariff barriers), non-discrimination (national treatment and most-favoured nation treatment) and rules aimed at balancing free trade and non-trade concerns. The module provides students with a theoretical and practical understanding of the regulatory framework underpinning the multilateral trading system. On completion of the module, students should be able to advice public authorities, private companies or civil society organisations on the consistency of market access restrictions and discriminatory measures affecting international trade with WTO Law and on the remedies available for breaches of WTO Law.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Examination (3 hours 15 mins)

Private International & European Air Transport Law

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Dr Antigoni-Aikaterini Lykotrafiti

Description: Who is liable if a flight is cancelled? Are air passengers compensated if their flight is delayed? Do air passengers need to take special insurance against loss or damage to their baggage? Can pilots deviate from the instructions given by air traffic controllers? How do airlines pay for their glamorous, but also costly aircraft? Is it legal to fly a drone? This module will set out to explore the regime of domestic and international liability in aviation, namely the liability of air carriers towards passengers and shippers (Warsaw and Montreal Conventions), as well as for surface damage (Rome Convention), the liability of air traffic controllers, airports, aircraft manufacturers and government bodies; the regime governing aircraft financing and aircraft nationality (Geneva and Cape Town Conventions); EU consumer protection law (Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 on compensation for denied boarding, cancellation and delay of flights and relevant jurisprudence), and last, the nascent law on unmanned aircraft systems (drones).

Assessment:

• Item 1: 80% Essay (3500 words)
• Item 2: 20% Presentation

Mining and Natural Resources Law

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Ms Lauren Downes

Description: This module covers the legal aspects of the mining industry. Mining companies also have to be aware of political considerations and the impact of the nationalisation cycle. The different stages of the mining industry will be reviewed from development, production and remediation at the closure of the mine. Each phase requires certain licences and permits to proceed to the next stage. Some of the newer innovations of underwater mining will be looked at and the impact of the relevant provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Of particular interest, is the work of the International Seabed Authority and the regulations and recommendations it is making on prospecting in the sea. Environmental considerations and corporate social responsibility standards will also be discussed. Finally, there will be a review of mining disputes, how they are resolved and their impact on the mining sector and the contracts negotiated.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Independent research essay (3000-4000 words)

Tax and Technology

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Ms Vasiliki Koukoulioti

Description: The module will focus on tax and technology. It will provide an introduction to domestic and international tax provisions that are important to owners of intellectual property, with a particular focus on domestic incentives to encourage investment and to attract foreign direct investment, as well as the international perspectives around harmful tax competition by countries. The module will also consider the current debates regarding a digital services tax.
This module will be taught intensively over a period of 1 week in semester 3. Sem 3 is the final teaching semester taught early June to early July.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Independent research essay (3000-4000 words)

Foundations of Chemical Science

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Marc Antoni Fernandez-Yague

Description: Introduction to atomic structure: electrons, protons and neutrons, mass and atomic numbers, isotopes
The electronic structure of atoms: Bohr's model of the atom, quantum numbers and introduction to the concept of orbitals and orbital shape, electron configurations, Aufbau principle, Hund's rule and the Pauli exclusion principle, valence and core electrons.
Stoichiometry and concentrations: empirical and molecular formulae, balancing chemical equations, the concept of moles and molarity.
Chemical bonding: ionic, metallic and covalent bonding, polarisation of bonds, bond strengths and lengths.
Properties of gases, liquids and solids: Interatomic and intermolecular forces and the ideal gas law.
Introduction to organic chemistry: identification of functional groups and classes of organic compounds, organic nomenclature, the hybridisation approach to rationalising bonding and isomerism.
Acids and bases: Brønsted¿Lowry theory of acids and bases, strong and weak acids, acid-base pairs, pH and pKa, buffers solutions, Lewis acids and bases
Revision of some basic topics: units, significant figures; moles, molarities and dilutions.
Chemical equilibria: equilibria as a dynamic phenomenon, definition of Kc and Kp, calculation of equilibrium concentrations, Le Chatelier's principle, relation between free energy changes and the equilibrium constant.
Organic chemistry: specific examples of the structure and reactivity of selected organic compounds

Assessment:

• Item 1: 25% Mastering Chemistry 1
• Item 2: 25% Test 1
• Item 3: 25% Mastering Chemistry 2
• Item 4: 25% MCQ (1 hours)

Russian III N

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Dr Nadezda Bragina
Overlap: In taking this module you cannot take RUS6201A or take RUS6201B
Prerequisite: Before taking this module you must take RUS5201

Description: Tuition in spoken Russian aimed at enhancing communication abilities in the language. Translation from English into Russian and from Russian into English, complemented as appropriate by free composition, comprehension, précis, and exercises. Achievement of a high level of competence in the language. Compulsory for students specialising in Russian.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 8% Annotated Project Plan (600 words)
• Item 2: 8% Oral Presentation of the Research Project (10 mins)
• Item 3: 20% Cultural Research Project (3000 words)
• Item 4: 25% Oral Examination (20 mins)
• Item 5: 40% Online Examination (2 hours)

Russian II N

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Nadezda Bragina
Overlap: In taking this module you cannot take RUS5201

Description: This module is for native speakers of Russian only. Tuition is aimed at improving students' ability to communicate in Russian, and to translate from Russian into English, and particularly from English into Russian.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Coursework (4000 words)

Afropean Identities

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Rebekah Vince
Overlap: In taking this module you cannot take COM6052

Description: 'Afropean' is a term coined by Belgian music artist Zap Mama to encompass being both African and European, not as a contradiction but as an expression of plurality and site for creativity. Beyond identity politics, though acutely aware of racism as manifested across European contexts, Afropean writers acknowledge the dark histories of slavery and colonialism while uniting around cultural memories and contemporary activist movements. Students will analyse literary texts including essays, poems, novels, and short stories. They will engage with race critical theory and Afropea as a utopian concept, as well as positioning themselves in relation to local Afropean history and culture.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 40% Essay 1 (1200 words)
• Item 2: 60% Essay 2 (2800 words)

Culture and Language (a)

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Maria Chekhonadskih

Description: This course will introduce students to a wide range of texts, both historical and contemporary, and the skills they need to analyse them. It will be divided into two 5-week blocks, roughly divided between Literature Visual Cultures. Each block will be taught by a combination of lectures laying the ground work and seminars devoted to specific examples.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 50% Creative Response and Commentary (1500 words)
• Item 2: 50% Guided Film Analysis (1500 words)

Transnational Problems of Commercial Law

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Prosir Bernard Rix

Description: In an era of globalisation English contract law governs many international transactions between commercial parties and is essential to energy, shipping, commodities and the construction industry. This course will introduce students to the making, breaking, interpreting and disputing of contracts. It covers a range of subjects including contract interpretation, frustration, breach, termination, misrepresentation and fraud, and some of the special problems of insurance, shipping, and sale of goods law. It will also provide them with insights into the procedural aspects of commercial law; and into the different ways in which good faith may be approached in the common and civil law. In doing so, we consider typical problems concerning contract law, private and public international law, and procedure, which are encountered by commercial lawyers in negotiation, litigation, arbitration and mediation. Do you interpret contracts as a literalist goat or as a purposive sheep? When does a breach of contract destroy a contract? What are the modes and dangers of terminating a significant contract? What is the role of an ¿international commercial court¿? What is the role of private and public international law in commercial law? How does ¿good faith¿ differ in the common and civil law? Would you advise a client to arbitrate or litigate or mediate? It will give students and practitioners the ability to answer these questions and apply contract law to complex commercial disputes. It will teach them to be lawyers in business and pragmatists in law.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Examination (2 hours 15 mins)

Science and Engineering Success

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Giorgio Chianello

Description: Study techniques and theories (including DDS), Presentation of STEM subjects.
Analysis of job market, CV building and Skills reflection.
Understanding uses and implications of AI in Higher Education.
Careers in STEM (showcase of endless possibilities).
Computer science bases and common software used in STEM with practice.
Health and Safety in the Laboratory.
Chemistry lab techniques and apparatuses.
Biology lab techniques.
Excel data analysis (students on Math A) or symbolic integration computer lab (students on Math B).
Physics lab techniques.
Engineering lab techniques.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 12% Advisor Task 1
• Item 2: 12% Advisor Task 2
• Item 3: 26% Computer exercise
• Item 4: 50% MCQ Lab assessment

Corporate Governance: Operation and Practice

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Dr Lilian Moncrieff

Description: The module aims to inform and educate students as to the issues affecting both the business community and the wider societal effects of the debate on corporate governance. As such the module will focus on the systems by which companies are or should be directed and controlled, particular emphasis will be given to: self regulatory systems and their provenance, the UK Corporate Governance and associated Codes, Hostile Takeovers, and Case studies of extreme Corporate Governance failure eg. Enron and The financial crisis 2008 onwards. As such, students will have an enhanced knowledge of the issues surrounding various corporate governance industry and state regulatory perspectives on corporate governance. The module also aims to highlight future directions and trends in corporate governance.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Independent research essay (5000-7500 words)

Mathematics B

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Dr Lubna Shaheen

Description: This module covers mathematical topics such as algebra, functions, geometry and trigonometry, and aims to provide students with a more extensive knowledge of calculus (especially in techniques of integration) and an introduction to complex numbers, numerical methods, differential equations, vector analysis and power series. It is appropriate for those students progressing onto degree programmes in mathematical sciences, and those degree programmes in physical science and engineering which require a more thorough and comprehensive grounding in mathematics.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 10% Assessment 1
• Item 2: 20% Assessment 2
• Item 3: 20% Assessment 3
• Item 4: 50% Examination (3 hours)

Russian III

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Nadezda Bragina
Overlap: In taking this module you cannot take RUS6200
Prerequisite: Before taking this module you must take RUS5200 or take RUS5202

Description: Tuition in spoken Russian aimed at enhancing communication abilities in the language. Translation from English into Russian and from Russian into English, complemented as appropriate by free composition, comprehension, précis, and exercises. Achievement of a high level of competence in the language. Compulsory for students specialising in Russian. Native speakers of Russian should register for RUS084N.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 50% In-class Mixed Skills Language Test (50 mins)
• Item 2: 50% Oral Examination (15 mins)

Contemporary Post- Soviet Documentary

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Prof Jeremy Hicks

Description: This module invites students to analyse and compare recent documentary films from countries who were part of the Soviet Union until 1991. Topics include memory and reflection on the Soviet legacy and enduring Russian influence, migration and exile, revolution and conflict. Students will place the films in the context of the possibilities of the documentary form and the historical, social and political issues the films address, drawing on theoretical perspectives from memory studies, postcolonial theory and gender.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 25% Plan
• Item 2: 75% Essay

Corporate Finance Law

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Prof Rodrigo Olivares-Caminal

Description: Primarily the course aims to contribute to a critical understanding of the subject matter through the combined study of theories of regulation in general and the corporate dynamics in particular, with a special focus on the different stakeholders involved in international corporate finance. The module will focus on providing an introduction to the different corporate financing options, methods and techniques, with special emphasis on the use of debt and equity. The course is strongly committed to presenting a global and comparative perspective highlighting the contemporary principles and international trends of corporate finance rather than the pointillist and ephemeral details of national rule books.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Final Assessment Exercise (24 hours) (2 hours)

Russian II N

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Nadezda Bragina
Overlap: In taking this module you cannot take RUS5201

Description: This module is for native speakers of Russian only. Tuition is aimed at improving students' ability to communicate in Russian, and to translate from Russian into English, and particularly from English into Russian.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Coursework

Investment Treaty Arbitration: Foundations, Jurisdiction and Procedure

Credits: 30.0
Contact: Prof Loukas Mistelis

Description: "The aim of this course is to establish students' knowledge and critical understanding as well as provide an insight into the practice of international investment arbitration at the juncture of dispute resolution and public international law and policy. The course is divided into three main topics: (1) International Investment Disputes Out-of-Court: Principles and Historical Evolution; (2) ICSID - Jurisdiction and Procedure; and (3) Bilateral Investment Treaties - Jurisdiction and Procedure. The classes will explore, first by way of integration, international trade and investment disputes out of court and the evolutionary process of their institutionalisation. Then, we discuss the related regulatory and institutional framework, and the basic principles of dispute settlement with reference to investment with focus on sovereign immunity, arbitrability and applicable laws (domestic and international). The following lectures will address ICSID Jurisdiction (ratione materiae, ratione personae, temporal) and consent to jurisdiction. These classes will be followed by classes on ICSID Procedure, including annulment of awards and enforcement of awards. The next set of classes will explore jurisdiction based on Bilateral Investment Treaties (with focus on umbrella clauses, parallel proceedings and MFN clauses)."

Assessment:

• Item 1: 100% Independent Research Essay (5000-7500 words)

Planning Language, Planning Society

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Prof Leigh Oakes

Description: How is language used to foster a sense of national identity? What can be done to protect minority and smaller national languages in a world dominated by English? How can language be used to promote cohesion in ethnically diverse societies? And can the promotion of gender-inclusive language help to advance gender equality more broadly? These are some of the questions this module addresses through an exploration of language policy and planning as both an activity and a field of study.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 60% Case-study report
• Item 2: 40% Review essay

Postsocialist intimacies: Gender and sexual politics in contemporary China

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Ms Xumeng Xie

Description: This module provides an overview of academic debates centred around evolving gender and sexual politics in contemporary China, which manifests as a unique area for studying the expansion of neoliberal economy, digital technologies as well as its socialist legacies. Bringing together significant theoretical insights and empirical research, teaching of this module will be facilitated through case studies of emerging forms of cultural representation, production, consumption and resistance. Topics will be covered include fandom and the popularity of online literature, influencers and gender performativity, feminist and LGBTQ+ activism and the creation of queer media, in the light of the Chinese context of censorship and governance.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 20% Annotated bibliography
• Item 2: 80% Essay

Other Ways of Seeing Modern Art

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Emilie Oleron Evans

Description: This module explores modern art from the perspective of the 'Other'. Images and artworks that have played a pivotal part in the cultural history of the Western world at the turn of the 19th to the 20th century, in particular in France, Germany and Britain, will be analysed through the critical lenses of canon formation and of the politics of representations. The study of examples of 'otherness' as defined throughout the period, through categories such as women artists or non-Western artists, will enable a deconstruction of the concept of modernity and a redefinition of art as a social practice in dialogue with various forms of cultural expression. No prior academic experience of the discipline of art history is needed.

Assessment:

• Item 1: 40% Oral Presentation and Peer Feedback
• Item 2: 60% Written Assignment

Translation: Principles and Practice

Credits: 15.0
Contact: Dr Elsa Petit