糖心Vlog

In the early twenty-first century, museums are becoming increasingly more relevant to all parts of society, and exhibition displays are often controversial and politically charged. This course is an introduction to British society, culture, and museology. The course considers museums as reflections of the British psyche, unique cultural constructs that help us understand 鈥楤ritishness鈥�. We will also be looking at museums as institutions of 'global' heritage in the context of a global city, with a unique British perspective. As an introduction to museology, the course will look at the development of the modern museum and its operation, as well as interrogate the different types of museums. We will look at the impact British history, society and politics have had on London museums, their creation and their day-to-day operations and audiences. Taking advantage of our location, we will do field work in eight different museums, from the famous and vast 鈥榞lobal鈥� British Museum to the small and privately-owned Saatchi Gallery.

Students will analyse the ways in which imperialism and its legacy, as well as Britain鈥檚 global relationships have influenced museum development and how this gives rise to the politics of patrimony. We will look at questions of cultural appropriation and the political debate on repatriation versus protection. This debate has recently been energized by the depredations of IS on what many would call the global heritage of Iraq and Syria. We will also be looking at material culture and what it says about individuals and society. Students will examine the choices, ethics, political and social meanings of both creating material culture, collecting it and the ethics of preservation and restoration. While the creation of material culture has specific psychological, social and often political meanings; collecting, preserving and displaying one particular object involves a very complex decision-making process which is influenced by the cultural values of the decision maker.  We will examine, for example, the impact of the Classical period on British society in the past and present, its importance to class and education in Britain, and how this is reflected in museum collections. Students will also look at the complex decision making of conservators and restorers. These decisions have social and political impact, choosing to emphasize one period and use over another. The course will also look closely at decision makers and their role in the museum industry, the origins of museums from individuals to trade exhibitions and current museum professionals, as well as the impact museum audiences have on the work of museums. Students will also examine the impact of communities on museum development, on exhibition creation, how engaged museums are with their communities, and how the unique diversity of London is reflected (or not) in its museums.

(4 credits)

This course brings together canonical and contemporary writing about London to consider the relationship between literature and place. We鈥檒l examine a wide range of fiction, non-fiction and poetry set in London, including 17th century diaries; the novels of Charles Dickens and Virginia Woolf; the literature of gardens and gay bars; and contemporary poetry on the Grenfell Tower Fire. We鈥檒l develop our understanding of London鈥檚 social, cultural and political contexts through close reading and comparative analysis, while deciphering the various narrative techniques and approaches used by writers in their responses to the city鈥檚 diverse histories and milieux.

Through this course, students will consider literature and the 鈥榩lace鈥� of London in three sections: Movement (arrivals and departures, walking, transportation, migration, modernity); Boundaries (public and private spaces, nature vs the urban, individualism, resistance, assimilation); and Communities (neighbourhoods, housing, grief, sexuality, and subcultures). Students will be able to use different media (including literary, critical, historical and visual) to understand and reflect on a text鈥檚 narrative techniques and wider context. With a number of field studies, class lectures and presentations, close reading of texts and interactive discussions, this class will leave students with enhanced understanding of London鈥檚 literature, culture and societal processes, as well as the opportunities and limitations of 鈥榩lace writing鈥�, in a way that they may not have seen before.

(4 credits)

The course explores the craft of creative writing through analysis of selected literature and poetry in relation to the city and explores the challenges of writing about place. We will examine different aspects of the city in relation to London narratives including the river, travel, urban spaces, solitude, ethnicity, particular boroughs, and characters (both fictional and real) as well as making use of practical exercises and field work.

(4 credits)

This introductory class for first year students examines the natural relationships between the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and lithosphere; human impacts on the natural environment, and global environmental issues: global warming, sea-level rise, and ozone depletion in the stratosphere. Global changes of the past are also studied to give perspective to forecasted changes. Includes writing exercises.

(4 credits)

Pre-requisite:  High school preparation including trigonometry; Appropriate scores on 糖心Vlog's Quantitative Reasoning Diagnostic Placement and 糖心Vlog's Calculus Placement Exam. Students may be exempt from the QR Diagnostic based on SAT and ACT test scores.

The topics included will be (but not limited to): functions, more on functions, limits, derivatives, a review of differentiation, the second derivative, advanced techniques in differentiation, related rates of change, calculating extrema, integration, Introduction to Riemann sums, methods of integration by parts and by substitution and the Mean Value theorem. 

The sessions draw on various learning formats - seminar, workshop, 鈥渃halk and talk鈥�, guided research task (set tutorial tasks) 鈥� whose forms and purposes will be clearly explained, further encouraging students to become active and reflective learners who fully understand why these skills are both necessary and valuable in their chosen subject specialism.

(4 credits)

Cities around the world are striving to be 鈥榞lobal鈥�. This course focuses on the development of one of the greatest of these global cities, London, from the nineteenth through to the twenty-first century and investigates the nature and implications of its 鈥榞lobality鈥� for its built environment and social geography.  We will examine how the city has been transformed by the forces of industrialisation, imperialism and globalisation and consider the ways in which London and its inhabitants have been shaped by their relationships with the rest of the world.  Students will gain insight into London鈥檚 changing identity as a world city, with a particular emphasis on analysis of the city鈥檚 imperial, postcolonial and transatlantic connections; the ways in which past and present, local and global intertwine in the capital; and comparative study of urban change worldwide.  The course is organised chronologically: themes include the Victorian metropolis; London as an imperial space; representations of the city in media, film and popular culture; multicultural London; London as a commercial centre of global capitalism; the impact of urban 鈥榤ega-events鈥�; future scenarios of urban change.

(4 credits)

Theatre in the City will place students at the heart of the experience of theatre. What is a play, and what are its qualities, conditions and boundaries? Are there limits to what the theatre can represent in terms of subject matter? How are audiences engaged, stimulated and provoked, and to what end? What philosophical issues does the theatrical experience engage with, and how are they demonstrated within the live performance event? During our journey, we鈥檒l consider the origins of theatre, the changing roles of performers and spectators over time, and also assess the theatre鈥檚 future prospects.

(4 credits)