Social Research MA

Principles of Research Design

This module addresses the foundations of social research: what needs to be established before a research project can be conducted. It has five main focuses

1. The philosophical foundations upon which social scientific research is based

2. The process of establishing the current state of the art in a given field of social science

3. Establishing an appropriate study design for a given research question

4. What happens during and after the process of conducting research

5. The relevant professional skills required by researchers

The module combines both conceptual and practical issues in the social sciences. It provides students with a toolkit to design and conduct an entire research project independently from a range of different philosophical and methodological perspectives.

30 credits

Introduction to Qualitative Research

This unit introduces students to a variety of qualitative research techniques. This unit aims to familiarise students with a full range of research methods and analyses in common use in social science. The module covers interviewing, observation, document work, the use of visual data and mixed methods. As well as learning how to use these tools, techniques and processes, students on this module will learn how to apply them to their own research projects. Students will also learn to evaluate these research methods and techniques. They will learn to develop an understanding of how qualitative methods are used to create knowledge. This module forms the basis for further subject-specific research training in the contributing departments across the social sciences.

15 credits

Introduction to Quantitative Research

This module has been designed to help you develop your ability to conduct quantitative data analysis in the social sciences. The emphasis is not only on technical competence but also on understanding the principles behind the methods, as well as being able to competently interpret your results. We will be using real data with countless examples from across the social sciences (e.g., politics, economics, psychology, sociology, criminology, etc.) to learn about descriptive, exploratory, and inferential statistics. In doing so, we will cover a broad range of topics such as descriptive statistics and data distributions; scaling and measurement; data visualisation; linear and logistic regression and causal inference; uncertainty in estimation; cluster analysis; and spatial analysis using the R statistical software.

15 credits

Working Beyond Disciplines

The purpose of this module is to provide an introduction to interdisciplinary study for research students in the social sciences, highlighting the importance of research which reaches beyond disciplinary boundaries, and exploring the differing approaches through which such research can be achieved. By engaging students with the specific thematic pathways that are central to the intellectual project of the White Rose Doctoral Training Partnership, it introduces students to 'grand challenges for the social sciences that relate to their own proposed research areas. Through this, it links interdisciplinary epistemological approaches to their application in the context of students own proposed research projects.

15 credits

Research Ethics and Integrity

Training on research ethics and integrity for all postgraduate research students as part of the Doctoral Development Programme. The training will: Enhance students' ability to critically analyse/reflect upon their own actions and behaviours when conducting research from start to finish, as well as interactions with research participants, supervisors, co-workers etc; Heighten ethical sensitivity and reasoning, enabling students to plan and prepare for ethical challenges they may face and to be able to manage challenges.The training will complement and reinforce existing research methods training.

You will also take one or both of the following courses in your second semester, amounting to 15 or 30 credits.

Advanced modules:

Advanced Qualitative Methods

This unit introduces students to a variety of advanced qualitative research techniques common to the social sciences, but which can be used in wider cross-faculty research contexts. The unit provides students with a philosophical introduction to advanced qualitative methodology, and will introduce a selection of advanced and pioneering research techniques such as: creative approaches to qualitative interviewing, the use of sensory and mobile methods, participatory research techniques (including the use of diaries and drawings), qualitative longitudinal research, memory work, and life history approaches. It will introduce all students to the potential of re-using qualitative data and to advanced analytical techniques. Students will learn about innovative approaches to writing and communicating qualitative research. Finally, the module will introduce students to a range of ethical issues arising from creative and innovative approaches to qualitative research.

15 credits

Advanced Quantitative Methods for Social Research

The course will introduce more advanced uses of multivariable statistics in the social sciences. This unit then covers several methods that are often employed across the social sciences. These will include: Multiple Regression (including Ordinary Least Squares and Logistic Regression) and more advanced extensions such as multilevel models and longitudinal techniques. Students will undertake a small secondary data analysis project of their own devising for assessment.

15 credits

Theory and Research in Design

This module aims to develop the student's overall understanding of contemporary matters and theories pertinent to architectural design and built environment issues, such as climate change and social justice. Students will develop an interdisciplinary and contemporary understanding of architecture, design, society and environment, with an emphasis on theory as a tool to open debate and provoke designerly thought and activity on alternative views and approaches to architecture and design.

The module consists of lectures that introduce and describe contemporary concepts and theories applicable to built environment, architecture, and design research, in tandem with seminars through the Theory Forum, a conference hosted annually by the Sheffield School of Architecture, focusing each year on a theme of contemporary relevance for architectural theory and practice.

The aim of the module is to develop the student's ability to write in a way that deals with complex issues, and that addresses the outcomes of the module.

15 credits

Urban Design Tools and Methods

This unit is one in a sequence of studio based modules. It introduces students to the specific skills, tools and design knowledge required for urban design in combination with design research methodologies and allows them to be developed through studio-based urban design projects.

15 credits

Reflections on Architectural Design

The unit introduces the history, theory and application of design methodologies in architecture

It provides a space for students to reflect on their own architectural design approaches and how they may relate to research, as well as reflecting on their identity as designers by engaging their critical thinking and developing decolonial and environmental awareness. Students will be able to reflect on their Design Studio work as the immediate context of application of this module.

 

15 credits

Chinese Cities in Transition

Chinese cities are home to ten per cent of the world's population. They have experienced tremendous transformation with the country's transition from a planned to a market economy. This module provides an overview of Chinese cities, and includes topics on evolution of China's urban system, economic restructuring, urban expansion and land disputes, property-led urban regeneration, housing market development and policy. The central aim of the module is to help students understand not only the complex character of changing cities but also their place within Chinese economy and society. 

15 credits

Global Governance and Japan

This module provides a detailed understanding of Japan's international relations on the one hand, and its role in global governance on the other hand. The first part of the module adopts a theoretically informed approach based on the structure of the international system, the actors involved in international relations, and the norms that inform their behaviour. It then focuses on the key sites of Japan's international activity, particularly the United States and East Asia. The module then explores the institutional mechanisms of governance at the global level and the role Japan plays in these institutions (the UN, G8, World Bank, IMF and WTO) in addition to a number of specific case studies (First Gulf War, East Asian Economic Crisis and 'War on Terror').

30 credits

Microeconomic Analysis

Microeconomics is concerned with the behaviour of individuals, households and firms, and their interactions. This module aims to develop the skills you will require to analyse microeconomic problems and theories and to introduce advanced microeconomics. You will use mathematical and quantitative analysis to analyse topics such as consumer theory, behavioural economics, risk and uncertainty, production, and general equilibrium. In addition, this module will further develop your skills of critical evaluation and appraisal in the context of advanced microeconomic theory.

15 credits

Macroeconomic Analysis

Macroeconomics concerns the behaviour of the economy as a whole. In this module you will develop a coherent framework for understanding macroeconomics building on microeconomic foundations. The module will analyse the source of business cycle fluctuations, the aims of monetary policy in advanced economies, including the design of optimal monetary policy. It will also provide an advanced understanding of fiscal policy and debt dynamics. You will be introduced to the concept of financial frictions in the context of the last financial crisis, and gain an understanding of the aims and challenges faced by monetary policy makers.

15 credits

Econometric Methods

This module will develop your core econometrics skills. The first half of the module provides a grounding in key econometric techniques covering elements such as the classical linear regression model, hypothesis testing and problems of non-spherical disturbances. More advanced topics are then introduced in the second half of the module. Specifically you will focus upon topics in microeconometrics: including modelling discrete binary variables; censoring and sample selection, and then topics in macroeconometrics including: economic forecasting; stationarity; and cointegration. You will also develop a knowledge of using econometric software Stata.

15 credits

Theory of Banking

This is an advanced module that provides a comprehensive examination of contemporary banking practices and challenges. This module covers both on balance sheet and off balance sheet operations with an emphasis on identifying and managing the main banking risks. You will examine the nuances of financial crises and the workings of bank funding schemes. Important facets of contemporary bank regulation are also covered in the module.

15 credits

Early Childhood 1: Development, Learning and Curriculum

This module enables students to develop critical understanding of learning, development and curriculum in early childhood education. Students will analyse theory, policy and research to evaluate a range of historical, contemporary, national and global perspectives on young children's learning. The module provides students with opportunities to think critically about the location of early childhood education within the broader contexts of social, cultural and political values and priorities. Students will learn about approaches to early childhood education that draw upon examples from Global South and the Global North contexts.

30 credits

Language Acquisition, Learning and Pedagogy

This module will explore key theories and approaches in language acquisition, learning and associated pedagogies. Various theoretical and empirical issues will be addressed together with learner-internal and learner-external factors that influence the processes of second language development in education.

The course provides students with an opportunity to consider critically theories of second language acquisition (SLA), motivation, and the role of the self. The theory and application of new technologies in language acquisition, learning and research are addressed. The application of theory and research to aspects of second language teaching and learning is also explored.

30 credits

Theory and Debates in Food Security and Food Justice

Food Security and Food Justice are areas of increasing importance at local, national, transnational and global scales. Political and non-political agents at multiple scales have recognised that Global Hunger and Food Security (of which Food Justice is a primary component) is a key challenge requiring urgent interdisciplinary investigation and problem solving. There remains limited agreement as to how best to approach these issues. This module provides students with a background to the problems encompassed within the food security/food justice nexus by drawing on academic and policy debates that focus on both the macro as well as the micro impacts. By looking across food systems, the module also critically evaluates different strategies for mitigating the impacts of food insecurity and injustice. In addition to academic, knowledge and critical thinking skills, the module will help students to develop the following attributes: Communication, Networking, Collaboration, Influencing, Inclusivity, Defining Purpose, and Growth Mindset.

15 credits

(HCSPGT) Children's Learning

This module promotes student skills in distance/e-learning, participating in on-line activity and use of e-resources. It presents theories of cognitive development, how these inform our understanding of children's learning and the development of educational practice, and the interaction of learning and language. The individual differences in learning abilities within children in school is considered, including those children who may have significant difficulties across all learning and those who may have specific difficulty with certain aspects of learning. Course content is delivered across a continuum to allow students to develop from their own level of existing knowledge and understanding.

15 credits

(HCSPGT) Communication Diversity and Difficulties: A

This module allows students to select up to three topics in the field of children's language and communication for more detailed study. Topics may include the following: autism spectrum disorders, language and communication in the early years, literacy difficulties, developmental language disorders (DLD), language and behaviour, language and communication in adolescence, and multilingualism. Theoretical perspectives and research findings within each topic are evaluated. Implications for practice are explored. Course content is delivered across a continuum to allow students to develop from their own level of existing knowledge and understanding.

15 credits

Information and Knowledge Management

This module addresses both the theoretical and practical aspects of managing information and knowledge in organisations, enabling students to engage critically with a number of current issues and debates in this field. It is designed around case studies of well known organisations and involves the development of skills in analysis and formulation of strategies for organisational development. Assessed work focuses also on skills in reviewing the domain and on the development of conceptual models for information and knowledge management.

15 credits

Introduction to Data Science

Data science is an emerging field that seeks to discover and explore new ways of exploiting data to support decision-making for a range of domains and problems. With individuals and organisations producing vast amounts of real-time heterogeneous data (i.e. Big Data), there is greater demand than ever to manage and analyse data effectively. This module aims to introduce students to the concepts and theories that underpin data science, provide an understanding of how they are used and impact on organisations, and gain hands-on experience with analysing and presenting data effectively using R and R Studio.

15 credits

Data and Society

The module draws upon key concepts and emerging debates from across the social sciences to address how social and political factors interact with (big) data and evolving data science techniques such as data mining, visualisation and analytics. Key issues and debates will be examined in relation to developments in fields such as marketing, political campaigning, and state security. The module complements more technical and management orientated modules, and aims to aid students in becoming more critical and reflective data scientists, decision makers and/or citizens able to successfully navigate the challenging social, political, legal and ethical issues related to data processing and use, and to reflect critically on the ways in which emerging data practices are shaped by and contribute to the development of complex social worlds.

15 credits

Information Systems Modelling

To consider the role of information modelling within the organisation and provide an appreciation of the rigorous methods that are needed to analyse, design, develop and maintain computer-based information systems. The course is intended to provide an introduction to information modelling techniques. Students gain experience in applying the wide range of systems analysis methods. Students cover topics including: soft systems analysis; structured systems analysis methodologies; business process modelling; data flow modelling and object-oriented approaches (e.g. RUP/UML).

15 credits

Libraries, Information and Society

This module provides an overview of the role of library and information services (LIS) in contemporary society and introduces students to public policy issues and their implications for the provision of LIS. You will be introduced to current practices and contemporary concerns in academic, national, public, prison, and special/workplace libraries and encouraged to develop an awareness of the social, economic, political and cultural environment in which LIS operate. It examines the importance of users in the design and management of LIS, explores ethical issues and aims to develop a critical awareness of the role of LIS in contemporary society.

15 credits

Information Systems in Organisations

This module integrates topics of organisation, management, and information systems, with an aim to offer the students an integrated set of concepts and tools for understanding information systems in organisations. During this module students will explore basic management and organisational theories and examine the impact of information systems on organisations. This course introduces key concepts which will be explored further in other modules on the information Management and Information Systems programmes.

15 credits

Information Literacy

The module aims to enable students to understand the concepts of information literacy and information behaviour from both theoretical and practical perspectives. Students will develop their own information literacy and understanding of its application to their future lives. They will learn through lectures, practical exercises and activities carried out for the assessed coursework and in formative exercises which are an integral part of the class.

15 credits

Principles of International Law

This module provides students with a foundational knowledge of public international law. The topics covered include the theory and history of international law; the sources and subjects of international law; recognition; the international law adjudication and dispute settlement mechanisms; and the law of state responsibility.

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15 credits

International Humanitarian Law

This module considers the norms that apply to armed conflicts. In particular, it will consider the aims and purposes of international humanitarian law, the classification of conflicts into international and non-international (NIAC), the applicable humanitarian law principles, the relation between humanitarian law and human rights law and the enforcement of IHL. It will then consider the classification of combatants and civilians, the notion of direct participation in hostilities, the law relating to occupation and the treatment of civilians and prisoners of war. All the above issues will be discussed through cases such as Iraq, Syria or Afghanistan.

15 credits

Theoretical Foundations of International Organisations

This module examines the history, theories and principles that define and govern inter-governmental organisations (IOs). It seeks to discern unity, while recognising that each organisation has its individual legal characteristics. Issues to be considered include the constitutional basis of IOs, legal personality, legal powers, membership, representation, decision-making, law-making, democracy and legitimacy. The course will make references to particular IOs such as the United Nations (UN), the World Health Organisation (WHO), the European Union, and others

15 credits

Design Research Study

This module provides an opportunity to engage in autonomous study and research of a chosen area, informed by appropriate theoretical framework. The research can touch upon science, policy and theory as well as precedent studies.
The study will consist of a well-illustrated essay based on a structured and critical review of research and practice in a selected area. This might take the form of a literature review identifying key areas in the topic chosen and summarising key findings to inform the decision and design making process. Alternatively the review maybe more orientated towards practice and comprise a well structured critical study of precedents; for example linking a series of projects or the work of a particular designer or design practice.
This module forms part of the programme of study accredited by the Royal Institute of British Architects and the Landscape Institute.

15 credits

Accounting and Financial Management

This module is designed to provide knowledge and understanding of the roles of accounting and financial management in modern business organisations. The module will introduce students to the objectives, techniques and limitations of accounting for the purposes of external accountability and internal decision-making and control. The module will also introduce students to the objectives, techniques and limitations of financial investment appraisal and provision of financial resources.

15 credits

Marketing

This module introduces the subject of Marketing and seeks to place marketing and consumption practices in their political, economic, technological, social and cultural context.

15 credits

Operations and Supply Chain Management

Operations Management (OM) is concerned with the production of goods and services and it relates closely to all the other business functions. Operations Management is concerned with the effective and efficient marshalling of the organisation's resources to meet its objectives. The concepts and techniques apply to manufacturing and service industries in both private and public sectors. Operations Management is the only business function that generates income for the organisation and is therefore central to all comercial businesses.

15 credits

Management and Organisational Theory

This module explores the fundamentals of various theories of organisation, and how organisational management influences functioning. It brings together theory and practice in encouraging students to view organisations from different perspectives to develop a more comprehensive understanding of organisational theory and approaches to managing organisations. By analysing the usefulness and drawbacks of different approaches, both classical and strategic, it enables students to reach their own conclusions as to which approach might be suitable in a particular circumstance. The approaches are set in the context of understanding organisational structures and management, together with the behaviours of those who populate organisations.Note: The Module Leader should ensure that there is no overlap with MGT650 Managing People in Organisations, which is taken by MSc Management students in Semester 1.

15 credits

Management Accounting

This unit aims to introduce students to the importance of management accounting's contribution to control and management of organizations. The module will ensure students are familiar with essential internal budgetary and investment appraisal techniques as well as with important contemporary developments - including activity-based management and costing, the balanced scorecard, just-in-time and throughput accounting and target costing - and the applicability of such ideas, techniques and systems to a range of different contexts. The unit will use both academic empirical studies and corporate materials to ensure students develop a critical appreciation of how management accounting knowledge is employed in practice.

15 credits

Applying Psychology to Work and Organisations

This module provides the essential toolkit for evidence-based psychologists. We will work on building your skills in a range of areas including group facilitation, applying research to practice, conflict resolution, dealing with ethical issues and being creative. This is done through interactive sessions involving discussion, individual presentation and feedback, group activities, reflection, skill development and evaluation, with the outputs being captured in a series of portfolio entries. Effort has been made to match the assessment methods of this module with those used in Stage 2 of the QOccPsych so that this forms a logical progression from this module and the MSc programme onto Chartership.

15 credits

Leadership, Engagement and Motivation

In this module you will develop an evidence-based understanding on how to motivate people, lead teams, and accurately appraise performance. You will examine existing theoretical approaches to topics including work motivation, leadership, power and politics, engagement, and employee voice. The module seeks to develop your critical understanding of these topics, so that you can apply this knowledge to organisational situations. A workshop approach is used to combine lectures with small group activities, to encourage discussion, debate, and skill development.

15 credits

International Consumer Behaviour

This unit is designed to provide students with the knowledge and awareness of the theory and practice of consumer behaviour. It explores various dimensions of consumer behaviour and investigates the implications of consumer behaviour for developing marketing strategy in changing environments.

15 credits

Managing People in Organisations

This module aims to introduce students to the core aspects of Human Resource Management (HRM), using research-informed teaching to critically assess HR tools and techniques, engage with current debates in the field, and provide a reflective analysis of HRM today. Supporting aims of the module are to enable participants deepen their knowledge and understanding of HRM issues, to develop insights into the changing role of HRM practitioners in the context of ongoing organisational change, and to think about the issues involved in 'live' HRM problems in organisational contexts. The module covers some core building blocks in HRM to introduce concepts to students, moving on to examine some thematic themes, with the overall aim of introducing students to key issues and debates in HRM today. This module relates to the CIPD 'People Management and Development' standard.

15 credits

Industrial Relations

This module focuses the specific nature of the relationship centring on the employment contract, the different ways in which employees may voice their concerns, industrial disputes and mechanisms for dispute resolution, as well as topical issues.

15 credits

Contemporary Global Security

You will explore the changing character of contemporary global (in)security. Throughout, you will examine the proliferation of discourses and practices of security and threat in contemporary society, to encompass issues as wide ranging as climate change, migration, technology and human rights. In doing so, you will trace the evolution of security studies from a narrow sub-discipline focused on inter-state war and the military security of the nation-state, to one increasingly willing to question and challenge its own assumptions. The module invites you to think critically about the function of 'security', and to reflect on the ethical and analytical assumptions that shape how security is thought about, theorised, and practiced in International Relations.

You will be introduced to a range of advanced theoretical lenses and debates about security, exploring key concepts in security studies and how they might help us to make sense of security politics. As part of this, we will apply these debates to understand and analyse real world problems that are or might be considered issues of security, through case studies on issues such as terrorism, nuclear weapons, energy security, climate change, technology and development. 

You practice your ability to think critically about how you make sense of contemporary global security politics, as well as how we might think and practice security differently, exploring both the possibilities for change and the limits of security.

30 credits

Political Economy of Global Environmental change

Global environmental politics grapples with the key issues that shape the survival of life on Earth in the future.  Climate collapse, biodiversity loss, pandemics and pollution are just some of the problems that shape our everyday lives. Tackling them is an increasingly urgent agenda for international organisations, governments, NGOs and the wider public. To understand the origins of, the drivers of and the possible solutions to environmental degradation we need to examine them not just as matters of science, but also as wide ranging social, political, economic and cultural issues. 

In this course, you will be introduced to the major debates in the political economy of the environment. 

You will examine central debates around climate change, the Anthropocene, planetary boundaries, biodiversity loss, population, environment-conflict dynamics and human-animal relations. You will also discuss the potentials and pitfalls of different 'green' solutions such as degrowth, renewables, geoengineering, Nature Based Solutions, protected areas and green economy. You will explore these debates by analysing the different approaches to tackling global environmental change and use case studies to illuminate wider conceptual debates.

30 credits

Democratic Governance in the 21st Century: Problems, Innovations and Solutions

Political systems around the world drive to be democratic, but what is meant by democracy and how can this be achieved?

During this module, you will consider the nature of the democratic crisis faced by countries around the world and map the latest innovations designed to address this challenge. You will study the tensions between new and old democratic arenas and consider the indicators of a thriving democracy.

Your work will be grounded in the tradition of engaged scholarship, will use real world examples and will culminate in a solution focused analysis. By the end, you will have developed keen professional and research skills by studying the theory and practice of democratic innovation.

30 credits

Terrorism and Political Violence

This module aims to provide an advanced level of understanding with reference to the topics of terrorism and political violence. It is organised around a framework of analysing both 'Terrorism' and political violence more broadly, both as events in the world, and as essentially political phenomena, whose effects have, in large part, to do with how they are politically defined and responded to.  

One way of thinking about this module is that it takes a critical theory approach to terrorism and political violence. Instead of a traditional, or 'problem solving' approach, which takes 'Terrorism' as a pre-defined problem in the world and our goal to develop solutions to it, this class begins by critically interrogating the way that 'terrorism' has been constructed as a way of understanding some types of political violence and not others. This critical approach then runs throughout the module and shapes our approach to the causes of terrorism and the forms of counterterrorism. Combining and applying Sociological and International Relations approaches, you will conduct a critical analysis on security and violence using a variety of cases ranging from 'macro-level' (war, including guerrilla warfare/insurgency, genocide and terrorism) through to 'micro-level' sites usually considered 'private' or 'intimate' ('domestic' violence, white supremacist bombings of historical Black churches, etc.). Moving beyond a narrow understanding of terrorism as limited to sub-state violence, you will also study the state as a perpetrator of political violence, both at home and abroad, and the role of gender, sexuality, and race in producing images of the terrorist. 

By the end of this module, you will therefore not only have dicussed critical understandings of terrorism, but also explored the ways in which it has effects in the world, which are often by shaping the ways that states and other actors respond to it as a threat, more so than through specific violent acts themselves.

30 credits

Professional Skills for Psychologists

This module will provide training in a range of professional research skills including (a) understanding and critically discussing ethical issues related to psychological research, interpreting professional codes of practice, and understanding the work of ethical committees and professional discipline committees; (b) writing grant proposals and understanding the submission criteria and review processes for papers and grant proposals; (c) understanding issues of reproducibility of research and open science practices addressing them; and (d) understanding processes of dissemination to academic and non-academic audiences.

30 credits

Digital Methods

This unit introduces students to new and emerging methods for carrying out digital research that is, digital methods. Digital methods are natively digital techniques for researching the natively digital (for example, social media content, likes and shares; blog posts and comments; hyperlinks; tag clouds; folksonomies; search engines; recommender culture) (Rogers 2013). Digital methods include social media insights and analytics, social network analysis, issue network analysis, data visualisation, and data sprints, amongst others. As well as learning how to use these tools, techniques and processes, students on this module will evaluate them, the context of their emergence (and sometimes rapid decline). They will develop an understanding of how digital methods are used to create knowledge. In this way, the module addresses questions of web epistemology, information politics, ethics, device critique, and the social life of methods.

15 credits

Media, State and Society in China

This module explores the workings of the media in China and their treatment of social issues. You will develop critical reading strategies for media, academic, government and corporate sources, research skills and gain experience in writing shorter and longer explanations of these issues.
In the first half of the module, we will critically examine changes in media coverage on Chinese society (in Chinese and overseas print media, social media and documentary film). In the second half of the semester, we will explore a range of social topics, through a combination of academic studies and media sources.

30 credits

Media, State and Society in China

This module explores the workings of the media in China and their treatment of social issues. You will develop critical reading strategies for media, academic, government and corporate sources, research skills and gain experience in writing shorter and longer explanations of these issues.
In the first half of the module, we will critically examine changes in media coverage on Chinese society (in Chinese and overseas print media, social media and documentary film). In the second half of the semester, we will explore a range of social topics, through a combination of academic studies and media sources.

15 credits

Trajectories in Spatial Practices

This unit focuses on exploring the emergent and potential roles of spatial (such as urban design and architecture) practitioners, and on relating them to the students' own learning experience, both within practice and within the School of Architecture. The unit will be broad ranging, looking at the unprecedented scale and complexity of conditions that are shaping the built environment globally, creating the need for a critical evaluation of the methods, tools, and design culture that surrounds the context of spatial practices. The module will discuss the consequences of these conditions on the spatial practices, and will invite students to speculate using design methods on the potential trajectories that they could take in the future as spatial practitioners. Assessments will be based on a reflection of the student's individual experiences and future aspirations. This unit is also suitable for students taking a part-time route whilst continuing to work in practice. It is also suitable as an optional module for the MArch course. It will also be offered as a CPD module.

15 credits

International Politics in East Asia

This module examines the major structures, actors, and ideas shaping international politics in East Asia today. A major aim is to introduce students to new theories about international order and identity linked to emerging trends in the region. Central themes address changing power dynamics and international order; regional identity and Asian centrism; leadership and the emerging multilateral architecture; and the future of ASEAN-led regionalism. The module explores both traditional and emerging challenges facing the region on the basis of a special forum on media and foreign policy analysis, interactive seminars, group tasks, and team projects. Special topics include the crisis on the Korean Peninsular, the Taiwan Strait, maritime disputes, and environmental threats.

15 credits

Work and Organisation in East Asia

The dynamics of change in East Asia are increasingly important for understanding the development of global society. This module will describe and analyse 'work and organization' in East Asia and consider whether its cultures and practices are shaped by national models. Adopting multi-disciplinary perspectives, we will examine the historical and cultural embeddedness of Japanese models and their contemporary socio-economic construction. We will consider structures such as the family and education system that prepare people for workforce entry and look a contrasting working contexts from the participants' perspectives. We will then compare Japanese work contexts with China, Taiwan and South Korea. 

15 credits

Applied Econometrics: Cross-sectional and Panel Data Approaches

The module provides examples and experience of applying standard microeconometric techniques to large sample surveys, with practical guidance on how to estimate and interpret results from different models.  The syllabus covers topics such as limited dependent variables, instrumental variables, panel data methods and difference in differences methods. 

15 credits

Applied Econometrics: Time Series Approaches

This module will enable you to understand recent applied literature in core journals of macroeconomics and finance, which uses time series methods, and prepare you for possible later research involving time series. You will learn to identify the empirical features of macroeconomic and financial data, and how to analyse the dynamic interaction of macroeconomic variables over time using key econometric techniques. Throughout use will be made of the Stata econometric software.

15 credits

Asset Pricing

This module will introduce you to the advanced principles of asset pricing in finance and the use of derivatives in risk management. You will gain knowledge of how important derivative assets are traded, the pricing models for important derivative assets, and the principles of hedging. This is an analytical module, which reflects the quantitative nature of the subject and in which each topic is developed from first principles. The module will cover both the theoretical foundations of asset pricing, the issues that arise in the practical use of these models and their limitations.

15 credits

Public Economics

This module will provide you with a comprehensive grounding in public economics. Government policies, through fiscal policy instruments, can have a massive impact on the allocation of resources and the distribution of income in the economy. This module evaluates the government's ability to identify and achieve more efficient and equitable outcomes than the situation without intervention. You will apply the theory in the analysis of real world public policy programmes.

15 credits

International Money and Finance

In this module, you will acquire an understanding of the relationship between domestic and international economic activity in an open economy. You will learn to relate the various motives underlying international financial flows to their effects on real economic variables. The module will introduce mainstream theories of the determination of equilibrium exchange rates, both in the short run and the long run. You will also explore the causes of international financial crises and consider policy responses.

15 credits

Industrial Organisation

This module will introduce you to contemporary topics in industrial organisation with a particular emphasis on the role of economic analysis of strategic decision making. You will learn to use and appraise a range of economic techniques to make better strategic decisions. In this module you will build on and expand on your knowledge of microeconomics related to market structure; such as competition in oligopolistic industries. You will also become familiar with further oligopoly models (product differentiation, collusion, mergers) as well as behaviour in platform markets. We will also consider market implications when consumers are imperfectly informed (or naive) about prices or product characteristics.

15 credits

Monetary Economics

This module will provide you with a formal analysis of monetary economics and an understanding of how monetary policy works. It will cover the role of monetary policy in the macro economy, and expose you to the latest theoretical developments in monetary theory and policy. You will also gain an appreciation of some of the limitations of monetary policy.

15 credits

Early Childhood 2: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood Education

This module introduces learners to recent ideas related to contemporary issues in Early Childhood Education. Sessions to be taught include the following: children's rights; quality in Early Childhood Education and care; creativity in arts and contemporary communication practices; popular culture; digital literacies; gender; traditional and digital play; including children in research. This will be followed by student-led presentations on topics related to the above. It is intended that this will prepare students for their assignment.

30 credits

Language, Society and Education

The Language, Society and Education module provides students with an advanced understanding of the relationship between linguistic structures and social categories. It covers key research methods in the interdisciplinary field of sociolinguistics and their application to a range of areas including language and identity, discourse, performance and social interaction, ideologies and social structure, culture and education. By the end of the module, students will have developed solid theoretical knowledge in a range of research traditions as well as an advanced competence in qualitative research methods for the study of language, society and education. Students have the opportunity to explore topics relating, to the evolution and transmission of culture, intercultural communication, bi/multilingualism, attitudes to language varieties, voice, narrative and inequality in ordinary and institutional settings, media representations of social worlds, global spreads of language and cultural forms with specific reference to English and new media.

30 credits

Managing Climate Change

This module aims to provide students with a strong understanding of the social and physical science of climate change with relevance to international development. This understanding is then applied to consider the challenge of living with climate change in the Global South. The module is taught through seminars and lectures. Lectures introduce and impart factual knowledge while seminars allow discussion and an emphasis on applying key concepts to practical situations. Together these structure students' learning, and provide an environment in which they can develop their skills in researching, presenting and debating arguments drawn from the wide ranging literature on climate change.

15 credits

Project Management

This module aims to provide a broad understanding of the fundamentals of project management as they apply to the development of Information Systems (IS). The module uses a flexible approach combining face-to-face seminars with web-based learning material. The module will begin with an overview of the principles involved in IS project management; followed by a discussion of IS development methodologies and their different characteristics and specialisms. The rest of the module will discuss the requirements for various project control activities, including estimating development resources, risk management, guidelines for system quality assurance, and various project control techniques that have been developed in recent years. The module will culminate with a review of human resource management issues.

15 credits

Researching Social Media

The module will examine the key theoretical frameworks and methods used in social media studies. Students will explore the following questions: 1) What can be learnt about society by studying social media? 2) How should researchers construct ethical stances for researching sites such as Facebook and Twitter? 3) What are the traditional and digital research methods and tools that can be applied to conduct research on social media? 4) What are the strengths and weaknesses of these methods?

The primary focus of the module is on designing social media research projects rather than conducting them. Nevertheless, there will be opportunities to learn and practice relevant analysis skills. It is not a programming module but some of the topics involve the use of software and there will be the chance to write small programs for related tasks.

15 credits

Information Governance and Ethics

This module explores a) the emergence of information and data as an economic resource; b) the governance challenges and ethical issues arising from organisations' systematic capture, processing, and use of information and data for organisational goals, e.g. value, risk, accountability, ownership, privacy etc; c) governance, ethical, legal and other frameworks relevant to the capture, processing and use of information and data within organisational and networked contexts; and d) technologies and techniques used in the governing and governance of information and data. Case examples from a number of domains, e.g. business, government, health, law, and social media illustrate the topics investigated.

15 credits

Big Data Analytics

Data Science techniques often need to be applied to large amounts of data to generate insights. To deal with volume, velocity, and variety of data we need to rely on novel computational architectures that focus on scaling-out data processing as compared to the classic scale-up approach. Such systems allow to add computational resources to a distributed system depending on requirements and load which changes over time. This module will give students knowledge about modern scale-out system architectures to perform data analytics queries over very large structured/unstructured datasets as well as to run data mining algorithms at scale.

15 credits

Business Intelligence

We will cover the principles and practices of gathering and synthesising business intelligence from the external environment, including organisations' competitive intelligence operations, environmental scanning activities, market intelligence, and strategic intelligence using open-source information. A  secondary focus for the module is the role of BI software in organisations to collect and analyse internal information. This module aims to provide you with an understanding of the ways in which business people use information and of how information is used to support strategic decision-making. You will learn how to carry out effective searches using both free and fee-based business information resources such as the Mintel market research database, Nexis news database and FAME financial analysis database, and will study key issues concerning the value, cost and availability of information. You will learn how to apply standard analysis frameworks commonly used in organisational business intelligence. The module will concentrate primarily on external information resources but also covers the ways in which information internal to an organisation can be used strategically to enhance competitive advantage. We take a flipped approach on this module: lectures are provided in video format on Blackboard, and you will be expected to watch these and engage with any preparation activities before the timetabled sessions.  Timetabled sessions focus on practical exercises where students will have opportunities to develop expertise in using business-focused electronic information services, and will develop skills in analysing and presenting information effectively.

15 credits

ICTs, Innovation and Change

This module aims at examining and exploring how organisations and human activity systems cope with change due to the new implementation or updating of Information Systems and Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). This change occurs in complex social environments and has cultural, political, structural and ethical impacts that need to be carefully managed. The module will examine and explore how both managers and Information Systems practitioners can be better prepared for the unpredictability, unintended outcomes and possible harmful consequences of change caused by the introduction or update of Information Systems and ICTs. Therefore, the module aims at providing an understanding of both approaches and techniques for the management of this change.

15 credits

Database Design

Effective data management is key to any organisation, particularly with the increasing availability of large and heterogeneous datasets (e.g. transactional, multimedia and geo-spatial data). A database is an organised collection of data, typically describing the activities of one or more organisations and a core component of modern information systems. A Database Management System (DBMS) is software designed to assist in maintaining and utilising large collections of data and becoming a necessity for all organisations. This module provides an introduction to the area of databases and database management, relational database design and a flavour of some advanced topics in current database research that deal with different kinds of data often found within an organisational context. Lectures are structured into three main areas: An introduction to databases, The process of designing relational databases, Advanced topics (e.g. data warehouses and non-relational databases) The course includes a series of online tasks with supporting 'drop in' laboratories aimed at providing you with the skills required to implement a database in Oracle and extract information using the Structured Query Language (SQL).

15 credits

Academic and Workplace Library, Information and Knowledge Services

This module introduces students to the purposes, functions and practices of a range of academic research and other specialist library, information and knowledge services in educational, public, charitable, and private sectors. It considers the challenges of delivering and developing services in a demanding, fast-moving and complex environment. Lectures are combined with sector-based case studies presented by visiting speakers drawn from various backgrounds, giving extensive opportunities for interaction with specialist practitioners.

15 credits

Journalism in Britain

This module encourages a critical approach to its subject matter and this means questions! Who owned the first million-selling daily newspaper in Britain? What was the impact of broadcast journalism on newspapers? Why has the tabloid genre become so pervasive? Where can we see comparisons and contrasts to the 'British' model? When did journalism emerge as a distinct form of communication? How have women been involved in the development of journalism? What role have news cartoons played within the quality and tabloid press?

In order to understand issues and debates within the contemporary British news media, it is best to start with an understanding of how journalism has evolved within this particular national context. How did we get the news media that we have today and what does this mean for contemporary society? This is as important a question whether you are an overseas student, or a student from the UK who has never taken too much notice of the specifics of the news media. Students on this module will learn about the historical development of journalism and current debates concerning the news media in the UK including the evolution of the related field of Journalism Studies.

15 credits

Policing and Society

The aim of the module is to explore relationships between the police, citizens and their wider socio-political context. After all, the police are the 'litmus paper' for the unfolding dynamics of society. The module starts by familiarising students with key concepts, such as discretion, coercion and accountability. The module then goes to explore in-depth the history of policing, theories of policing, police powers and citizens' rights, community policing and patterns of policing in late-modern global societies, including civilianisation, privatisation and transnationalisation. This module draws partly on empirical evidence from England and Wales and other common law jurisdictions, but is also grounded in sociological theories about policing and society.

15 credits

Landscape Professional Practice

The module covers three core areas relating to landscape architecture practice: Professional Practice, Environmental Law and Planning, and Landscape Contracts. These will touch on issues such as ethics, professional appointment and relationships, the Landscape Institute and Pathway to Chartership, relevant landscape and environmental law and contract law, contract documentation, forms of contract and procedures.

10 credits

European Business

This module introduces the main features of European economic integration most relevant to business, including the Single Currency. It sets out the main characteristics of the different national economic systems of the main countries of Europe, Germany, Britain, France and Italy. It explains the challenges the 'transition' (ex-communist) economies of Central and Eastern Europe have faced, and the way these economies are changing. It seeks to draw lessons from the European experience for economic integration in other regions of the world.

15 credits

Marketing in Society

This unit deals with the social context of marketing. It draws on a variety of issues engaging contemporary marketing practice and examines the implication of the the adoption of the marketing concept as one of the dominant business aproaches, as well as its widening use as a tool for framing and solving societal issues.

15 credits

Managing Museums and Cultural Heritage Sites

The module defines and critically appraises the concepts and dimensions of museums and heritage spaces and examines the politics and uses of such sites. It considers local museums, World Heritage Sites and 'Starchitecture' new builds such as the Guggenheim, Bilbao and the Louvre Abu Dhabi. It examines policy, funding and the day to day management of individual museums and heritage spaces against the background of national government agendas and inter-governmental agreements that underpin large scale developments. It looks at provision of such cultural spaces from both the operator and visitor management perspectives and includes site visits within the locality.

15 credits

Well-being and Work

This module covers one of the core knowledge areas required for Occupational/Work Psychology and explores how work relates to individual and organisational well-being by considering the role of work and employment. It will cover areas related to the employment lifecycle, patterns of work, occupational health, stress and emotions, the causes, symptoms, assessment, prevention and management of stress, bullying and harassment, positive psychological perspectives and the promotion of wellbeing. Individual differences and diversity in responses will be considered. Critical evaluation of the psychological evidence base for relevant interventions and how these might be implemented and evaluated in practice will also be discussed.

15 credits

Policy-Making in the Real World

Policy making is an increasingly complex process, involving a range of 'wicked problems' and a growing set of options for addressing them. Given the multiple risks and crises they must deal with, how can policy makers come up with effective policy, learn from mistakes and deal with unexpected events? What tools can they employ to do so and how can we evaluate their success or failure?

You will take a theoretically informed but practice-focused approach to these questions. You will consider topics such as how technological innovation will inform policy making, looking at the impact of big data and AI, and considering the standards that should apply to such tools.  

Throughout the module, you will practice a range of practical skills through innovative group projects and visiting speakers from the policy world.

30 credits

Wellbeing in Politics and Policy

There has been a dramatic rise in political interest in wellbeing over the past decade. Politicians and policy-makers in a range of contexts - national and international - have moved towards embracing wellbeing as a more comprehensive, inclusive and appropriate goal of public policy than the traditionally narrow focus on indicators of economic prosperity. This has led to the development of wellbeing frameworks that embrace indicators of subjective wellbeing (e.g., happiness), environmental and social concerns alongside economic indicators. For some these developments have the potential to transform aspects of politics and policy in the long term. This module explores conceptual, empirical and policy-related aspects of wellbeing. It examines competing definitions, understandings and measurements of wellbeing and related concepts such as quality of life and happiness. It aims to give students a clear understanding of how and why wellbeing has risen up political agendas, the significance of developments in policy to date and the potential for wellbeing as a political idea and guide to policy.

30 credits

Capitalism and Crisis

During this module, you will explore the relationship between capitalism and crisis through the prism of the causes of, and fallout from, the 2008 crash.

You will unpack the core concepts of the module - capitalism and crisis - and gain a brief historical overview of pre-2008 economic crises to contextualise and compare the main content of the module. You shall then go on to survey competing explanations of the 2008 crisis, by starting narrow (i.e. regulation of banking) and then broadening out (i.e. evolution of capitalism).

By the end of the module, you will have examined the economic and political fallout of  the 2008 crisis, be able to debate the extent to which the crisis was truly global, and discuss the variety of political responses to the crash.

30 credits

Development and the State

You will explore and critically assess the political economy of development by focusing on the interplay between processes of economic transformation and the political strategies pursued by states in the name of national development. This is an interdisciplinary module, asking you to draw on development studies, the political economy of growth and transformation, and comparative capitalisms.

To begin, you will review the most salient theoretical themes in approaches to capitalist development. This will put you in a position to understand more specific theorisations of capitalist development as a state strategy in a world characterised by uneven and combined capitalist development. You will then shift your focus more specifically to the state, bringing the more generic issues reviewed at the start of the module into a focused 'developmental' framing. 

By the end of the module, you will be able to undertake ambitious evaluative work in which normative questions are asked and the prospects for capitalist development are considered.

30 credits

Freedom

Freedom is one of the most important political values, if not the most important one of all. During this module, you will investigate the political value of freedom by engaging with the literature in contemporary political theory.

To do so, you will focus on: competing theories of freedom (negative, positive, republican); the relationship between freedom and other values (autonomy, equality, security); and a number of applied issues (the harm principle, freedom of expression, freedom of association, freedom of movement). 

Taking a theoretical and philosophical approach, this module will encourage you to use the tools needed to analyse and evaluate political arguments which invoke the value of freedom.

30 credits

Digital Media in a Datafied Society

This unit examines the social consequences of widespread use of social media, a key characteristic of digital society. It explores what happens as a result of the digitised and networked sharing of personal information and life experiences of all kinds, in times of datafication (that is, the transformation into data, numbers and statistics aspects of social life which formerly did not exist in such forms). The unit reviews theoretical literature on social media, data and society and addresses specific debates and issues, including: social media data mining; social media surveillance; the economic value of social media data; data tracking, privacy, rights and data subjects; governing social media data mining; data activism and open data; data visualisation; new forms of data work; data and everyday life.

15 credits

Visual Methods for Social Scientists

The module explores different approaches to understanding social reality by collating, creating and analysing images. The course will cover several methods such as compositional analysis, content analysis, and discourse analysis. It will also cover the use of different media such as magazine images, video and photography in social research. Ethical and intellectual property issues will also be dealt with such as copyright, anonymity and consent during the research process. Including the visual as part of a mixed methodology in research will underpin much of the material. The students will be expected to take photographic images during the course.

15 credits

Advanced Quantitative Methods for Social Research

The course will introduce more advanced uses of multivariable statistics in the social sciences. This unit then covers several methods that are often employed across the social sciences. These will include: Multiple Regression (including Ordinary Least Squares and Logistic Regression) and more advanced extensions such as multilevel models and longitudinal techniques. Students will undertake a small secondary data analysis project of their own devising for assessment.

15 credits

Advanced Qualitative Methods

This unit introduces students to a variety of advanced qualitative research techniques common to the social sciences, but which can be used in wider cross-faculty research contexts. The unit provides students with a philosophical introduction to advanced qualitative methodology, and will introduce a selection of advanced and pioneering research techniques such as: creative approaches to qualitative interviewing, the use of sensory and mobile methods, participatory research techniques (including the use of diaries and drawings), qualitative longitudinal research, memory work, and life history approaches. It will introduce all students to the potential of re-using qualitative data and to advanced analytical techniques. Students will learn about innovative approaches to writing and communicating qualitative research. Finally, the module will introduce students to a range of ethical issues arising from creative and innovative approaches to qualitative research.

15 credits

Working Beyond Disciplines

The purpose of this module is to provide an introduction to interdisciplinary study for research students in the social sciences, highlighting the importance of research which reaches beyond disciplinary boundaries, and exploring the differing approaches through which such research can be achieved. By engaging students with the specific thematic pathways that are central to the intellectual project of the White Rose Doctoral Training Partnership, it introduces students to 'grand challenges for the social sciences that relate to their own proposed research areas. Through this, it links interdisciplinary epistemological approaches to their application in the context of students own proposed research projects.

15 credits

Issues in Housing

This module will introduce students to a range of enduring housing challenges across different contexts, discussing historic and contemporary policy responses. The module will build both substantive knowledge about the causes and manifestations of housing problems and provide students with the skills to critically evaluate policies which seek to address these problems, grounding insights in relevant theories, concepts, and empirical research. The module will encourage an insight into the range of key actors involved in addressing housing challenges, build students' abilities to question the assumptions underpinning interventions, and develop an awareness of the relative strengths and weaknesses of policy approaches. By the end of the module, students will be able to demonstrate a nuanced awareness of the origins of contemporary housing problems, situating these within the relevant historical context, to evaluate policy approaches oriented to addressing these challenges, and to suggest new ways forward.

15 credits

Planning Law

The nature of planning activity and its outcomes are underpinned by legal frameworks, procedures and case law decisions. These legal frameworks are intended to ensure clarity and fairness in the exercise of planning powers. They also change over time to reflect changing circumstances and government priorities. 

The following module explores the role and underlying values of law and policy in the English planning system within an international context. Core themes include:

- the discretionary basis of UK planning

- the definition of development

- the legal process for undertaking planning decisions, 

- processes of planning appeal

- the changing status of development plans

- the role of enforcement.

The module will also explore examples where contemporary policy is shaped by legal decisions and the scope for flexibility in working within established legal frameworks. 

Overall the module will provide students with a thorough understanding of the procedures for controlling development through planning.

15 credits

Health, Wellbeing and the City

This module explores the urban environment as a determinant of health and well-being and examines how planning and urban design can contribute to improvements in health. Beginning with an exploration of the historic relationship between planning and public health, the module focuses on how the urban environments support or undermine health in relation to mental health, ageing, obesity, air quality and noise pollution. The module also introduces the notion of health impact assessment and further reflects on the contribution of planning to environmental justice and the reduction of inequalities in health.

15 credits

Sex and Power: The Politics of Women's Liberation in Modern Britain

This module examines the integration of women and the evolving themes and demands of the women's movement in the political sphere in Britain from the heyday of the suffrage movement up to the reign of Britain's first female PM, Margaret Thatcher. We will focus on both women's wide-ranging attempts and their more limited achievements to gain entry into the political establishment, at the local, national and international levels. Topics will include women's suffrage agitation; the aftermath of suffrage; inter-war feminism; feminist internationalism; studies of women politicians; Second Wave Feminism; and gendered readings of British political history.

15 credits

International Order in the Twentieth Century

How should international relations be organised? This was a central question in the international history of the twentieth century. This module explores the ideas of international organisation that emerged, and how they were realised in practice in bodies like the League of Nations and the United Nations, as well as subaltern internationalist projects like the Afro-Asian and Non-Aligned movements. Why did governments and non-governmental actors create and participate in international organisations? What was the significance and impact of those organisations? And why should historians study these past internationalist projects today? Much of the most exciting recent work by international and global historians has grappled with these questions.

15 credits

Before Facebook: Social Networks in History

In a world of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, social networks seem a distinctly modern phenomenon, but are they only a product of our digital age? This module explores historians' efforts to reconstruct social networks in diverse contexts, from the ancient to the modern world. Drawing upon techniques first developed by social scientists, and increasingly digital methods too, they have found networks of trade and business; religious groups and political exiles; family, friends and much more. This innovative work is revealing how far lives and communities cut across boundaries of time and space - with important consequences for historical debates and issues.

15 credits

The Science of Environmental Change

This module gives students a critical understanding of the science behind historical and recent environmental change. The module covers the core debates in environmental change, the science behind these changes, methods for detecting environmental change, and the impacts of these changes, and projected future changes.

15 credits

Contemporary Challenges: Refugees and Asylum

Contemporary Challenges explores a key contemporary challenge in depth and applies key concepts in Sociology (e.g. class, race, nationalism, democracy) in analysing it. The focus of the challenge will change on a 3-4 yearly basis.
In its first iteration, the module focuses on Brexit: ideas of class and 'the left behind', English nationalism, nostalgia for empire, the media, and some of the impacts of Brexit in relation to everyday life. In doing so the module will develop a deeper understanding of the reasons behind the vote for the UK to leave the EU, as well as some of its consequences.

15 credits

Sociologies of the everyday

This module will explore theoretical and empirical insights into the mundane, personal and everyday. Beginning with an exploration of theoretical approaches to making sense of everyday, personal and mundane facets of the social world, the module goes on to explore key areas of everyday life including personal relationships; belonging in time, space and place; interactions between politics and personal life and everyday racisms. The module will also consider the challenges involved in attempting to 'capture' the everyday in empirical sociological research.

15 credits

Media freedom: European, UK and US perspectives

The overall aim of this module is to develop an understanding of the international treaties and national laws safeguarding the exercise of freedom of expression by the media, the different interpretations of this freedom in Europe and the US, and the limitations to which it is subject. In particular, it aims to facilitate students in developing knowledge of topics including the protection of freedom of expression in the European Convention of Human Rights, the Human Rights Act and the First Amendment; the tensions between media freedom, hate speech and privacy; media freedom and political expression; the contrasting models of press freedom and broadcasting regulation; the debate on internet freedom or regulation. The module seeks to expose students to European, UK and US laws, as well as to other jurisdictions where comparative analysis is appropriate.

15 credits

Digital Health

This module looks at the social implications of digital technologies in health, considering what these mean for our experiences of health and illness as patients and as citizens, for the work of health care professionals, and for the provision of health care. The module will consider a range of contemporary areas such as self-tracking and gamifying health, telemedicine and care at a distance, health information on the net, electronic patient records, illness death and dying on the web, and health activism and online patient groups. Drawing across these, the module will consider questions about changing representations and cultures of health and illness, whether we can all be medical experts now, who has responsibility for health, how we relate to health care professionals, the commodification of health data and the relative benefits for state and industry.

15 credits

Sociology of Genders, Sexualities and the Bodies

Why are gender, sexuality and the body important areas for sociological study? How can these domains be seen to be political as well as personal? How have understanding around gender, sexuality and the body changed across time and cultures? How might experiences and practices of gender, sexuality and the body be impacted by intersectional factors such as race and ethnicity, ability and disability, faith, social class, age, and space and place? These are some of the key questions explored on this module, which will consider the diverse ways in which gender, sexuality and the body are understood and practiced at individual, collective and structural levels.

15 credits

Mobile Media and Digital Futures

 This module examines the impacts of mobile digital media on society in shaping emergent kinds of digital cultures, economies, and futures. It explores the theoretical, historical and technological shift in digital media towards mobile technologies, portable and wearable media, and virtual/augmented reality environments to critically understand the social, cultural, and economic forces shaping digital media interactivity.

Students will critically discuss some of the most contemporary developments in digital media including mobile applications, virtual/augmented environments, wearable devices, geolocative infrastructures, and spatial computing to comprehend how technology designers imagine the future of digital interactivity and communication. Students will draw on a wide range of scholarly perspectives and disciplinary frameworks, including mobile media studies, digital geographies, Science and Technology Studies, and platform studies. Students will critically reflect on the future of digital media interactivity as mobile technologies, virtual environments, and artificial intelligence continue to develop.

Students will learn key theoretical perspectives and methodological skills for researching the dynamics, impacts, and futures of mobile digital media. Students will develop their own independent research by applying knowledge and skills learned in workshops to conduct an original study of mobile digital media.

15 credits

GIS for Built Environment Professionals

This module aims to introduce key Geographical Information Systems (GIS) principles and techniques to students in fields where GIS is becoming an increasingly relevant tool. The focus is on enabling students to develop an understanding of the potential of GIS and some fundamental GIS skills, through a series of workshops using a range of common software. Assessment is through a written report incorporating visualisations and analysis.

15 credits

Histories and Theories of Urban Design

This unit provides an introduction to the diverse concepts, theories and practices of urban design, illustrated by examples and case studies from different historical, political, geographical and environmental periods and areas. Using theoretical lenses, rather than a chronological approach, the course explores how similar urban forms have been used and reused, reinterpreted, adapted and challenged by different social, economic and political groups in different localities across different geographies and scales to meet differing needs, behaviours and rituals. The emphasis is on developing a situated and grounded understanding of urban design.

15 credits

The Digital Self

This module explores how gender, age, race, class and other identities are being reimagined in what various commentators have called a 'social media age'. It provides students with an in-depth understanding of social media platforms, roles in people's identity negotiations, examining users' social media identities in different global contexts, and paying close attention to the intersections between different identities. It reviews debates about self and identity formations from the earliest digital media moments and considers contemporary concerns, such as: anonymity and agency; selfies and influencers; online censorship, resistance and collective identities; social media fandoms; disconnection and digital detox

15 credits

Public Policy Evaluation

This module will introduce you to the key principles for evaluating the impacts of government policies. The module will cover the leading quantitative techniques for estimating causal policy effects, and how to select appropriate techniques for different policy interventions. You will gain an understanding of how evidence about policy evaluation is used to inform policy debates, and critically assess real world examples of policy evaluation. Examples will be drawn from health, labour, education and development economics. Throughout use will be made of the Stata econometric software.

15 credits

Students will take one of these modules:

Independent Research Project by Proposal

This unit enables students to undertake an in-depth study on a topic of their own choice, and is guided by one-to-one academic supervision based in their disciplinary area. It aims to enable students to develop and demonstrate skills in the definition and planning of a substantial piece of enquiry that will further and deepen knowledge in their chosen specialist field. The independent research project by proposal will demonstrate the ability to identify research questions through literature-based analysis, and to show how these questions could be investigated through detailed research design.

Students without previous experience of conducting a high-level academic research project (normally demonstrated through prior completion of an MA-level dissertation or equivalent work in a relevant field of study) will undertake the Independent Research Project by Dissertation, instead of this module.

60 credits

Independent Research Project by Dissertation

This unit enables students to undertake an in-depth study on a topic of their own choice, and is guided by one-to-one academic supervision based in their disciplinary area. It aims to enable students to develop and demonstrate skills in the planning, definition and management of a substantial piece of enquiry that will further and deepen knowledge in their chosen specialist field. The independent research project by dissertation will demonstrate skills in the design and conduct of research: this may involve theoretical or policy literature-based analysis, and may additionally involve empirical exploration, either through primary or secondary research, of a relevant topic.

60 credits