Program Info
Study Abroad in London: Courses
View and print all course descriptions
Courses are divided by session and then grouped by broad academic discipline. Class timetables are available in April, but students should expect to be in class during the day Monday thru Thursday and have assessment on the final Friday of each session.
3-Week Courses, Session 1
Anthropology
ISSU1008 (4) | Human Evolution
Evolutionary biology is modern life science’s most important
theory – and no other institution has been as influential in
shaping this discipline as UCL. The module explores our
evolutionary history, how our primate ancestry still shapes
our current lives and what evolution may hold for us in times
to come. Various controversies, triggered by Darwinian
theory are scrutinized.
Health and Medical Sciences
ISSU2044 (4) | Nanotechnology in Medicine (Level 2)
The use of nanotechnology in medicine is an emerging
field that can revolutionize the treatment and detection
of disease. This module offers both an insight into these
emerging technologies and a fundamental understanding
of why size matters and how nanoscale technologies interact
with biological environments. Through hands on laboratory
sessions, workshops and lectures, students will see how this
technology offers huge leaps in diagnostics.
Please note there is a bench fee of £100 for the use of labs
and consumable materials.
ISSU1012 (4) | Population and Public Health
Provides an introduction to definitions used in population
and public health, basic theories, and conceptual frameworks
linking major determinants of health with a range of
individual and population health outcomes. Students will
discover the major milestones in the history of population
health, while exploring the role of London in public health
research.
Law
ISSU1038 (4) | International Commercial Arbitration
Cross-border commercial disputes are frequently resolved
by arbitration in London. London is home to a wide range of
arbitral institutions and boasts a wealth of talented arbitration
professionals. This module concerns the contractual and
procedural elements of international commercial arbitration
from comparative and practical perspectives, focusing
particularly on the English Arbitration Act 1996, the UNCITRAL
Model Law and the New York Convention.
Sciences
ISSU2039 (4) | Climate and Energy (Level 2)
What is the evidence for anthropogenic climate change?
How can we generate low-carbon electricity from nuclear
and renewable sources, and how can we make our transport
infrastructure greener? This module has a strong emphasis on
the underlying physical principles of low-carbon energy sources,
as well as simple estimates their potential contribution.
ISSU1004 (4) | Evolution and Sexual Selection
The theory of evolution constitutes a powerful explanation
of the interrelatedness and diversity of living organisms on
planet Earth. This module aims to provide students with a full
introduction to modern evolutionary theory and the forces of
selection that drive evolutionary change.. There will be a strong
focus on sexual selection, mating systems and the roles of the
quality and quantity of potential mates; using examples from a
wide range of plant and animal systems.
ISSU1028 (4) | Modern History of Science in London
Science rapidly expanded in 19th century Britain—this module
will explore that expansion through the lens of the great
metropolis that was London. The module will examine a
variety of settings; including museums, laboratories, lecture
halls, publishing devices, parlors, and private collections, and
a variety of communities; including professional societies,
amateur clubs, working men’s clubs, and ephemeral consumer
activity. It will explore how these venues come together to
create an integrated world for science, and will examine how the
relationship between science and the public evolved over the
19th century.
ISSU1053 (4) | Science, Method and Rationality
The scientific method is generally seen as one which allows
us to study the physical world in a systematic and unbiased
manner. Its approach allows us to obtain objective and rational
knowledge of the world. But how do we go about developing
such knowledge, and what does it really mean for such
knowledge to be objective and rational? Security and Crime
Science.
Crime and Security
ISSU1017 (4) | Understanding and Countering Radicalization and Terrorism
This module will provide an introduction to the phenomena of
radicalization and terrorism; including key definitions, causal
accounts, empirical trends, past and present manifestations,
current groups, and tactics. Through successive case studies,
students will familiarize themselves with the following five
approaches to prevention and disruption: Efforts to anticipate
and prevent terrorism acts through situational measures;
enforcement measures used to disrupt, disable or suppress
the activities of terrorist networks; interventions aimed at the
individual actor, their risk factors, belief systems and pathways
out of terrorism involvement; removal of the economic basis for
terrorist activities by attacking organized crime; and strategies
which focus on the “root causes” of terrorism and radicalization.
3-Week Courses, Session 2
Education
EISSU1035 (4) | What is Education?
Provides an introduction to what it means to study education
at a higher level.. Students will attend sessions at the UCL
Institute of Education, where a range of experts will present their
responses to the question: what is education? What is education
for, what is its purpose, both here and now and looking to the
future?; What should be its fundamental values and ethics?;
What do we mean by knowledge and learning (including formal
and informal learning)?; What is our concept of education?;
What is our image of the learners, educators, learner contexts,
and of community/society?; Who is responsible for education,
and what does it mean to be responsible?
Health and Medical Sciences
ISSU1025 (4) | Global Health: Local and International Perspectives
Provides an introduction to the discipline of global health. Each
week will be framed around the ‘wicked problems’ facing our
world and the ways in which the individual can engage with
global issues. Topics covered include access and availability of
healthcare, inequality, poverty, ethics, aid, and the key actors
in global health. Each week will begin with a U.K. case study
relating to a core topic, and end with an excursion to a local
site of significance in the development of the global health
discipline.
ISSU1055 (4) | Nerve Injury Treatment: Medicine, Science and Engineering
Peripheral Nerve Injury is a field of regenerative medicine which
is advancing towards a paradigm shift in available therapeutic
options. This module offers the student the capacity to
experience all the current therapeutic options for peripheral
nerve injury treatment through a collaboration of the only
clinical unit in the world to focus purely on nerve injury and UCL;
a recognized world leader in neurobiology and engineering.
ISSU1051 (4) | Mental Health and the Mind
Mental disorders, e.g. schizophrenia, dementia, depression, are
common across all countries and constitute about 14% of the
global burden of disease. Many people with a mental disorder
- and the majority of those living in low income countries - still
have no access to the treatments they need. This module will
offer students from a range of backgrounds, e.g. social sciences,
medicine, psychology, an understanding of basic principles of
how mental disorders present, the impact on individuals and the
advances in treatment and recovery.
Law
ISSU1048 (4) | International Trade and Maritime Law
The selling and purchasing of goods across territorial borders
is an ancient yet sophisticated commercial activity, and carriage
of goods by sea has been the backbone of international trade
since ancient times. International trade involves interlocking
contracts, including letters of credit and contracts of sale,
carriage and insurance, all of which concern the minds of traders
whilst performing this activity for profit. English law enjoys
a long-standing predominance in the international shipping
market, as it is frequently chosen by the parties to govern their
contracts of carriage, and this module covers both the principles
of the laws, and all facets of contracts, disputes and remedies.
ISSU1041 (4) | Law, Lawyers and Social Justice
Considers the role that law plays in society, with a particular
focus on the ways in which lawyers can achieve social change.
The module is rooted broadly in law and social sciences and
will be richly interdisciplinary in its approach. It will introduce
students to conceptions of social justice and to the lawyerclient
relationship, as well asthe role of charities and NGOs
in advocating and campaigning on social welfare and human
rights. By the end of the module students will be able to
question their assumptions about the ways in which the law is
constructed and understood in society, as well as the ways in
which lawyers achieve, or might fail to achieve, social justice.
Sciences
ISSU1019 (4) | Anatomy and Developmental Biology
Provides an introduction to significant aspects of human
anatomy and embryonic development, preparing students for
more advanced studies in these subjects. The module covers
topographical anatomy and embryonic development of the
nervous system, cardiovascular system, respiratory system,
digestive system, musculoskeletal system, urogenital system,
and limbs. The first few weeks of human development will be
examined, alongside the cellular organization of tissues and
organs.
ISSU1028 (4) | Data Science and Big Data Anayltics
Data Science is an exciting new area that combines scientific
inquiry, statistical knowledge, substantive expertise, and
computer programming. One of the main challenges for
businesses and policy makers when using big data is to find
people with the appropriate skills. This module will cover
classic topics in data analysis (regression, binary models, and
panel data) and introduce more specialised techniques, such
as classification and decision trees, clustering and pattern
recognition, and dimensionality reduction. It will cover
data preparation and processing, including working with
structured, key-value formatted (JSON), and unstructured
data.
Crime and Security
ISSU1033 (4) | Understanding and Preventing Crime
Provides students with a broad understanding of issues
relating to crime measurement, crime patterns, explanations
of criminal behavior, and crime prevention. The module
will consider the challenges and processes associated with
measuring and analyzing crime and will present some of the
key crime trends. Special attention will be devoted to how
crime patterns manifest in space and time and how they can
be analyzed. Criminological and psychological theories will
be compared and the role of the traditional criminal justice
system as a means of crime control will be explored.
Additional Courses
The following courses may also be offered in 2018, Session TBD.
Anthropology
Darwin and the History of Evolution (Level 2)
Geography and the Built Environment
Civic Design
Global London: Contemporary Urbanism, Culture and Space
London’s Urban Development: Politics, Policy and Design
Law
Introduction to UK Law
International Commercial Litigation
Science
Introduction to Statistics
Science Journalism
Computational Systems Biology
If you are studying on a customized, faculty-led program through your home institution, please see the AIFS Partnerships website for details.
