Interdisciplinary themes
The University is delighted to offer a huge range of modules to visiting students across a number of disciplines in Arts, Divinity and Science.
Undergraduate students might be interested in browsing the modules available under one of our five study abroad themes:
- Scotland
- Sustainability
- Travel and Exploration
- Science for Arts Majors
- Unique to ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø
Each theme brings together modules from several subject areas, offering visiting students the opportunity to make connections across disciplines and enrich their academic experience at ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø.
You can see all of the modules offered by each Department and School in the module catalogue, which details module content, assessment, and prerequisites. Some modules have specific prerequisites, while others require more general background knowledge. Please consult the module catalogue and contact the Study Abroad team if you have specific questions.
All module choices are provisional at this stage; visiting students will meet an academic adviser during Orientation to agree their course of study at ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø. Find out more about advising.
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Studying abroad is a great chance to learn more about the country in which you are studying. This theme highlights modules in Arts and Science that deal with some aspect of Scottish culture, history or geography. Find out more about the Scotland theme (PDF) .
Divinity
- : explores key themes in the organisation, practice and beliefs of the early and mediaeval church, focusing mostly on the period from the first to the ninth centuries.
Earth Sciences
- : provides a foundation into the study of Earth and environmental sciences.
- : focuses on the geology and geochemistry of the solid Earth and high-temperature processes in the Earth's interior.
- : examines the behaviour of the solid Earth and its interaction with the atmosphere and biosphere and beyond.
- : builds on the Planet Earth module with a focus on the Earth's resources and environment.
- : designed exclusively for non-graduating overseas undergraduate students seeking advanced training in geological field methods. It consists of hands-on experience honing observational and mapping skills by participating in highly focused residential and one-day excursions and associated laboratory classes.
English
- : analyses a range of texts from Scottish, Irish and (Anglo-)Welsh writers – from formal as well as socio-political perspectives.
- : explores Scottish novels and poetry from the early 19th century to the present day reading the literary construction and deconstruction of Scotland through depictions of its rural and urban spaces.
Music
- : explores a wide range of music in Scotland, examining Highland and Lowland folk music and more recent pop music as well as classical music composed from the mediaeval era onwards.
Social Anthropology
- : explores the emergence of fieldwork practice in social anthropology, and reflexively considers the social, methodological and theoretical relations produced through ethnography.
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Sustainability is a key interdisciplinary research interest at ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø, and the University is committed to sustainable practices. This theme highlights the wealth of expertise offered in this area available for undergraduate study. Find out more about the Sustainability theme (PDF) .
Biology
- : examines how ecosystems function and how they provide services for humans – information which is essential for ecologists, conservationists and land managers.
- : provides an introduction to the utilisation of fish stocks in a sustainable way.
Economics
- : introduces basic ideas, methods and problems of environmental economics and policy building on current scientific evidence and a knowledge of economics.
Geography
- : explores how Geography works as a ‘world discipline’ that is equipped to examine global problems from a range of human, environmental and physical geography perspectives.
- : shows how Geography, is uniquely placed to understand our changing world.
Management
- : provides an introduction to and analysis of corporate social responsibility and sustainability, the meaning, tensions and conflicts that social responsibility entails and the role that accountability can play in the discharge of responsibility in a democracy.
- : examines the roles played by voluntary organisations, the nature of the organisations themselves, and the issues and challenges that they are facing as a number of significant shifts.
- : examines the origin of the concept of sustainable development in public policy discourses with particular focus on the implications this concept has for the operation of business organisations.
Sustainable Development
- : considers broad conceptual approaches to implementing Sustainable Development.
- : looks at 'how' different agents, such as governments, corporations, and individuals enact change.
- This module takes a broad perspective on economic development and how economic development interacts with the environment. The module introduces key concepts in economic development and natural resource management.
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Studying abroad is a voyage of discovery – it can change the way you see the world and expose you to new ideas and ways of life. This theme brings together modules that deal in some way with travel and exploration through the ages. Find out more about the Travel and Exploration theme (PDF) .
Biology
- : provides both theoretical and practical experience of the techniques used by scientific divers.
Comparative Literature
- : introduces students to a range of texts – both canonical and non-canonical – offering variants on the theme of 'Journeys'.
Earth Sciences
- : provides a foundation into the study of Earth and environmental sciences.
- : focuses on the geology and geochemistry of the solid Earth and high temperature processes in the Earth's interior.
- : examines the behaviour of the solid Earth and its interaction with the atmosphere and biosphere and beyond.
- : focuses on the low temperature processes that occur in the outer envelopes of the Earth, including land-atmosphere interactions, glacial processes, tectonic geomorphology, geomicrobiology and oceanography.
- : builds on the Planet Earth module with a focus on the Earth's resources and environment.
- : designed exclusively for non-graduating overseas undergraduate students seeking advanced training in geological field methods. It consists of hands-on experience honing observational and mapping skills by participating in highly focused residential and one-day excursions and associated laboratory classes.
Music
- : provides a broad overview of the emergence of ethnomusicology, the study of why, and how, human beings are musical.
Social Anthropology
- : concentrates on the modes of thought and systems of belief of non-Western cultures and on the social significance of language in human communication.
Spanish
- : the language part of the module promotes the four skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking. There is also formal grammar instruction.
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Many visiting Arts students are eager to expand their academic horizons and study science at ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø. This theme brings together science modules that are suitable for students with diverse academic backgrounds. Find out more about the Science for Arts Majors theme (PDF) .
Biology
- : an introduction to molecular and cellular biology.
Chemistry
- : an introductory course in Organic Chemistry.
- : explores the impact that Chemistry has on all our lives and all aspects of society.
- : includes lectures on the origin of the elements, atoms and the Periodic Table, shapes and properties of molecules, chemistry of the elements, states of matter, thermochemistry, thermodynamics and kinetics.
- : includes lectures on bonding in simple molecules, inorganic solids, chemistry of the first-row transition metals, properties of solids, properties of solutions and introductory spectroscopy.
- : includes lectures on the structure, stereochemistry and nomenclature of simple organic compounds and more.
Computer Science
- : introduces key ideas of Computer Science through examination of the working of devices and services which are part of modern everyday life, such as search engines, personal music players, mobile telephones and social networking sites.
- : provides an introduction to object-oriented modelling and programming, using UML and Java.
Earth Sciences
- : provides a foundation into the study of Earth and environmental sciences.
Mathematics and Statistics
- : gives students a secure base in elementary calculus to allow them to tackle the mathematics needed in other sciences.
- : introduces students to the ideas, methods and techniques which they will need for applying mathematics in the physical sciences or for taking the study of mathematics further.
- : provides students with a taste of both pure and applied mathematics.
Music
- : offers students the opportunity to work in small groups in the Music Centre's studio to create music from electronic sources.
Physics and Astronomy
- : presents a descriptive, non-mathematical account of the physical universe.
Sustainable Development
- : introduces aspects of how sustainable development might be encouraged and facilitated.
- : looks at how different agents, such as governments, corporations, and individuals enact change.
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ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø is one of the UK's leading research institutions, and that world-class research infuses all of our teaching. This theme highlights modules that stem from some of the University’s key areas of research. Find out more about the Unique to ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø theme (PDF).
Biology
- : introduces the ecology of aquatic systems beginning with a description of the problems of life in a fluid medium.
- : focuses on the range of microbial and metazoan organisms and ecological systems in the marine environment.
- : examine how ecosystems function and how they provide services for humans: information which is essential for ecologists, conservationists and land managers.
- : explores molecular variation and evolution, including phylogeny reconstruction; the evolution and maintenance of sex; the genetics of continuous traits, and the relative importance of continuous and discontinuous variation in evolution, and more.
- : provide primarily seminar and practical-based analysis of the life-history requirements of foraging in marine mammals.
- : explores parasite infections, viral disease, and pathogenicity of common bacterial infections.
- : considers how molecules control the movement of substances through the secretory pathway, but will focus on how cells regulate the release of contents.
- : consists of a mixture of lectures, tutorials and personal-based learning on aspects of RNA virus host interactions.
- : provides an understanding of more advanced aspects of protein structure and enzymology.
- : provide an introduction to social learning and cultural transmission in non-humans through considering the conceptual issues and direct and indirect evidence for cultural transmission in cetaceans, the whales and dolphins.
Greek
- : explores the symposium, a key cultural institution of the ancient Greek world, through its representation and dramatisation in both poetry and prose.
History
- : explores life and death in England during a period of profound social, political, economic, religious and legal change.
- : studies the development of the early modern Ottoman Empire from its rise and definitive establishment in the late Middle Ages until the end of the 17th century.
Mathematics and Statistics
- : introduces students to the main types of survey methods for wildlife populations.
- : explores the basic dynamic processes at work in the Sun.
Music
- Words and Music: examines the relationship between words and music, discussing ways in which language and music can interact, and the different ways in which words and music may construct meaning.
Physics and Astronomy
- : exposes students to the exciting opportunities offered by applying photonics methods and technology to biomedical sensing and detection.
- : quantitative treatment of laser physics embracing both classical and semiclassical approaches and more.
- : aimed at both physics and astrophysics students with interests in the physics of plasmas.
- : introduces the theory and practice behind Monte Carlo radiation transport codes for use in physics, astrophysics, atmospheric physics, and medical physics.
- : introduces students to the hands-on practical aspects of planning observing programmes, conducting the observations and reducing and analysing the data.
- : quantitative treatment of laser physics embracing both classical and semiclassical approaches.
Social Anthropology
- : explores the emergence of fieldwork practice in social anthropology, and reflexively considers the social, methodological and theoretical relations produced through ethnography.
Spanish
- : explores a selection of literary texts (works of prose fiction and poetry, in the main) produced in the post-Franco period.
Sustainable Development
- : introduces aspects of how sustainable development might be encouraged and facilitated.
- : looks at how different agents, such as governments, corporations, and individuals enact change.
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Studying abroad is all about joining and immersing yourself in new communities, whether academic, social or cultural. This theme brings together modules that deal with historical and contemporary communities of different kinds.
Classical Studies
- : the late antique period was marked by dramatic developments in the religious history of the Mediterranean. This module will approach these developments from the perspective of local communities.
- this module explores some of the most dynamic literary and artistic achievements of archaic and classical Greek culture (8th to 4th century BCE).
- : this module deals with the human settlement and material culture of the entire Mediterranean World throughout classical antiquity.
Geography and Sustainable Development
- : the module introduces the inter-disciplinary field of housing studies.
- this module is designed to advance students' appreciation of the chief academic arguments associated with migration and transnationalism. Geographical analysis of the changing role of labour migration in the world economy offers a distinctive perspective on this spatially, socially and economically selective process.
Music
- : the module explores a wide range of music in Scotland, examining Highland and Lowland folk music and more recent pop music as well as classical music composed from the mediaeval era onwards.