Autumn 2025

This module is intended to introduce students to the questions, skills, concepts and debates they will need to grasp in order to undertake doctoral research in practical theology, and to enable students to identify the approaches that are best suited to their interests and proposed areas of study. This module will concentrate on the special distinctives that characterise the field of practical theology, including current research problems, reflective processes and critical questions in the field.

AI implementation and impact in Software Engineering explores the various AI tools and frameworks which are commonly used in software engineering area. The module focuses on understanding differences between general methods and AI tools in software engineering domain to bridging the skill gap, understand the Ethical and responsible of AI in software development and expand students’ knowledge and problem-solving skills on AI-driven tasks in real world cases.

In this module, students can expect to have insight on few representative AI tools/frameworks, clearly understand the pros and cons of them and gain the insight of ethical and responsible of using them for cases, the ability to choose proper tools to facilitate their work to achieve high efficiency solutions.

Pre-requisites/co-requisites: Stage 1 of programme or equivalent plus satisfactory RDCoM2 project confirmation process prior to start, followed by successful RDCom3 progress evaluation during the module. This module is the research dissertation that embodies and completes the outcomes of this professional doctoral programme. It provides students with the opportunity to design and execute a substantial research project on a pressing problem within practical theology of current professional interest and as a result, produce a monograph - length piece of sustained academic writing offering credible conclusions, solutions and insights, constituting a substantial and original contribution to knowledge with clear significance for professional practice in the sector.

This module will equip you to produce an article which makes an original and critical contribution to knowledge in an area of practical theology and / or professional practice and which is suitable for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. This may consist in a traditional written paper involving theoretical, empirical or reflective elements as appropriate, or a creative submission as appropriate to the journal concerned. You will identify a research question (or creative goal) suitable for exploration within an academic or professional journal, a potential target audience, and an appropriate methodology. The module normally includes a ‘bridging day’ in the summer before the module formally starts which enables preparation for this module.

This module introduces you to key topics and debates in criminology with the aim of building an awareness of the criminological phenomena studied in more depth in year-1 and -2. It explores some of the most important crime types and issues facing the UK and the world today. It explores how the definition of a crime is legally, socially, politically, and historically constructed. It explores global perspectives on crime and punishment, crime and social harm, victimology, and introduces students to the concept of decolonising criminology. The module will explore key social divisions, such as race, gender and sexuality, and how they shape experiences of crime and criminalisation. This will involve guest speakers working in the criminal justice system.

Work placement provides an opportunity for students to develop and apply a range of competencies associated with employment in an area that is of interest to them and for which their undergraduate degree work has provided a suitable preparation. It builds on modules taken in earlier years that explore career preparation and understanding the broader contexts of working in the cultural and creative sectors. The emphasis is on ‘real world’ experiential learning that maximizes the benefits of placement for students’ interests, ambitions and future career development.

This module is intended as a rescue option for exceptional/urgent circumstances only. It provides an opportunity for students to undertake an extended essay or some other equivalent creative piece of work on an area of study undertaken at level 5 or 6. The aim is that the skills, knowledge and methodologies acquired by the student over the course of their degree study are applied and extended in a substantive piece of research, analysis or creativity. The subject, scope and approach of the research/creativity will be formulated by the student in negotiation with their tutor. A suitable reading list will also be developed by the student with the support of their tutor in order to develop and complete the project.

This module is intended as a rescue option for exceptional/urgent circumstances only. It provides an opportunity for students to undertake an independent creative project on an area of study undertaken at level 4 or 5. The project is a site in which students can apply their expertise to an area of interest. The subject, scope, approach and form of the work will be formulated by the student in negotiation with their programme convener/tutor building on that programme's aims and learning outcomes. Appropriate reading will be compiled by the student with support from their tutor as part of this work.

This module builds on Web Design 1. The module introduces students to advanced topics in front-end web development. It will enable students to design, create and test sophisticated user interfaces. Combined with the back end focussed Software Development 2 module, students will be equipped with the knowledge and skills of ‘full stack’ web development. In this module students will learn how to apply empirical research methods to design briefs, and how to build appealing user interfaces for the web that conform to best practices in usability, accessibility, development, and design. Use of advanced tools such as development frameworks, JavaScript, CSS pre-processors, responsive design and flexible layouts will equip students to design and develop to professional standards, for a range of web-enabled devices.

This module introduces students to key issues, concepts and theories of digital media and cultures and forms the foundation for more detailed analyses of digital media in future years. The module encourages students to reflect on their own pre-existing communication practices and experiences together with their current engagement with digital media in order to extrapolate from such reflection the foundational characteristics and aspects of digital media, including interactivity, digitization, hyper textuality and the specific digital literacies involved. Sessions involve the critical analysis and discussion of reading materials, as well as practical exercises focused on specific examples from digital and social media. Students are encouraged to engage in personal reflection and collective discussion along the lines of the following questions: What is the specificity of digital media? How have communication practices changed with the introduction of digital technologies? Can you imagine a world without digital technologies and what would it look like? How are we changing, as individuals and societies, through our engagement with digital technologies? Are text-messaging, email, blogging and social networking new forms of writing? In what way is a Web page different from a printed page? What is the role of images in current communication practices? What does it mean to write for digital media or even to write software, and how is it different from writing an essay, a novel or poetry? Do revolutions in communication technologies (from the printed page to the Internet, from the radio to the podcast, from analogic imaging to digital imaging) always entail a radical transformation in how people understand themselves and their place in the world? The module examines these questions and modulates students' experience by looking at a number of authors and texts, including sociological, philosophical, anthropological, and neurological theories.

This module provides an introductory overview of a wide range of important criminological theories in the study of crime, deviance, and criminal justice. It examines both classic and recent criminological theories by investigating their origins, principal ideas, and practical implications. The module highlights the complexities of definitions of crime, pointing to the importance of historical, social, and political contexts. In doing so it will situate theories in contemporary debates and controversies whilst considering their application to policy. This module also advances core skills such as reading, writing and communication which lays a critical foundation for future modules.

The aim of this module is to introduce students to the key process of depicting characters on screen through developing and producing a non-fiction short solo project. The basic building blocks of characterisation are delivered through screening and analysis of key works, through the practical implementation of technical skills, and via analysis of story finding and storytelling from the practitioner viewpoint. Students are equipped to explore a range of practical and conceptual methods to reflect their character on screen and the knowledge to begin to reflect on their work within a critical and historical context as well as in relation to a range of current practice. Students choose to film themselves or another subject and are encouraged to recognise the implications and ethics of the timeframes, subject matter, and treatment of subjects and stories. As solo filmmakers they are offered an important opportunity to focus on their input as a basis to form their identities as filmmakers before taking on the exciting and rewarding challenges of collaborative group work in term 2. Class screenings and reading materials support diversity, broad representation and key practitioners. A final screening encourages students to view and represent their work in relation to a diverse cohort.

This module encourages students to explore how meaning in film is fostered through particular uses of visual and aural aesthetics, learning some of the foundations of film language. It introduces students to a range of film texts spanning different eras and geographical regions, in the process familiarising them with key moments and debates in film criticism and history. Through a range of case studies, they will encounter varied modes of production, technologies and contexts of reception. Crucially, the module will furnish students with knowledge of how each element of a film’s construction contributes to the ways audiences understand and interpret film, while developing their skills in textual analysis through a variety of classroom exercises. Students will consider key aspects of filmmaking, from cinematography to sound, from editing to mise-en-scène, while analysis introduces theories of narration cf structure, plot, story, screen duration, duration, POV. In learning how to watch a film critically, how may we become more critical practitioners, and write about film in a critically informed manner? From this starting point, students will begin to encounter some of the various critical frameworks that have been used to understand film and the aesthetic, cultural, and political implications that the medium brings.

If you are registered on our Study Abroad Programme, there is no charge for tuition of this module. Students on the International Exchange or Erasmus Programme are welcome to register for this module for a standard 20 credit module fee of £2250. All students registered for this module - Study Abroad, Exchange or Erasmus - must pay a small supplemental charge of around £50-£150 to cover the costs of fields trips. London is one of Europe's most exciting theatrical cities with a range of productions on offer at any given time. Students are introduced to the wide diversity of theatre in London from the major subsidised companies, through the commercial West End to smaller fringe venues and productions. Weekly visits to new or recent events in the capital are introduced with a critical context and are discussed the following week within seminar groups. As part of the seminars, students will explore a range of strategies for analysing dramatic texts in production and reading live performance. Students will be introduced to a range of dramatic forms, conventions and aesthetics, which are employed on current London stages. Students will be encouraged to identify trends in productions and analyse the social and cultural contexts through which they are formed and constructed. Students will explore the relationship between contemporary theatre practices and specific periods of theatre history, i.e. the influence of earlier dramatic forms, conventions, contemporary stagings of classics, and contemporary responses and reworkings of the canonical texts/productions. The module will focus on plays which are currently running in repertory in the London theatre, the actual content varies from one term to another. Students will have an opportunity to visit the latest productions of major subsidised companies such as the National Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and the Globe Theatre, new-writing theatres such as the Royal Court, through to smaller 'fringe' theatres and productions at alternative venues.

Game Design introduces you to the essential principles of designing a game. Although the context of the module is computer games, game design principles are consistent across all game types – board games, sports, and computer games. This module provides practical experience in developing game designs and encourages you to examine the principles of game design in a wide context across the entertainment ecosystem.
You will have the opportunity to explore the creation of narratives (linear and non-linear) and how this shapes the type of game experience players have. You will gain an understanding of game mechanics and dynamics, ensuring a solid foundation for the BA Games Design degree.

This module introduces you to the degree-level study of English Literature, with a particular focus on literary history and notions of literary value, establishing a dialogue between landmark ‘canonical’ texts and texts written by or representing people marginalised from traditional histories and judgements of literary value (judgements often shaped by power relations based on social class, race and ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender, and/or sexuality). The module will empower you to ask vital questions about literature and literary criticism: Who gets to decide what literary value is, and how do traditional notions of literary history and value marginalise and silence other kinds of writers and writing? You will be introduced to varied critical approaches to the study of literature, and to digital resources for literary studies. Transition and writing skills are developed by the embedding of a number of specialist sessions on, for example, understanding what lecturers mean when they say ‘read X text’, essay writing, structuring an argument and writing plain English.

This module introduces you to the fundamental principles of graphic design, and digital imagery, while introducing concepts of typography, iconography, colour theory, and illustration It encourages you to explore and experiment with a wide range of practices and techniques, from the history of graphic design to applied digital image creation to layouts and communication design.

This module also explores questions of digital aesthetics and introduces you to a range of critical concepts and approaches to digital aesthetics and creativity. You develop an understanding of the significance of digital aesthetics through research, analysis and discussion of examples of contemporary creative practices such as contemporary digital design, digital art, photography, and web design.
You are introduced to core design principles, as well as diverse digital design practices and will learn how to apply these concepts to their own digital designs offline and online. The module covers technical and practical considerations such as image format and compression; colour palettes; designing logos, banners, layout for print and web. You become proficient in a range of digital imaging tools (e.g., Adobe CC Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and After Effects.) This module introduces fundamental imaging and composition techniques and principles.

Concept art establishes the artistic vision, style and mood for imaginary environments and characters. In this module you will practice creating the intended look and feel of the visual elements of gameplay, such as characters, backgrounds, props, creatures and vehicles. You will be introduced to professional practices, such as the iterative process of project development, and the creation of a visual portfolio. This module serves as an introduction to the fundamentals of concept art, enabling you to practice the creative and technical skills that bridge creative and technical aspects of game art. Concept art also connects to the game’s story, mechanics, sound and music. Using small-scale creative briefs, you will work in a variety of media, such as sketches, paintings, digital art, and models to produce a portfolio of work.

This module will introduce you to branding and brand identity in practice. You will explore key aspects of brand strategy, creative assets, and the broader cultural and industry context of branding. You will gain an understanding of branding applications in design, communications, and fashion, developing analytical, strategic, and creative skills.

Through case studies and practical projects, you will learn how brand identity connects with media strategies and consumer trends. Topics covered include brand development, storytelling in brand communications, the role of agencies, media strategy, and evaluating communication effectiveness.

You will be assessed through a branding strategy project and a reflective analysis, which will allow you to apply theoretical concepts in practical settings. The module will equip you with transferable skills essential for careers in branding, marketing, and creative industries.

This module provides you with an in-depth introduction to film language through the study of a wide range of films (drama, non-fiction, animation, short and feature-length) spanning different eras and geographical regions. Through selected case studies, you will encounter varied modes of production, technologies and contexts of exhibition and reception, including through a field trip to a key festival such as the London Film Festival. You explore key aspects of filmmaking, such as cinematography, sound, editing, mise en scène and performance, together with theories of narration, authorship and genre. The module provides you with an understanding of how each element of a film’s construction contributes to the ways audiences understand and interpret it. Their skills in close analysis are developed through a variety of classroom exercises, including the hands-on practical analysis of case studies through the use of Adobe Premiere Pro. By training students to view and examine films critically, including with digital editing software, the module provides students with a firm basis for your onward journey to becoming thoughtful, self-reflective practitioners.

Start the journey to becoming journalists and content creators. Guided by professionals, you will learn some of the secrets of the trade. You will discover how to access relevant sources and conduct interviews. You will also start to learn about how journalism works and what it involves.

This module introduces you to the media industry and the culture, traditions and achievements of journalists in Britain and the world. You will also learn to research, prepare and conduct interviews, and select news for the design of a newspaper’s front page.

Digital technology has changed the way news is produced, packaged, distributed, consumed and used by readers and audiences. This module will introduce you to the media business environment, providing a grounding in how the online news and social media industries operate. You will look at how media and communication work to influence society and the way we live our lives.
It will focus on ways that digital technology affects the media production, while providing a grounding in news media analysis. The module will introduce you to debates about online news and social media, considering their possibilities and challenges.

This module is designed to introduce you to the diverse range of perspectives which contribute to what C. Wright Mills famously called the sociological imagination. It is intended to give you a taste of the many different ways to approach a subject of sociological enquiry. It is important for you to understand that debates within sociological theory are often the result of different interpretations of the same field of study. The course is specifically designed to encourage you to think about so-called ‘schools of thought’, to understand what it might be that makes one school of thought different from another, what features might be shared by different schools of thought, and how different perspectives might complement one another in building a fuller understanding of a given subject of enquiry. Furthermore, while an understanding of theory is an essential part of any sociology programme, theory should not be presented as something which is done by others and written about in textbooks. Theorising, seeing how different perspectives can shed light on particular subjects, should be actively encouraged as part of the training of any sociologist.

This module serves as an introduction to the scope of sociology and its distinctiveness as a discipline. Over the course of the term you will become familiar with the origins and early history of sociology, its relationship with other disciplines, and its practical applications. The module will be structured according to six themes: The origins of sociology (in which students will come to understand how classical writers such as Comte, Marx, Durkheim and Weber applied their sociological insights to the understanding of the historical changes of their time); Sociological theories (in which you will be given an overview of some diverse approaches to the practice of sociology, which will be further developed at Level 5); Sociological methods (in which you will be introduced to the range of quantitative and qualitative methods employed by sociologists, also to be further developed at Level 5); Sociology and everyday life (in which you will be able to apply a sociological understanding to their own experiences); Sociology in practice (in which you will be introduced to the practical applications of sociology in such fields as social policy and social research); Decolonizing sociology (in which you will be asked to reflect on the gendered, racialised and colonial history of sociology as a discipline and how this is being challenged).

This module will support you in your transition into Higher Education by providing you with opportunities to adapt to university and university-level study and approaches. You will be introduced to university systems alongside key academic skills for success. You will become familiar with university processes, learning and teaching, giving you the foundational skills to be successful in specific topics relevant to the Social Sciences and therefore also with your degree pathways (Sociology, Criminology, Policing, Digital Forensics). This will enable you to interpret, analyse and critique key literature and research in the Social Sciences as well as develop transferable skills as you consider future employability and related careers.

This module examines biblical, historical, and theological themes related to pneumatology, the study of the Holy Spirit. The course explores the person and mission of the Holy Spirit through listening to the witness of the Scriptures and the early church, and through critical engagement with contemporary theological conversations about the Spirit, including contextual understandings. It will engage theologians across a spectrum of historical and contemporary perspectives and ecclesial traditions. The module will pay particular attention to the soteriological, missiological and ethical dimensions of the Holy Spirit and the practice of spiritual gifts. In keeping with the overall aims of the programme, an important aim of the module is to enable students to make a connection between pneumatology and their own professional practice.

These practical classes provide a framework for students to explore their movement potential using a variety of approaches. Technical, performance, improvisational and interpretative skills will be addressed using the interplay between action, imagination, observation and questioning. Students will be encouraged to reflect on their own practices as dancers and to find ways to explore detailed kinaesthetic awareness through testing (trial and error) and to define how movement is experienced in relation to space and time. Students will be involved in expressive and interpretative tasks in response to music, sound accompaniment or text and work with other dancers to locate synergies and sensitivity in their danced relationships. This module is located in the practical classes which are offered to the BA3 Performance and Repertory students. Students are free to choose a personal portfolio of classes within this provision. The approach and demands of each class will vary according to the interests and expertise of each tutor. At the end of the module, the students present a performance of their practice related to one of the approaches studied during the year. This can be a solo or collaborative presentation.

This module focuses on the development of holistic production values and conceptual lighting design. It will provoke investigation into the relationship of the potential and limitation of lighting for dance. Through assignment and research it will enable students to appreciate and challenge how production and light impact and inform both the choreographic process and presentation. An initial period of tutored practical sessions will equip students to engage their research and experimentation with technical competence. Using their individual choreographic styles and technical foundation, students will explore concepts and ideas which extend the boundaries of their thinking about contemporary performance practice. This module will place an emphasis on reflective practice in conjunction with extensive self and peer appraisal.

This module is the main 'exit' module of the MFA Dance and Embodied Practice: the thesis is a 'practice dissertation'. The module provides opportunities for students to undertake independent practice research in order to deliver a range of materials relating to their interests as dance practitioners including classes, workshops, screendances and performances. Students will be encouraged to develop professional, outward-facing projects in order to engage with a unique vision for the impact of their practice - a dance manifesto. The module explores the inception, planning and production of longer periods of teaching and workshop delivery in order to examine the scope of curricula and artistic aims or perspectives, and the implications of these for design and evaluation. Students develop original research which is supported by tutorials, peer review and open classes and workshops. The year-long module operates as a series of practical workshops, laboratory tasks, offsite visits, feedback sessions, seminars and tutorials. Key feedback points are allocated during the year; these will be negotiated events with students making choices about the aims and structure of feedback processes.

The Creative Dissertation is the culmination of the creative writing strand on the MA Children's Literature and allows students to further develop their creative writing and related research skills. Each student is supported by an expert supervisor who will help them to plan and implement a thoughtful and well-organized creative project. The creative portfolio consists of one or more carefully planned, edited and executed works of original creative writing (such as a novella, or series of picture-book scripts). The critical reflection is a substantive and specific reflection on how a student's writing has been affected by theoretical and contextual issues. It provides an opportunity to reflect on the writing process and the challenges and victories that students have faced. The Creative Dissertation allows students to demonstrate their advanced skills in creative writing, and critical thinking. It also provides crucial evidence of the ability to undertake a creative project supported by sustained research, which is of interest to employers and doctoral programmes.

The module covers various contentious issues that have a bearing on the intersection of politics, economics and market economy, and human rights. The module encourages critical thinking about challenges spurred by this intersection and ways in which such challenges can be met by different actors, so as to improve the realization of human rights in a globalizing world. The course is organized in blocks clustering different themes, situations and/or case studies, such as: the responsibility for human rights by different actors; the understanding and application of business and human rights standards; and the assessment of how business and human rights standards are applied in practice by different actors.

The module lays the foundation for the Erasmus Mundus Master's Programme in Human Rights Policy and Practice by introducing human rights as an interdisciplinary academic field. Furthermore, the legal basis in international law, on which human rights law rests will be thoroughly examined. The module content includes discussion and analysis of the core international human rights instruments, the central discourse and academic debate within the human rights field, and legal and political processes within the international human rights system at the global (UN) and regional levels (Council of Europe, etc.). A moot court that simulates a due process or hearing in the field of human rights will be implemented where students, both orally and in writing, prepare and implement legally based arguments in a simulated court case with the support of human rights agreements and documents. The course encourages, among other things, a critical approach to the opportunities and constraints of justice and legal thinking within the field of human rights, by reflecting the legal perspective on human rights as part of a broader interdisciplinary, problem-oriented and practice-based field.

This module is an extended study that can be taken by those either not choosing to continue to the doctoral dissertation module DPT300D005Y, or who have not been given permission to do so during the transition process. Successful completion, after passing the requisites of Stage 1, can lead to an exit award of MTh. This 15,000-word study provides students with the opportunity to design and execute a research project on a problem within practical theology and produce a piece of sustained academic writing offering illuminating and justified insights with relevance for professional practice in the sector.

This module encourages students to interrogate their learning in a variety of dance techniques and dance practice through the embodied perception of form and function This process will enable students to synthesize action, image and the sense of ‘self’ and ‘other’ in performance. Working at this level will involve challenges to movement memory, the use of timing and musicality and the use of space. Classes will include experimentation with the creative and performative potential of improvisational techniques. More demanding movement sequences, scores and improvisational structures will challenge students to work in greater depth, employing complex problem-solving and evolving strong understanding of qualitative interpretation. Contextual aspects of dance styles and approaches to technique will be questioned through practice, discussion and feedback.

Dissertation

Political Violence

This module provides a comprehensive introduction to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), covering foundational theories, principles, and mathematical underpinnings. You will explore intelligent agents, problem-solving through search techniques, knowledge representation, probabilistic reasoning, and optimisation methods in AI. The second half of the module focuses on machine learning methodologies, including supervised and unsupervised learning, feature engineering, and model evaluation. Through practical implementations, students will develop skills in building intelligent systems, critically evaluating their effectiveness, and applying computational techniques to solve real-world challenges. This module is essential for students pursuing AI-related careers, as it lays the groundwork for more advanced studies in deep learning, generative AI, and Applied AI engineering.

Clinical and Cultural Studies of Trauma

An Introduction to Epidemiology

Global Issues in Health

Social Care and Value Processes

This module explores the dual paradigms of natural and computational intelligence by integrating theoretical insights with practical applications. It examines the biological inspirations behind intelligent behaviour and contrasts these with computational approaches based on algorithmic design and computability. Topics include the foundational paradigms of AI, cellular and developmental systems, evolutionary computation and algorithms, as well as behavioural, collective, and swarm intelligence, culminating in the study of hybrid systems that merge natural and computational methodologies. The course is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of how bio-inspired techniques can be applied to solve complex, multidisciplinary challenges, while addressing issues of computational efficiency, system feasibility, and the trade-offs inherent in AI system design. This module is carefully structured to ensure that students not only gain theoretical insights but also develop practical and analytical skills necessary for advancing the field of AI through a synthesis of natural and computational approaches.

Health and the Environment

Safeguarding and Children’s Welfare

Introduction to Anatomy and Physiology

Health Assets and Health Needs

The module provides students with the opportunity to engage with external agencies and respond to a real time challenge within Policing. External agencies may include organisations, which work with victims of crime, Metropolitan Police, crime reduction and prevention charities. Students will be introduced to the practical reality of becoming an effective consultant within the policing landscape. The module compliments other modules by giving students an opportunity to put their new knowledge into practice in a real consulting situation. The broad aims of the class are to develop skills in (i) effective practice of implementing analysis and consulting tools and techniques and an appreciation of the issues, which may arise. The module will also be concerned with identifying successful strategies for coping with difficult contexts. The module gives students the opportunity to design and plan an independent research project and enable students to produce a written piece of research that demonstrates awareness of the relationship between policing and related fields.

This module focuses on the following core areas of policing: digital policing, countering terrorism, response policing, and roads policing. It examines the crime threats existent in these areas of policing, as well as ways to combat them, including relevant legislation.

Software Development 1 introduces students to the fundamental concepts, methodologies, and techniques of software development. The module provides the foundation skills of the Software Development theme, being followed by Software Development 2 in Semester 2, and Software Development 3 in Semester 1 of Year 2. Programming is a key component of computer science and is an in-demand skill for the workplace inside and outside of the IT industry. Software Development 1 introduces the fundamental principles of software development, including syntax and semantics, variables and primitive data, expressions and assignment, input-output, conditions, iteration, functions, recursion, and an introduction to algorithms. The module details how to build programs using these techniques and how to apply problem-solving strategies in the design and implementation of simple programs. Students will practise the skills of programming. They will work in a high-level language, using the tools to design, implement, build, execute, and test software applications.

Software Development 1 provides students with core programming competencies, providing a foundation for many modules in the Computer Science programme. The Software Development theme feeds into the Data, Algorithms and Artificial Intelligence, Software Engineering, and Computer Systems themes.

The aim of Software Development 1 is to develop students’ fluency in programming languages and software development. The module will require students to both implement their own programs and trace the behaviour of existing programs. Software Development 1 forms one of the three computing views delivered in Semester 1 of Computer Science alongside Computer Systems (machine or hardware view) and Mathematics for Computer Science (mathematical or formal view).

Sociology of Health Care

Computer Systems introduces students to the fundamental concepts, methodologies, and techniques of computer systems and hardware. The module provides the foundation skills of the Systems and Cybersecurity theme, being followed by Operating Systems in Semester 1 of Year 2, and Cybersecurity in Semester 2 of Year 3. Understanding how a computer operates is key to understanding many aspects of computer science, and incorporates ideas of logic design, state machines, and network communications. Computer Systems introduces the fundamental principles of computer systems, including logic design, state machines, assembly level representation, performance evaluation, parallel systems, and network organisation. Students will investigate how computer systems operate, including writing small assembly language programmes and designing state machines. The aim of Computer Systems is to develop students’ fluency in systems understanding and design. The module will require students to both implement their own systems designs and understand existing systems designs. Computer Systems forms one of the three computing views delivered in Semester 1 of Computer Science alongside Software Development 1 (software view) and Mathematics for Computer Science (mathematical or formal view).

The module allows for professional development and a transformative educational experience to prepare students who wish to join the police service. The module draws on the skills and knowledge gained at level 4 and 5 and requires students to identify key professional skills in a range of policing contexts. This includes study skills for research and policing practitioners, criminology and crime prevention, pro-active approaches to vulnerability, risk and public protection. Key focus is placed on problem solving and addressing contemporary challenges. The module will help develop future leaders in the police service and aid social and emotionally intelligent individuals when carrying professional duties. The academic team work in partnership with outside agencies to explore career opportunities in the police service and other law enforcement agencies.

Mathematics for Computer Science teaches the underpinning mathematical techniques of computer science. The module provides the modelling principles required for modules in algorithms, artificial intelligence, data science, software engineering, and cybersecurity. Mathematics is key to understanding many computational phenomena, and thus fundamental to many careers in computer science. Mathematics for Computer Science teaches the core mathematics of computer science, including set theory, logic (propositional and predicate), number theory, graph theory, and proof. The module details how to these mathematical techniques are used within computing, providing contextual examples and exercises to support student learning, and understanding. The aim of Mathematics for Computer Science is to develop students' fluency in computing mathematics. The module will require students to solve mathematical problems as well as represent computational phenomena using mathematical techniques. Mathematics for Computer Science forms one of the three computing views delivered in Semester 1 of Computer Science, alongside Software Development 1 (software view) and Computer Systems (machine or hardware view).

This module examines the legislative and policy framework for dealing with victims and witnesses from a policing perspective. Students will look at evidence and research to understand best practice for victims and witnesses from the point of initial assessment to the duty of providing ongoing care, to post-judicial proceedings. In the module, various types of justice outcomes available, both judicial and non-judicial, will be explored.

The module provides the Professional Project and other End Point Assessment requirements for final-year students following the BTh Theology and Ministry as part of the IATE Integrated Degree Apprenticeship, defined in the standard ST0527, available at https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/apprenticeship-standards/church-minister-integrated-degree-v1-0.

The information in this module specification is based on the End-point Assessment Plan for the Apprenticeship, available at https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/media/3323/st0527_church-minister_l6_ap-for-publication_170719_qm.pdf. For further details on any of the assessment components, apprentices should refer to this document.

The EPA assessment as a whole consists of
- Professional discussion supported by portfolio (80 mins incl. scenario preparation)
- Work-based project and report (6,000 words plus appendix providing KSB mapping)
- Observation of leading worship and preaching (90 mins plus 15 mins Q&A)

The module will develop students’ understanding of Evidence Based Policing (EBP). Students will explore the emergence of EBP, the methods it uses, its place in the professionalisation of the police, and its usage to police different types of crime. The module will also introduce students to critiques and constraints of EBP, including as regards the methods it uses and the ethical implications of its application. Students will become familiar with reviewing and critiquing evidence, and identifying sources of information which can be used in an evidence-based approach. Through acquiring a detailed understanding of EBP, students will gain familiarity with a key component of contemporary policing, thereby preparing them for careers in the Police and other institutions of the CJS. Moreover, the students will gain important transferable skills which they can use in other career paths, through developing their research methods skills and an understanding of how research and knowledge generation can shape professional practice.

This module aims to establish patterns for life-long learning through introducing students to evidence-based ministry development and professional and theological reflection, looking at their professional practice through a critical-evaluative lens. The context will be the student’s Principal Ministry Role (PMR) and relevant curricular learning. Students will learn how to evidence their work-based learning and growth as reflective practitioners by constructing a Ministry Development portfolio and engaging in an assessed reflective conversation in preparation for the Professional Discussion required by the EPA.

This module introduces a foundation study of dance movement using a range of practical classes alongside the introduction of dance science and its application to safe and healthy dance practice. Students are encouraged to draw connections between codified dance techniques, somatic practice, and other dance styles and genres which reflect recent developments in dance practice. The module provides guidance for students to analyse, explore and challenge their own movement tendencies and their assumptions about dance technique, in order to find more efficiency, functionality and expressivity in their dancing.

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If you are registered on our Study Abroad Programme, there is no charge for tuition of this module. Students on the International Exchange or Erasmus Programme are welcome to register for this module for a standard 20 credit module fee of £2250. All students registered for this module - Study Abroad, Exchange or Erasmus - must pay a small supplemental charge of around £50-£150 to cover the costs of fields trips. This module provides an opportunity for students to develop a deeper understanding of the history of London and of some of its most celebrated monuments, heritage and art-historical sites. In past years, this module has only been available to study abroad students, but there is no reason this module should not be available to home students. In opening the module to UK/EU and non-EU students the programme achieves two things: first, it offers a pathway for students from first year to study London's history in greater depth, and second, it internationalizes the learning experience. The module puts students in touch with various types of historical artefacts - architecture, sculpture, painting and archaeological objects - and to various types of historical sources and approaches to them. Students will develop a meaningful awareness of the particular character and challenges of London history through these visual and material sources as well as texts, both factual and fictional. The syllabus will include visits to London's museums and heritage sites such as Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London and less well-known sites, off the 'tourist trail'.

This module provides a comprehensive introduction to the political system of the United States of America and to the rival theoretical accounts explaining the political outcomes this system generates. It focuses on the ideas that influence US politics, and the key actors that participate in the American political system. These actors include the President, Congress, the Supreme Court, political parties, and the electorate. It also assesses the power and influence of informal actors that affect US politics such as the media and special interest groups, as well as considering the impact of race, ethnicity, gender and religion on political participation and representation. Finally, the module explores the political formulation of foreign policy.

This module examines changing understandings and experiences of gender and sexuality in Europe from the middle of the nineteenth century until after the First World War. It explores how ideas on femininity, masculinity, and sexuality changed from 1850 to 1920, and how this affected both the lives of women and men and how they defined their identities. Particular attention is paid to how new concepts in medicine, science and psychology influenced constructions of gender and sexuality and how the role of nature and nurture in the making of the individual was debated in this period. Topics covered will include changing gender relations in the nineteenth century; the ‘woman question’ and the ‘New Woman’; masculinities at the turn of the century; sexology, homosexuality and the ‘third sex’; reforming sex; the rise of eugenics and the politics of reproduction; women and the First World War; shell-shock, masculinity and WWI.

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Level Design builds students game design skills by focusing on developing fun and engaging levels for games. The module will provide practical experience in developing game levels using an industry standard game development tool (e.g., Unity or Unreal). The aim is for students to examine what makes an engaging level within a game, applying their game design skills appropriately.

Students will have the opportunity to explore how designs are constructed, incorporating elements of 3D modelling, scripting, lighting, and gameplay. Students will be able to apply their knowledge of game mechanics and dynamics to effectively build levels, ensuring ongoing development of student skills for BA Games Design.

Lighting and Rendering introduces students to the tools and techniques to create realistic 3D assets for different forms of media through the use of lighting and rendering techniques. The module builds students’ skills in 3D development, enhancing the modelling pipeline work (as used in studios), focusing on the stages of lighting and rendering.

This module builds upon the foundation skills developed in 3D Modelling, enhancing the skills of students studying BA Games Art and BA Games Animation. Learning in this module is hands-on, relying on continued practice through lab work and work outside of timetabled class time. Students will improve on their core 3D modelling skills through application in workshop sessions.

From Daniel Defoe to The Sunday Times’s Insight team, from WT Stead to Watergate, from Nellie Bly to bellingcat and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, from undercover reporting to open-source investigations, forensic architecture, and data journalism. This module aims to explore the history of investigative journalism and analyse landmark cases of investigative reporting in Britain, the US and across the world. It encourages a discussion of the cultural, political and economic factors that shape the practice of investigative journalism in the UK and other countries and identifies the opportunities and threats this modality of journalism faces today. It examines the peculiarities of the relationship between investigative reporters and their sources of information and the political, legal and ethical controversies in which they often find themselves. The module introduces students to some of today’s most advanced forms of reporting, including open-source investigations and data journalism. Students acquire basic knowledge of the innovative use of new technologies in far-reaching investigations on some of the world’s most complex social, cultural, and political subjects. The module, however, is eminently practical and aims to develop students’ ability to design and execute a viable investigative project, using some of the technical and professional resources examined in class. Students will gain advanced reporting skills, which they could use in other modalities of journalism and even in non-journalistic roles in media management and consultancy, and PR. It also provides an opportunity for students to develop leadership skills, and their ability to work as part of a team.

With the emphasis on ‘real world’ experiential learning, Transformation 3 builds upon Transformation 2 and provides an opportunity for students to further enhance or consolidate the competencies associated with employment developed in Transformation 2; determine or refine their career plans; begin or continue to develop their own business. It continues to foster resilience, innovation and the confidence to enter the graduate jobs market with a portfolio of completed placements/projects that demonstrate engagement in the field or across related fields. The module has a flexible design which allows students to play to their strengths and confidence levels but provides sufficient stretch to permit greater experimentation. To achieve this, students will be guided, as appropriate, to tackle a “wicked problem” within UR/local community (e.g., strategic priorities around reducing carbon footprint); take a more traditional placement opportunity in a company, school, or charitable organization, for example; work on their own entrepreneurial project; or pursue international projects (e.g., through the Turing Scheme). The module will provide a “shelf” of ready-made project ideas and challenges that students can select. Students will be guided in the selection from the “shelf” based largely on a RAG rating determined by their performance in Transformation 2. Students can also find their own project and will be allowed to pursue this if it is safe and appropriate for them to do so. AT level 6, students will be encouraged to be more ambitious, though ‘ambition’ will be measured against the individual student’s progress and achievement at Level 5. Research shows that students from ADI are more likely to set up their own business whilst studying than students from other Schools, so building entrepreneurship into the provision at every level is essential. In Transformation 3, we will continue to encourage them to engage with LaunchPad: the entrepreneurship competition funded by Santander which awards Business Start Up grants to successful applicants. Alumni who were successful in securing a grant will be invited back to meet current students and share the secret of their success.

Images form a crucial means of communicating knowledge and ideas and research within the field of media and culture is largely visual in nature. Existing images, such as photographs and films, provide researchers with interesting objects to analyse and the world is now understood to be marked by a concern with visuality and the authenticity of visuals. Researchers, in academia and industry, deploy visual and creative methods as a research strategy and as such their work marks a critical and dynamic space of innovation. Within the context of this course students will be introduced to a range of case-examples, relating to the practical use of media - including photography, video, drawing and maps - in undertaking research. Through a series of weekly tasks students will have hands on experience of these methods. In the context of a final small-scale pilot project they will develop their understanding of one method in depth. They will be shown how to carry out a visual research project of their own, exploring further the practical issues and ethical concerns associated with research of this kind. The course will be particularly useful for those working on an image-based dissertation project or independent study, and will provide a wealth of experience relating to the experimental use of visual media, applicable following graduation.

A specialist-taught module where you work in pairs or trios to conceptualise and produce a narrative or non-narrative mini-film (1-2 mins) on the open brief of ‘climate and environment’, following certain stipulated technical and aesthetic challenges in sound design and cinematography. Fulfilling all roles together, you will emerge with greatly enhanced technical skills in the core filmmaking areas of cinematography and sound, while also having gained short-form work for their portfolios. You will be able to form and fulfil a socially conscious brief on climate and environment and critically justify both your idea as well as how your audiovisual craft choices support and deliver it. Technical challenges may include moving from interior to exterior, differentiating time and place, capturing a shift in emotional temperature, and the avoidance of live dialogue. In meeting these you will have learned an array of industrial-standard techniques including the use of contemporary technologies of lighting, sound recording, camera, lenses, grip, sound design, foley, dubbing, tracklaying, mixing and editing, in a range of environments.

For aspiring filmmakers aiming to make a positive social and cultural impact, creative, critical and self-reflective research skills are more professionally valued than ever, especially in the development stage of film projects. This module is designed to support you in the research and development of your Graduation Projects, including writing and story development, guiding you through a blend of seminars, pitching labs, field trips, and visits from industry speakers, to explore your ideas and practice through an engagement with key selected critical frameworks and filmmaking practices from around the globe. Potential topics with which to inspire and shape your narrative, thematic and aesthetic approaches include fluid cinematic genres and genders, global versus local versus transnational, popular forms and justice, postcolonial activism, migrant and/or accented cinema, ecological cinema, and creative disabilities/divergent expression. You will reflect critically on your own practice and future projects through reference to the examples studied, including through the in-class workshopping and delivery of pitches formulated in response to the weekly topic, which also evolve directly or indirectly your Graduation Pitch assessment. The self-reflective dimension of the module underpins your final critical reflection. The pitching labs support you to explore diverse forms of narrative conceptualisation, visualisation and screenwriting, building towards, and culminating in, your final pitches, which in turn provide the basis for your ensuing Graduation Projects.

This module introduces students to the foundations of front-end Web development. The module starts by teaching the basic principles of interaction design and user-centred design. Students then have the opportunity to put these principles into practice in practical labs. Students learn how to design page layout, how to build Web pages with HTML, how to style pages with Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and how to add customised third-party content such as Google maps and YouTube videos. Testing of user interfaces is also considered. The module also ensures that students understand the technical foundations by which web site are made available to users over the internet, including the domain name system and modern cloud-based hosting solutions. This module is an essential part of student’s journey towards being a well-rounded web developer who can create, implement and test effective and appealing user interfaces.

The independent project embeds knowledge, skills and passion for historical themes and topics directly related to chosen careers. It enables the students to secure jobs in their areas of choice and acts as an ongoing resource going forwards in their careers. Students demonstrate the skills they have acquired at earlier levels to sources related to an area of enquiry. It is intended to develop and demonstrate research skills and the ability to work independently with responsibility. Independent project topics are supervised by an appropriate tutor, who will guide students through the various stages of formulating, researching and writing this piece of work. Alongside individual supervision, the student cohort comes together for workshops to reflect on their progress, discuss shared issues, and get instruction on planning, researching, budgeting time for their project, as well as “pitching” its relevance. Students will also express their project value for their future careers as part of their independent research work. This review sets out how their independent project makes the connection between their academic interests to their future career paths. This component enhances their employability skills and helps them convert their study experience into an asset in job interviews and underpins future initiative in their careers.

Concept art establishes the artistic vision, style and mood for imaginary environments and characters. In this module you will practice creating the intended look and feel of the visual elements of gameplay, such as characters, backgrounds, props, creatures and vehicles. You will be introduced to professional practices, such as the iterative process of project development, and the creation of a visual portfolio. This module serves as an introduction to the fundamentals of concept art, enabling you to practice the creative and technical skills that bridge creative and technical aspects of game art. Concept art also connects to the game’s story, mechanics, sound and music. Using small-scale creative briefs, you will work in a variety of media, such as sketches, paintings, digital art, and models to produce a portfolio of work.

Game Design introduces students to the essential principles of designing a game. Although the context of the module is computer games, game design principles are consistent across all game types – board games, sports, and computer games. This module provides practical experience in developing game designs and encourages students to examine the principles of game design in a wide context across the entertainment ecosystem. Students will have the opportunity to explore the creation of narratives (linear and non-linear) and how this shapes the type of game experience players have. Students will gain an understanding of game mechanics and dynamics, ensuring a solid foundation for the BA Games Design degree.

Web Design introduces students to the key topics in front-end web development. It will enable students to design, create and test sophisticated user interfaces. Combined with the ‘back-end’ focussed software development, students will be equipped with the knowledge and skills of ‘full stack’ web development. In this module students will learn how to apply empirical research methods to design briefs, and how to build appealing user interfaces for the web that conform to best practices in usability, accessibility, development, and design. Use of industry standard tools such as development frameworks, JavaScript, CSS pre-processors, responsive design and flexible layouts will equip students to design and develop to professional standards, for a range of web-enabled devices.

This 40-credit module is central to the final year of the undergraduate English Literature Programme and combines two distinct but complementary strands. The Final Year Project consolidates and develops the advanced skills students have learned at HE4 and HE5 in planning work, interpreting texts, developing theoretical and critical approaches, and in pursuing individual study and research. It fosters independence of thought, project-planning and organisation skills, and allows students to develop their own particular research interests and to enhance their academic expertise. The ‘Project’ description will also offer students the opportunity to plan and develop a non-traditional output which is equivalent to a dissertation (eg website, digital object, film essay), provided their proposal is formally approved. For this, it will need to be carefully planned, feasible within the timescale, the department will need to be capable of supervising it, and it must meet the same standards of academic rigour, substantial research content, and critical and analytical thought as the traditional dissertation. The module also connects with key employability skill sets developed at level 4 and 5, as well as (optional) internship or work placement undertaken at level 5, and focuses particularly on lecture and workshop sessions in the Autumn term, emphasising project planning and organization and reflective exercises which will enable students to develop and recognize the transferrable and highly employable skills they have developed on this and previous modules.

What is leadership? How do politicians communicate? This module explores these questions, with a focus upon both historical contexts and contemporary dynamics. Students will continue to develop their own skills (negotiating, communicating, team-working, etc.), whilst examining how different leaders have used these same skills in various situations. We will focus upon some of the big debates about leadership (what is it, how does it vary across cultures, what happens during crises, etc.). These are explored through the use of case studies, with guided development of those analytical skills needed in order to assess leaders and their strategies. Leadership and communication at all levels (global, national, and local) is considered, with due consideration also given to how this changes from environment to environment.

This module examines the dynamic relationship?between?image and text, asks questions about adaptation, intertextuality, medium-specificity, genre, authorship, and explores the skills needed to write visual scripts for film, television and gaming. We will draw on a wide range of examples to expand your knowledge base of audio-visual and digital media, and will explore the mechanics of structure, adapting texts for the screen, storyboarding and other visual filmmaking methods, traditional and alternative narrative arcs, developing characterisation and dialogue. Throughout the module, we will develop a sense of?the screenwriter as a filmmaker, generate ideas and writing exercises individually and in groups, consider the principles and conventions of visual storytelling, dramatic writing and scene construction, apply professional screenwriting layout and format, and examine development techniques and script editing. The module will serve as a pathway from and into a range of English Literature, Creative Writing and Film modules, including Multicultural London and Philosophy, Film and Literature in Level 4, Introduction to Screenwriting in Level 5, and Literature and Media, Tragedy, Professional Screenwriting and Popular Literature and Culture in Level 6.

Transformation 2 builds upon Transformation 1 and provides an opportunity for students to develop a range of competencies associated with employment; determine or refine their career plans; begin or develop their own business. It continues to foster resilience, innovation and the confidence to enter the graduate jobs market with a portfolio of completed placements/projects etc. that demonstrate engagement in the field. Throughout this and Transformation 3, the emphasis is on ‘real world’ experiential learning that maximizes the benefits of placement/projects for students’ interests, ambitions and future career development. The module has a flexible design which allows students to play to their strengths and confidence levels but provides sufficient stretch to permit greater experimentation within this module or at level 6. To achieve this, students will be guided, as appropriate, to tackle a “wicked problem” within UR/local community (e.g., strategic priorities around reducing carbon footprint); take a more traditional placement opportunity in a company, school, or charitable organization, for example; work on their own entrepreneurial project; or pursue international projects (e.g., through the Turing Scheme). Each year, the module will provide a “shelf” of ready-made project ideas and challenges that students can select. Students will be guided in the selection from the “shelf” based largely on a RAG rating determined by their performance in Transformation 1. Students can also find their own project and will be allowed to pursue this if it is safe and appropriate for them to do so. Research shows that students from ADI are more likely to set up their own business whilst studying than students from other Schools, so building entrepreneurship into the provision is essential. Students will be encouraged to engage with LaunchPad: the entrepreneurship competition funded by Santander which awards Business Start Up grants to successful applicants. Alumni who were successful in securing a grant will be invited back to meet current students and share the secret of their success. Students will be encouraged to complete some LinkedIn Learning courses to develop their digital skills. Where students do not fit easily into a placement/wicked problem/business development etc., they will be encouraged to take several LinkedIn Learning courses, providing a brief log for each to indicate why it was important to them, the potential benefit to their career prospects and an amended CV detailing successful training. The modules in the Transformation series incorporate career and work experience into the academic student experience thereby providing Embedded Support by design. The module links to the key aims of Roehampton Futures; creating graduates who are aware of their social responsibility, equipping them with the skills for their future and with the resilience and confidence to navigate their chosen graduate career paths. The module also aligns with the EDI strategy not least in the design of the assessment. As in Transformation 1, we will continue to actively encourage to engage with the University Careers Service through Career Registration, and Career Pulse so they can complete the Chancellor’s Careers Award. Engagement with Colleges and University activities will also be promoted so that students are aware of the full range of activities employers look for on a CV.

How are we to approach the philosophy of religion? Is it more than the philosophy of God? And what, if anything, does it have to do with the practical and moral issues which occupy us as human beings? We shall approach the subject in a way which acknowledges the significance of these practical and methodological issues, and will consider questions such as the following: what is the relation between science and religion? Does it make sense to say that there is purpose in the universe? How are we to understand the purpose of human life? What is the relation between being spiritual and being religious? Is God necessary for morality? What is religious experience? What is salvation?

This module introduces students to the idea of software as a social and cultural phenomenon. It encourages them to engage critically with the social, political and economic implications of digital and social media communities and cultures, to reflect on their own engagement with software as a cultural and social agent. To this end, we consider conventional tools (e.g., software packages), environments and platforms, and the implications of generative (AI) systems. As developing practitioners in the creative industries, students will be invited to pay particular attention to ideas of creativity, labour, assets and property. The module presents students with an overview of specialist academic fields such as software studies, social media studies, critical sociology and labour studies. All these fields and approaches are meant to deepen students’ theoretical understanding of software, digital media and to provide them with the culture to balance contextual knowledge essential to future media professionals with developments in the contemporary digital world.

Most of us assume that the state has the right to punish those who break the law. However, punishment generally involves the deliberate restriction of freedom and the imposition of serious harms; harms which stand in need of justification. Consequently, this third-year module invites students to consider what, if anything, justifies state punishment. In doing so, it engages philosophical issues concerning the appropriate limits of the criminal law, its distinctiveness as a branch of law, and punishment as a response to the commission of crimes. Some of the central questions guiding our enquiry include: • What should the state criminalize? What is the proper scope of the criminal law? • What justifies criminal punishment? Is the state justified in punishing those who break the law because punishment is necessary to deter others from doing the same? Or do those who break the law deserve to be punished? • How should we determine the appropriate amount of punishment to impose upon a convicted criminal? • Are there principled limits to the kinds of punishment that a just state may employ? • Does the state retain the right to punish those who are themselves the victims of social injustice that the state permits? For example, does the state have the standing to punish the poor when they commit crimes? • Can the state legitimately transfer its right to punish criminals to private corporations such as privately run for-profit prisons? • If, as some people argue, criminal punishment is never justified, what might replace the institution and practice of punishing those who break the law? In addressing these questions, we will engage with theorists such as H. L. A Hart, Ronald Dworkin, Victor Tadros, Arthur Ripstein, Jeffrie Murphy, Jean Hampton, Antony Duff, Sandra Marshall, Alon Harel, and Angela Davis.

To start their project, students go through a proposal-phase to research, develop, prototype and present a project within their specialism. In developing their projects, students will be guided through the different practical aspects of project working (e.g., resources, budgets, milestones, collaboration, stakeholders, technical requirements and ethics). Alongside this, weekly sessions will ask the students to articulate individual project objectives via stated aims, milestones, proposed outcomes, impact and potential future development. The Proposal-phase offers a sandpit-style testing ground for ideas and prototypes (e.g., a presentation (pitch), prototype/working model, or an outline with chapter summaries for written projects). Once a project has been planned, students put into practice their analytical, critical and implementational skills to develop and produce a capstone project appropriate to their degree specialism. Students put directly into practice the skills and experience (e.g., research, creative, design, technical and production skills), as well as their ability to conceptualise, manage and bring to completion a project to a professional standard, either individually or through collaboration.

The Live Brief is an opportunity for students to work on a real-world task presented by an external organisation or client. The students are invited to come up with creative solutions or ideas that can benefit the partner organisation. The live brief should result in agreed deliverables that students present to the client. This gives students the opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills to a professionally relevant task, working with practitioners to set objectives and agree deliverables.  For animation or games, a live brief could involve creating animations or game elements for a client, developing a game or animation concept based on the client’s requirements, or other related tasks. The specifics of the live brief will vary depending on the client’s needs. Other examples of live briefs in design and communications fields include market research, user experience research, a plan to raise the profile of an organisation using social media, prototyping and testing, data analysis projects, communication and educational resources, planning a communications campaign, and more.

This module introduces you to the fundamental principles and techniques of design and modelling for animation and games. You will learn how to create 2D and 3D assets for computer games using industry-standard software and tools. You will develop your artistic vision, conceptual skills, and visual communication abilities through small-scale tasks. You will explore design and modelling in relation to other elements of games, such as character design, environment design, and user interface design. Assessment will take the form of practical project briefs, where you will design and model game assets for various genres and platforms. You will also reflect on your work and evaluate it against the game development process and the role of art in games. 

The module complements other modules by giving students an opportunity to put their new knowledge into practice in a real consulting situation. The broad aims of the class are to develop skills in effective practice of implementing analysis and consulting tools and techniques and an appreciation of the issues which may arise. The module will also be concerned with identifying successful strategies for coping with difficult contexts. The module gives students the opportunity to design and plan an independent research project and enables students to produce a written piece of research that demonstrates awareness of the relationship between policing and related fields.

The module will provide students with both a critical sociological understanding of the world of work and employment and encourage them to apply this understanding to their own experience (or future expectations) of work. It aims to combine both sociological understanding with practical engagement. The topics studied will bring home the reality of work in contemporary living, including how we control and are controlled at work and how identity is formed by organisations. Students will have the opportunity to begin networking and communication with a business professional from the sector. Developing these skills will contribute to the portfolio that spans the degree programme and is the direct requirement of assessment of this module. In this level 5 module, students will develop a part of their portfolio as a tool for assessment and personal reflection and monitoring. This module will continue the work from level 4 with the essential skills portfolio and reflecting on progress to date. The essential skills portfolio: learning, citizenship and employability. Sociology has developed a set of 12 essential skills that students and future graduates will need for Learning, Citizenship and Employability. These skills have been developed from the latest research in the field.

This module examines the role problem-solving and preventative policing play in contemporary policing and allows students to apply them to real-world problems in a way which also allows them to use their criminological knowledge. Students will examine the principles of problem-solving and plan an intervention using problem-solving techniques. Students will also explore some of the core tenets of preventative policing and apply this to case studies. Students will also be asked to consider the wider criminological and social dimensions of some of the crimes which preventative policing and problem-solving can help address.

The module will equip students with a practical and academic understanding of criminal investigation. Students will be introduced to debates on the extent to which criminal investigation is an art, a craft, or a science, and locate this within ongoing attempts to professionalise the police. Students will learn about the structure of an investigation, the guiding principles, investigative decision-making, and how the police employ various experts in the course of their investigations. Students will also learn about investigative interviewing, important legislation, and ethical concerns. Investigative failing will also be explored, as will the impact of personal attitudes and bias. The importance of victim and witness care during an investigation will also be highlighted Students will also be introduced to case studies, covering a range of different ‘volume and priority’ and ‘serious and complex’ crimes, as well as international and cold cases,to make sure the material covered has a practical grounding. They will also learn about investigating these different types of crime.

Questions of gender and sexuality are significant across society, including debates about equality and human rights to leisure and pleasure. This module develops a sociological account of gender and sexuality to understand the social, political and economic aspects of gender and sexuality as private and public identities, cultures and social structures. The module develops these arguments while orienting students toward social action that can lead to progressive social change, including work with NGOs and charities that seek to combat prejudice. It will also develop critical thinking skills around data and public debates about gender and sexuality, as well as considering both the strengths and limitations of activism related to these issues. The module aims are: • to provide students with the conceptual apparatus for understanding the social nature of gender and sexuality; • to enable students to critically analyze dominant discourses of gender and sexuality; • to appreciate the interplay between academics and activists in promoting social equality for members of marginalized groups; • to apply key skills of analysis and presentation in the context of debates about gender, sexuality and social justice.

This module introduces students to contemporary themes and issues in British politics. It offers an overview of issues such as the constitution, elections, and policy formation. Students will be required to demonstrate engagement with new skills through both written and verbal means (a policy analysis and a cabinet simulation). We will explore policy issues within their relevant contexts (historical and current), whilst considering what role public opinion and elections play in how these issues are approached. Political structures, agency and institutions will be covered, with due consideration of ongoing debates about constitutional reform included.

This introductory module provides students with understanding of the main themes and issues in the world of politics. This is matched by a complementary focus upon developing those skills that students will need in order to study these aspects. Indeed, a major objective of this module is to help students in developing effective research, analysis, writing and oral skills relevant to the world of politics, including academia, government, civil society and media. We will also look at the skills that those involved in politics use (negotiating, debating, campaigning, etc). This class will take a global comparative approach aimed at fostering an understanding of the complex phenomenon of global politics.

Grassroots organisations create meaningful social change through collective action. The meaning is derived from the transition from individual grievances to shared experiences of injustice. Social movements are formed when individuals realise that it is only through organisation that their voices can be heard. These movements can have many trajectories depending of their identity politics, resources and opportunities. If they successfully achieve their goals, they may become professionalized as NGOs, which opens them to new opportunities for creating transformative change in society. This module traces the journey from individual experiences of injustice to collective empowerment and mobilization for human rights protection. This evolution is fraught with challenges stemming from these organisations' potentially conflicting interests and world views across a wide range of issues. The lectures in this module critically examine these conflicting perspectives to understand what drives individuals and collectives to mobilize, challenge existing structures of power and succeed in creating their vision of a more just society. Students will acquire the theoretical knowledge and professional skills necessary to understand the evolution from individual and collective action through the use of traditional and cutting-edge campaign strategies in a variety of social organisations. This module will prepare students to act as catalysts for meaningful social change in their future professional activities.

This module critically explores how societies respond to crime, by looking at the relationship between justice, social control, punishment, and victimisation as outlined in the QAA benchmarks (2019). Students will explore what punishment is, whether it works, and possible consequences for individuals who experience it and for societies. During interactive seminars, we will engage with key debates to question whether imprisonment, both as a crime control measure and as an institution of rehabilitation is successful. The module aims to situate the modern prison and broader practices of the criminal justice system within their broader social, historical, political, and economic context. Students will also explore key social and legal issues arising from punishment by evaluating challenges of prison reform and consider alternatives to imprisonment. The module introduces students to a range of criminal justice professions and understanding of core debates and challenges in the punishment realm. Students will have the opportunity to hear from external speakers who work in prison/crime control settings, as well as from ex-offenders about their experiences in the criminal justice system.

The module provides an introductory overview of policing in England and Wales, in a way which feeds into topics covered in greater depth in Years 2 and 3 of the students’ studies. Students will learn about the historical, political, and legal developments in policing in England and Wales and their role within the Criminal Justice system. The professionalization of the police will be explored. The structure, function, and key roles of the police service will be examined, as well as different policing agencies, including some which locate policing more internationally e.g. Interpol, Europol etc. Students will be introduced to the importance of ethics in policing, as well as upholding equality, diversity and human rights. Moreover, these principles will be discussed in the context of policing a diverse society. The module examines the strategic context of policing and the contemporary challenges in modern policing drawing on a range of current case studies, while considering the strategies adopted by the police such as problem oriented policing and intelligence led policing. The module will enable students to understand past, current, and future trends in policing in England and Wales.

The scope of this module is to equip students with a critical, theoretically- informed and basic technical understanding of cybercrimes, which are crimes committed via the internet and through the World Wide Web. Cybercrimes have increased since the 1990s and the internet and the web have given rise to a myriad of new crimes that are not yet well understood. Some consist of traditional terrestrial crimes now happening via the internet, such as stalking or internet trespassing (hacking). There are also new nefarious acts that have developed with the expansion of the web, such as the spread of computer malware (viruses), software piracy or juvenile sexting. The web also offers a new forum for political factions who conduct cyber hacktivism, commit cyber terrorism or engage in cyber wars. Indeed, the biggest challenge of Cybercrime is that it happens in a compressed space and time virtual environment. Cyber criminals can live on opposite side of the globe from their victims, who can belong to any social background and entity, such as lower and upper social classes, governments’ institutions and transnational corporations. This represents one of the biggest challenges for law enforcement institutions and cyber security professionals and firms. The profound social impact that this technology is having in societies, which has been considered greater than the industrial revolution, will offer innovative Criminological perspectives on criminology and a theoretical- informed and basic technical understanding of these new phenomena to students. 

This module examines the relationship between migration, criminal justice and citizenship. Rooted in the academic literature on border criminology (or 'crimmigration'), it will introduce students to a range of debates about crime, migration, citizenship and the nation state. The module will begin with a broad introduction to states' responses to crime and migration, considering a range of theoretical and empirical perspectives on the relationship between systems of criminal justice and migration control. Early sessions will also deepen students' understanding of key concepts such as globalisation, sovereignty and citizenship, and how these relate to social stratification along lines of class, race and gender. This is particularly suited to the MA in Global Criminology, as it will develop students' ability to think critically about the role of states in determining who belongs and who does not. As the course proceeds, it will examine a range of institutions and practices where criminal justice and migration control converge, such as policing, courtrooms, prisons, immigration detention and deportation. In these sessions, we will draw on an interdisciplinary body of research from criminology, law, migration studies, sociology and other areas. Students will primarily read about developments in the UK and Europe, North America, and Australia, but there will also be opportunities to read about and discuss case studies elsewhere.

This compulsory module, alongside an additional autumn term compulsory module entitled Harms, Crime and Power, will lay the foundation for MA studies in criminology and criminal justice. The module will locate the discipline of Criminology within its cultural and historical context and will examine a range of responses to crime, including policing, probation, the criminal justice process and prisons, as well as different conceptualisations of and contexts for justice, including international justice (e.g. human rights law, the ICC), environmental justice and restorative justice. The module will develop students’ critical thinking and communication skills by drawing on a range of interdisciplinary perspectives and research studies to offer an intellectually rigorous criminological introduction to the study of crime control and justice.

Drawing upon a range of social theories, this module aims to stress the fundamentally social basis of digital technologies. In particular, the module will focus on how an understanding of digital society can help us understand issues that have long been a focus of sociology such as power, inequality, surveillance, resistance and identity and how these become increasingly more intertwined with everyday life. However, it will also examine issues more specific to the digital society such as the consequences of a life increasingly experienced and mediated online.

This module provides a foundation for the programme as a whole, as it introduces students to the core issues and debates in the field, and to the vocabulary of human rights in theory and practice. The module begins with a critical interrogation of the idea of human rights, proceeds to discuss the emergence of the modern human rights regime and the major institutions and instruments of human rights protection, and concludes with an interrogation of some of the primary human rights concerns, which politicians, activists, legislators and academics alike need to interpret and negotiate. Throughout the module, students will be introduced to the major laws, conventions and treaties pertaining to these core concerns, and to the diverse range of interpretations and negotiations of them. The module is grounded in the core principle of the programme as a whole: that human rights is a contested terrain. Therefore, it begins by identifying diverse perspectives before applying them to concrete issues in a manner beneficial to students who approach human rights from all disciplinary angles, political, legal, philosophical, sociological, and so on. Many of the issues introduced in this module will be explored in greater depth in bespoke optional modules which allow students the opportunity to specialize in particular areas.

The purpose of the module is to introduce students to the complex world of International Relations.

As a field of study, IR is driven by a focus on the actors, institutions and structures of political action beyond the boundaries of the nation-state. It is concerned with the relationships between nation-states, and with the transnational institutions, such as the United Nations, of which such states form a part. Increasingly, it is also concerned with the role and influence of non-state, such as corporations and NGOs.

In this module, students will be introduced not only to those mechanisms and institutions, but also to the key theories of International Relations, and to the main concepts and challenges facing the international political order in the 21st century.

The focus of this module is thus on international politics broadly conceived, and not specifically on the intersection of IR and human rights, but students will be encouraged throughout to consider the relevance of the various theories and concepts discussed to the study of human rights.

This module is designed to introduce students to the diverse range of perspectives which contribute to the sociological imagination. It is intended to give students a taste of the many different ways they can approach a subject of sociological enquiry. It is important for students to understand that debates within sociological theory are often the result of different interpretations of the same field of study. The module is specifically designed to encourage students to think about so-called ‘schools of thought’, to understand what it might be that makes one school of thought different from another, what features might be shared by different schools of thought, and how different perspectives might complement one another in building a fuller understanding of a given subject of enquiry. Furthermore, while an understanding of theory is an essential part of any sociology programme, theory should not be presented as something which is done by others and written about in textbooks. Theorizing, seeing how different perspectives can shed light on particular subjects and experiences, should be actively encouraged as part of the training of any sociologist.

Family Criminology explores the intersections between crime, criminal justice and family life. By placing 'the family' at the heart of its analysis, this module draws together a range of established criminological topics (such as youth justice, interpersonal violence and victimology) to offer a new and distinctive approach to criminology. This module explores how different theoretical perspectives in criminology, sociology and psychology are used to conceptualise 'the family' and explore how they have been applied in a range of criminal justice settings. Specific topics explored in this module include: Constructions of, and interventions with, the families of 'young offenders'; Criminal families (including Mafia families); Experiences of families of those who have been incarcerated; Policing and family life; Family violence and family homicide; The impact of victimisation on victims' families; Victims families and campaigning within the criminal justice system.

This module operates with a different set of aims and model of teaching than other taught modules, enabling students to research and produce a social sciences project of their own choice. During the module, students write a piece of work based on their own fieldwork and the collection of primary data through quantitative and/or qualitative research methods, or engage in a wholly theoretical, library-based piece of work. Students work largely independently, supported by a supervisor in the department. The module allows students to develop their particular interests within the social sciences; gives students the opportunity to pursue independent research from secondary and/or primary sources in their field and encourages students to work in a more independent and self-managed way.

The module aims to provide students with relevant work-based experience and will do so by providing students with an opportunity to experience employment opportunities available to graduates in Criminology as well as apply knowledge of Criminology to an employment context. The module is introduced by a compulsory half-day session. Students will undertake a placement for a minimum of 56 hours, attend two seminars during the term of discuss progress and develop analysis of the experience.

This module will examine genocide, mass atrocities and international justice in the context of 20th and 21st century modernity and the development of the international human rights regime. It will draw on key theoretical insights from law, sociology, criminology and international relations to understand why these forms of mass violence occur. These theories, concepts and frameworks will be examined through a range of case studies that elaborate on the complex relationships between war, genocide, identity, and violence. These cases will also encourage students to critically analyse the international systems in place to punish these crimes and question the forms of resolution they seek to create.

The dimensions of sex, sexuality and gender are crucial in the understanding, unfolding and articulation of human rights theory and practice. Yet, these aspects have been for long time overlooked in favour of other so-called 'priorities'. In acknowledging the need to focus systematically on the various ways in which social, cultural and political articulations and formations of sex, sexuality and gender participate in the construction of contemporary human rights, this module offers a broad overview on different debates on the body, on men's and women's sexuality, as well as on kinship, the family and intimate relations. The module contains an engagement with key theoretical debates in social theory, with particularly attention to contributions from constructivism, postmodernism, postcolonialism, theory of intersectionality, and queer studies. Furthermore, the module seeks to connect the broad debates in the field of human rights concerning sex, sexuality and gender to contemporary issues in the field of international politics and international relations, looking at the way in which human rights can be co-opted, transformed and 'exported' to serve different interests.

How far the media plays a role in either our shaping perceptions of the social world, or acting as a mirror reflecting the world back to us, is a question that has been hotly debated in sociology. This module will allow students to move away from common-sense views, and consider approaches to media that provide a nuanced understanding of questions of power; access; regulation; resistance representation. The module will draw on contributions from sociology; criminology; cultural studies; childhood studies.

This module examines drug use and policy from a critical sociological, cultural, socio-economic, criminological, health and human rights perspective. It considers theoretical debates on drug cultures and subcultures, drugs and freedom, the normalisation thesis and explores questions of identity, consumption and risk. It explores the relationship and impact of the social, cultural and economic factors that influence substance use and dependent use of drugs. The origins and history of drug policy; the prohibition, medicalisation and welfarisation of drug use are examined. The course examines the assumptions underpinning discourses on the legal-illegal divide, drug harms, crime and criminalisation, media constructions, race, class and the war on drugs, and the implications for policy and practice. It also investigates the historical, political and cross-national factors shaping the governance of use, the international drug trade and law enforcement. The ways in which drug control and regulation is conducted along racial, gendered and class lines, the social costs and 'collateral damage' of the drugs' war are investigated. The future of drug policy and the legalisation debate are considered. This course will allow students to continue and develop their understanding of sociological and criminological theories and debates e.g. including those on identity, culture and subculture, structural inequalities, crime and deviance and global crime.

This module aims to build upon knowledge of theoretical criminology gained in the first year, and to contextualise theoretical criminology. It will look at the historical context in which key theoretical perspectives have developed and will apply these perspectives to the study of contemporary issues and debates on crime and crime control. Throughout the module, the relationship between theory, methods and research will be explored. It will therefore play a dual role in further consolidating and developing a more complex appreciation of perspectives as well as developing students' ability to use, critically analyse and apply criminological theories in research objectives in the second and third year.

This module introduces students to the creation and manipulation of digital images, framing them within the wider context of political power and authenticity. It encourages students to explore and experiment with a wide range of practices and techniques, from digital image editing to post-production manipulation using industry standard Adobe software ( Photoshop, Lightroom and Bridge). Students will develop an understanding of the power of images through research, analysis and practical application. Students will learn how to create their own powerful images using professional DSRL cameras and how to distribute these within the web.

The Project Proposal asks the students to research, develop, prototype and present a project within their specialism. This module forms the proposal stage for the spring module Independent Project, where the students will make their proposal a reality. In developing their projects, students will be guided through the different practical aspects of project working (e.g., resources, budgets, milestones, collaboration, stakeholders, technical requirements and ethics). Alongside this, weekly sessions will ask the students to articulate individual project objectives via stated aims, milestones, proposed outcomes, impact and potential future development. The proposal offers an experimental sandpit-style testing ground for ideas and prototypes. Building on primary and secondary research, students deliver a comprehensive presentation (pitch) alongside a prototype/working model of the project. In the case of written dissertation-style research projects, this will take the form of an outline with chapter summaries.

Students continue to develop and explore their unique filmmaking styles and stances as a solo director or part of a small group collaboration. This module concludes a thread traceable through Focus on Character and Film Forms and Styles to provide an enhanced space for individual experimentation and the development of a cinematic filmmaker’s ‘vision’. Rather than as auteurs, students work as multi-skilled ‘total filmmakers’ and form multiple types of creative and technical collaborations to produce 5 minute -personal films with high production values that consider employability, audience and market. These films celebrate unique access, rigorous polemic, activism, and co-creation. Students apply advanced specialist technical skills, often in more than one area, to engage with concepts linked to a range of approaches including guerrilla filmmaking and contemporary digital content creation. Students are supported by tutors who act as production mentors to work with an increased degree of independence. An advanced critical context is delivered through class screenings, discussions and debates with special attention paid to consideration of ethics, viewpoint and bias. Peer support and feedback is formally incorporated to encourage regular debate and support clarification of intentions and methods.

This module is designed to consolidate all the film craft skills and creative processes learned so far, and to further empower students with the techniques and qualities required to make them employable in today’s industry. By now they will have identified the specific film craft discipline (cinematography, editing, directing, producing, etc.) that they have genuine aptitude for, and be pursuing a more confident, informed and innovative approach to their project. They will work in groups with a greater understanding for each other’s roles and contributions to the collective effort and bring out the best in each other. Students form groups around original project proposals and work towards a common goal to launch a feasible, engaging and robust project proposal. This then is picked up in Group Production 2 and realised in the form of a thoroughly researched, considered and rigorously produced film. The focus in this module is on finding a story; and defining an audience and a style and approach to support artistic and creative intentions. The film craft and technical skills delivered throughout the programme, alongside intensive research and development into technical strategies and subject matter underpin the key outcomes of this pre-production module. Students will be encouraged to develop and represent more innovative and diverse voices as a group, enriching and widening their narrative scope, and the editorials skills acquired in year one and two. Year three shifts from the insular to a wider-world awareness, and the social, political and environmental topics that inevitably infuse films and filmmaking today. Therefore, students will develop their understanding of a variety of available broadcasting and streaming platforms, and learn to be more strategic in their approach to delivering content that finds its intended audience.

An increasingly complex and confident understanding of storytelling techniques forms the basis of this module’s practice. Students continue to collaborate to form a variety of industry-model crews to locate, research and represent subject matter, and deliver assured films of 7-10 minutes. The aim is to develop narrative and characterisation by informed selection of methodologies in relation to specific topics. This requires the growing ability to analyse and articulate students’ position in relation to subjects, stories and current filmmaking traditions, incorporating additional approaches such as hybrid methodologies, such as the use of archives and ethnographical observations. Particular attention is given to interview techniques, from stylised to informal, with reference to diversity, and considerations of representation and ethics. The short film genre is at the core of wide ranging in-class screenings, analysis and teaching resources, alongside extracurricular delivery of intermediate technical skills covering all production phases. Students increasingly take responsibility for their time and project management and regularly evaluate progress, methods and storylines. They take on specific crew roles with clear guidelines and criteria. The requirement to collaborate continues to build on the previous term, consolidating delegation and task sharing, and creative and logistical negotiation.

This module provides an opportunity for an optional work placement year between the second and third year of the degree. This module is available as an option to all students studying on the listed programmes. Please note that this is additional to the 360 credits of a 3-year degree programme. Participating in a work placement year will enable students to develop employability skills across a longer period. It thus complements and builds on the employability skills developed through the curriculum throughout the first two years of the degree programme. This is a full-time professional work placement in a role with graduate-level learning opportunities. In the event that a placement lasting 12 months (52 weeks) is not possible, or the placement is cut short for any reason, then the placement must last a minimum of 9 months / 39 weeks (that is, each placement should last between 1260-1680 hours). It is possible that there may be a second employer during the 12-month period, in agreement with the Head of School/Department and Head of Placements and Work Experience. The aim of the professional placement is to provide students with an opportunity to develop experience in managing real-life issues in the workplace that: a) will enhance graduate attributes, and b) give an opportunity to critically review and evaluate the relevance of subject-specific-related theories and practices in a real-world context. Students are responsible for sourcing their own placements.

‘Service Design’ is the final preparatory module in the lead-up to the Year 6 Design project. The unit explores service design across various industries, while encouraging students to situate their design focus within the context of the pressing social design challenges of the 21st century. Specifically, public sector service design and e-government design solutions will be examined. Presenting service design pioneers and their design solutions across various industries, this unit focuses on ideation, greyboxing and mind-mapping, as well as workload planning in line with current industry practices – with an eye on preparing students for their Independent Projects.

The module ‘User Experience’ builds on technical expertise developed in Year 4 (Motion Design, Creative Coding) incorporating concepts of desirability, empathy and affect to arrive at impactful user experience design. This module blends user interface design with gamification approaches to result in intuitive, immediate user experience approaches for diverse customer bases. Working with real-time engines, 2D graphic user interfaces and 3D user environments, ‘User Experience’ blends usability and interaction design with systems integration, game design and seamless navigation. Applying both node-based, visual programming and creative coding concepts, students will develop their own rule-based systems applications through prototyping. Creating user personas for prospective clientele, students will consider questions of immediacy, accessibility, signage and wayfinding, and will start to consider evaluation methods for resulting user experiences. New concepts such as machine learning, visual fidelity and immersion will be introduced.

This module provides a framework for students to explore their movement potential using a variety of approaches drawn from a range of dance contemporary, commercial and somatic practices with consideration to global perspectives. The technical, performative, improvisational and interpretative challenges of dancing are scrutinised and the interplay between physical, imaginative, observation and analytical skills is interrogated and developed. The module articulates questions about how dancers experience movement quality in relation to space and time and how detailed embodiment of movement arises through testing (trial and error) and safe and effective practice. Alongside a personal practice, the module will propel students to advance their skills and engage with expressive and interpretative group tasks in relationship to music, sound accompaniment, or text and to find methods of working with awareness and sensitivity in relationships with other dancers. Acknowledging dance’s potential within an interdisciplinary context, dancers will gain advanced confidence in working with music and understand principles of collaboration in art making.

This module allows students to advance their practical dance skills in the context of dance art seen and performed in 21st-century Britain, within broad multicultural, global and artistic contexts. Students will advance their practical dance and performance skills developed in Year 1. Approaches will be drawn from a variety of dance styles and movement practices and may include codified dance techniques, improvisation, somatic movement practice, and other popular and commercial styles appropriate to recent developments in the sector, preparing students to become versatile practitioners. Emphasis will be on the development of movement skills, energy use, strength and control, while expanding interpretative skills and artistic quality. There is a focus on the acquisition of self-reflective and problem-solving skills equipping students with focus, concentration and resilience to be able to expand their physical and mental potential and to develop their communicative skills individually and in groups. Students will be expected to become self-reliant practitioners and to develop their personal professional practice including class preparation, methods of injury prevention, awareness of well-being and the ability to collaborate and contribute to a community of practice.

This module introduces students to the fundamental principles of graphic design, and digital imagery, while introducing concepts of typography, iconography, colour theory, and illustration It encourages students to explore and experiment with a wide range of practices and techniques, from the history of graphic design to applied digital image creation to layouts and communication design. This module also explores questions of digital aesthetics and introduces students to a range of critical concepts and approaches to digital aesthetics and creativity. Students develop an understanding of the significance of digital aesthetics through research, analysis and discussion of examples of contemporary creative practices such as contemporary digital design, digital art, photography, and web design. Students are introduced to core design principles, as well as diverse digital design practices and will learn how to apply these concepts to their own digital designs offline and online. The module covers technical and practical considerations such as image format and compression; colour palettes; designing logos, banners, layout for print and web. Students become proficient in a range of digital imaging tools (e.g., Adobe CC Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and After Effects.) This module introduces key principles leading towards Motion Design, Web Design in Semester 2, as well as Advanced Web Design and Mobile App Design in Year 5. The Graphic Design module also introduces fundamental imaging and composition techniques that will inform User Experience (UX), and Interaction Design in Year 5.

Creative Coding introduces students to the fundamental concepts, methodologies, and techniques of software development. The module provides the foundation skills of creative coding, being followed by Wed Design and ‘User Experience’ in Year 2. Creative coding and programming are key components of Digital Design and is an in-demand skill for the workplace inside and outside of the Creative Industries. Creative Coding introduces the fundamental principles of programming with a visual focus, including syntax and semantics, variables and primitive data, expressions and assignment, input-output, conditions, iteration, functions, recursion, and an introduction to algorithms. The module details how to build scripts using these techniques and how to apply problem-solving strategies in the design of simple creative coding applications. Students will practise the skills of programming and creative coding, with a focus on visual applications. They will work in a high-level language, using the tools to design, implement, build, execute, and test simple graphic applications. Creative coding provides students with core programming competencies, providing a foundation for many modules in the Digital Design programme. Creative Coding feeds into the themes and technical skills utilised in the year 2 module: Web Design, App Design, User Experience themes. The aim is to develop students’ creative coding skills, as well as an understanding of underlying principles and potential applications. The module will require students to both implement their own applications and trace the behaviour of existing scripts. Creative Coding 1 forms one of the two Digital Design views delivered in Semester 1 of Digital Design and Graphic Design.

This module focuses on creative approaches to making media content in different formats. Over the semester, students will engage with a series of briefs aimed at developing creativity and skills in specific areas of communications practice (e.g., using audio, video, images, etc.). Working individually and in teams, students will plan and produce content across audio-visual and multimedia formats. This will include scoping exercises; planning and ideation; content mock-ups and small-scale production; and presentation of outputs. The module will run as a series of ‘challenges’ or briefs, each of which will culminate in a presentation session where teams or individuals present their work to the entire cohort.

Statistics provides tools to understand and communicate data. This module establishes a foundation in statistics and data analysis, applied to media and communications research. Students will get to grips with descriptive statistics (e.g., mean, median, mode, standard deviation, and variance) through hands-on exploration and interpretation of sample datasets. In workshops, students will practice using industry-standard tools for data analysis (e.g., spreadsheets, visualisation software, programming environments). This module is intended for students with limited or no previous experience of statistics and quantitative methods. By establishing the foundations of descriptive statistics, estimation and inference, this module will enable students to perform exploratory data analysis using descriptive statistics, and apply correlation, regression and tests of significance. Visualisation and representation of data will be woven into the curriculum throughout, so that statistics and data analysis will be taught alongside visualisation.

This module provides the conceptual foundations for the programme, exploring the social implications of media and communications infrastructure, institutions and industries. Furthermore, this module serves as an introduction to qualitative approaches to media audience research. Following a case study approach, students will engage with topics including media ownership and funding models (e.g., advertising, subscription, public service), digital media platforms, and the social impact of media narratives ranging from framing and agenda-setting to misinformation, fake news and propaganda. International in scope, examples and case studies will explore the global reach of networked media platforms and their local impacts. Looking at communications campaigns, storytelling and the various forms of “influencing” we will explore issues of media ethics, authority and how audiences engage with and relate to media in its different forms.

This module will give students a clear sense of what marketing is: Key principles, the role the marketing function performs as the engine of a company, and how this translates to creating and building brands. Students will also explore how the role of marketing has changed and continues to change, within the context of the fluid and rapidly evolving media environment. Students will gain an understanding of the building blocks of the marketing process - the ‘8 P’s’: Proposition, Promotion, Place, Pack, Price, Product, People, Processes and how each of these elements contributes to the marketing mix and how marketing departments are structured to reflect these functions. The module begins by an overview of traditional marketing practices and week-by-week explores the profound impact of ‘new’ media practices (i.e. blogging/vlogging).

The cultural significance of stories and their evolving role across time and communities is a central theme running through the whole programme. This module will introduce students to the notion of the commercialisation of the story by marketing and brands, the impact of the affordances of diverse social media platforms and the evolution of new ways of storytelling for the digital age. In this complex and rapidly changing environment, students will be encouraged to question what storytelling means, and to consider their own role as participants in creating and buying into stories. As with the first module (The Art of the Story), this second module will combine critical thinking and analytical skills with opportunities for practical application of storytelling techniques, and there will be guest lectures from practitioners from a variety of organisational/business contexts.

This module draws together in the final year the fundamentals of the programme. It will cover the theoretical, implementational and professional skills students need to understand the role of Public Relations (PR) in everyday affairs and its place in an organisation’s mix of communicative resources. Students will therefore continue to develop strategic communication skills at a professional level. In terms of theoretical background, the module gives an overview of communications theories across broad-and narrow-cast media and the roles of different media. Students will be taught to understand the importance of ideas, to think critically key concepts such as social media and media democratisation, ethics as applied to media and communication and models of persuasion. This will equip students with an understanding of the role of PR as a resource for shaping and influencing opinion.

This module gives students a valuable opportunity to showcase the knowledge and skills they will have acquired in the course of the programme, demonstrating how they can out into practice their analytical, critical and implementational skills to develop and produce a complete multi-media project. This module enables them to further develop and build on their skills and experience: project design, research skills, storytelling, media optimisation, audience engagement and technical and production skills as well as their ability to conceptualise, manage and bring to completion a professional project.

In this module, students will develop an advanced understanding of the art of storytelling as it is crafted using the affordances of digital multimedia. Every week, students will be introduced to various case studies of creative digital storytelling and examine how different narrative vectors and varied potentials of meaning are designed and engineered using tools, platforms, and contexts as diverse as: web environments (podcasts, YouTube, TikTok, Instagram), digital art and gaming (walking simulators, adventure games, Bitsy / Twine and related), electronic literature, mobile media, virtual / augmented / mixed reality. A key goal of the module is to give students critical inspiration for the development of their own digital stories, in a creative, experimental vein. They will be introduced to a selection of techniques, and simple, freely available (and often open source) tools for crafting interactive, multimedia stories. They will be given the necessary support and training to deploy these tools in developing a portfolio of small-scale pieces and prototypes, enabling them to apply their developing background knowledge as a component of practice.

This module introduces students to the theoretical and practical principles of digital media management and enterprise. Students who take this module develop key skills in managing individual and team projects and will be well-equipped to work in management roles in the creative industries in areas that involve the development of digital media. This module explores all aspects of project management, including team management, client handling, the planning and production cycle, resources, budgeting and marketing, outsourcing, digital asset management, copyright, and legal issues. Students work together to respond to industry briefs and to plan and execute a production cycle, developing their management skills, their ability to work collaboratively and their knowledge of professional codes of practice.

This module will focus on forms of cinematic fiction and non-fiction in a global, transnational and digital context. Students will critically discuss a selection of important filmmaking practices, including some often-neglected areas, such as animation, innovative documentaries, experimental practices, and short formats, in order to question, open up and expand what is understood by the term ‘cinema’. The module will also give a theoretical framework to forms of cinematic storytelling and non-narrative practices by looking not just at landmark texts but also practitioners’ manifestos. Engaging with manifestos and other texts written by filmmakers and practitioners will help students to situate their own creative voices. Building on skills and knowledge acquired in ‘Understanding Film Language’, students will further develop their capacity to identify, describe, analyse and comment on various modes of filmmaking by considering different production and reception contexts. These contexts will be discussed in terms of historical, geographical, cultural and social issues, but also technical and institutional ones. In addition to developing their writing skills, the module will also guide and equip students to engage effectively with modes of Video Essays and e-portfolio to bring together their critical, analytical and audio-visual skills. This exercise will also help students to be ready for their POV Film Project and will act as a foundation for the ‘Contemporary Film Debates’ module.

Images form a crucial means of communicating knowledge and ideas and research within the field of media and culture is largely visual in nature. Existing images, such as photographs and films, provide researchers with interesting objects to analyse and the world is now understood to be marked by a concern with visuality. An increasing number of researchers are employing visual and creative methods as a research strategy and as such their work marks a critical and dynamic departure. Within the context of this course students will be introduced to a range of case-examples, relating to the practical use of media - including photography, video, drawing and maps - in undertaking research. Through a series of weekly tasks students will have hands on experience of these methods. In the context of a final small-scale pilot project they will develop their understanding of one method in depth. They will be shown how to carry out a visual research project of their own, exploring further the practical issues and ethical concerns associated with research of this kind. The course will be particularly useful for those considering an image-based dissertation project or independent study and will provide a wealth of experience relating to the experimental use of visual media.

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The aims of this module are: • to develop students’ study, personal and professional skills • to launch the reflective practitioner capable of relating skills attained to employer requirements • to develop techniques necessary for the chosen specialism • to inspire curiosity and give students the freedom to pursue interests that may lie outside their main field of interest • to foster resilience and futureproof students against an ever-changing employment landscape In order to deliver these aims, the Transformation module adopts a theme which is then studied through a programme specific lens. Within ADI, the first-year theme is ‘Story Telling’. Each of the specialisms (Journalism, Film Production, Dance etc) use 5 programme-based sessions to deliver content relevant to their subject area and providing the hook for employability content. The programme specific sessions are complemented by 4 ‘insight’ sessions where they are introduced to other academic areas. Insights do not aim to deliver study skills but rather to broaden horizons. They aim to expose students to other ways of thinking, designing, interrogating, etc; to broaden perspectives and to give the students ideas that should inform, impact and enrich their own practice. In an attempt to embed the insight sessions, the following programme session will invite reflection and initial thoughts on how these alternative approaches might impact and enrich the individual’s current or future practice. For the majority of our students, the insight sessions should help them develop the ability to be inquisitive about other areas and should, in the first instance, also help them make an informed choice about their Lab modules. In week 6 of the module, students will have guest talks/workshops from ‘the field’. Alumni, industry experts and entrepreneurs will be invited to deliver these sessions. The modules in the Transformation series incorporate career and work experience into the academic student experience thereby providing Embedded Support by design. The module links to the key aims of Roehampton Futures; creating graduates who are aware of their social responsibility, equipping them with the skills for their future and with the resilience and confidence to navigate their chosen graduate career paths. The module also aligns with the EDI strategy not least in the design of the assessment. Through this module students will be actively encouraged to engage with the University Careers Service through Career Registration, and Career Pulse so they can complete the Chancellor’s Careers Award. Engagement with Colleges and University activities will also be promoted so that students are aware of the full range of activities employers look for on a CV.

What makes dance contemporary and which aspects of dance practice are commercial? This module explores ideas and practices of contemporary and commercial dance, including international practices from pop to musical theatre, from the screen to the live encounter – taking the experiences of the dancer, maker and participant as its centrepoints. Focusing on 21st century developments, we provide a space for critical investigations of diverse dance forms within their contexts and cultures. We explore how contemporary and commercial forms intersect and overlap, testing the extent of the boundaries between them in a range of national and international settings. This module gives opportunities for students to contextualise and utilise skills developed in parallel modules Dance Practice and Making Dance: Improvisation and Composition. It provides essential preparation for the Year 2 modules Choreography and Production and The Dance Professional in Social Context. Its placing in Year 1 supports students in considering how to apply their individual interests and skills to current professional contexts from the start of their degree and develop future creative projects. Using practical tasks in the studio and theory-based discussions in seminar rooms, it also engages critical thinking around contemporary social issues relevant to the dance styles and genres covered in the module.

In this module, students will learn to create visual products (photos and videos) to tell stories through the use of software, while being guided by theoretical considerations and learning about relevant legal and ethical issues. The module will be mostly practical with some theoretical elements. Students will be introduced to the basic tenets of visual communication theory and photojournalism concepts, and they will acquire a variety of practical skills: they will learn how to take photographs, how to edit them and make them publishable using Photoshop. In the meantime, students will also learn how to produce videos, by applying videography skills, for social media platforms. Teaching will include resources such as websites and articles, examples of photographs for various online and offline uses, social media videos, examples of cases to illustrate legal and ethical issues.

Journalists and the World introduces students to the media industry and the culture, traditions and achievements of journalists in Britain and the world. It aims to familiarise students with fundamental concepts in journalism such as freedom of the press, objectivity, news values and the public interest. The module also includes an overview of the history, structure and ownership of British news organisations, as well as a reflection on current trends, challenges and opportunities in global journalism. At the same time, Journalists and the World develops fundamental journalistic skills and abilities that students would continue practising in other modules of the programme. Those skills include conducting basic journalistic research; identifying, contacting and interviewing credible, relevant and authoritative sources of information; preparing and conducting profile interviews; editing and proofreading journalistic texts and selecting stories for publication according to the readership, agenda, character and style of a newspaper or magazine.

All students who are enrolled onto the following Moodle sites should have access to this site via meta link enrolment.
Course meta link (Autumn 2025 Media Project - CUL040X350Y)

Almost any type of content a student produces in digital and social media could face the potential danger of libel, and some could see students facing contempt of court charges. Learning how to handle these questions is crucial for an aspiring content creator. It is an essential skill to be able to produce content that will not leave the student open to being sued for libel or charged with contempt. Moreover, digital producers need a working knowledge of copyright and syndication law. A broader consideration of standards is also required for content providers. With the phone-hacking scandal and the inquiry into news industry principles, the module will also explore some broader ethical issues facing content production, such as the extent to which people have rights to privacy in a digital age. This module fits into the context of the programme by providing a key aspect of the programme for PPA accreditation – the legal knowledge required by the body – provided in a form previously approved by the body. Alongside that, it offers an understanding of regulatory frameworks, required by the body. And sets this within the context of an appreciation for students of those ethical dilemmas that content providers face.

Multimedia features, blending text and images, are a mainstay of digital and print journalism. They are also important in fields such as public relations, advertising, marketing communications and other areas of content creation. The Art of the Feature will teach every aspect of the production process, from coming up with original ideas to finding the right sources to professional-standard execution. After learning how to write a variety of articles in their first year, students taking this module will learn how to develop their skills to produce polished work aimed at specific audiences. The focus will be on reporting and writing, but students will also learn how to package their work for digital and print publications. They will produce original text feature articles that incorporate images and hyperlinks, along with social media posts to promote them. Students will first learn about the main types of features and the websites, magazines and other publications that publish them. They will then learn, via lectures and workshops, about idea generation, reporting, incorporating images, and, of course, writing. The module is practical, with workshops that develop students’ ability to interview subjects, research material and produce compelling multimedia work for a target audience. Students will be required to produce two original works, as well as a well-researched pitch letter for an editor at a publication of their choice.

This module introduces and interrogates the nature of artistic practices as a method of research. It does so from the perspective of the practitioner within dance, performance or any creative practice. Students are invited to question conventions for conducting research and for pursuing artistic practice. In doing so, the module supports students to understand that artistic processes can be used to generate, and offer encounters with, types of knowledge that cannot otherwise be accessed; and that artistic practices can be conceived and engaged towards rigorous research that might be applied in contexts inside and beyond academia and arts industries. Its interrogation of systemic assumptions in the exercise of practice and other research methods contribute to a decolonising and decentring of methodological conventions, and embrace of multiplicity in conceiving, engaging and generating knowledges. The module aims to develop skills for students to identify, articulate and enact an independent project of research. At the centre of each student’s project will be an artistic practice conceived so that it raises questions and proposes responses to the stated subject of enquiry. The project will be contextualised through appropriate references including artistic and scholastic sources. Delivery is via workshops that will encompass case studies, practical processes and strategies from which students will build a toolbox of approaches to building their own project. Later in the module, tutorial support is offered to respond to and guide individual student projects. The module equips students with an understanding of practice-as-research methodology. This fits with the context of their wider programme by embedding early on an understanding of, and the tools for applying, artistic practice-as-research. This enhances other modules in which the focus is on other aspects of artistic practice, such as skills for composition, facilitation, technical production or movement. When students then move into final projects, they can choose to apply the latter skills through a practice-as-research methodology or not, depending on their individual interest and focus post-graduation. For those interested in moving onto practice-as-research based doctoral research, or in applying their artistic practices beyond arts settings, this module will be important. For those who don’t currently wish to apply their artistic practice as a form of research, it offers an understanding of the potentials of their practice that will enhance their understanding of its aesthetic, social and political reaches, as well as the terms through which to articulate and discuss those qualities: essential for graduates entering the professional arts world today.

The module provides philosophical resources for students to critically interrogate their dance practice(s). It explores concepts, assumptions and theories which underpin and inform dance practice and performance more generally, empowering dancers to question, challenge and transform the dance fields in which they are engaged. Students will engage through reading, class discussion and practical tasks (including writing) with a variety of philosophical themes relevant to the dance practitioner, drawing on different philosophical approaches. These include analytic, continental and contemporary theoretical approaches as well as selected non-Western and/or global philosophical paradigms. Aspects of the philosophy of art, mind and language are explored in the context of embodied experience, alongside the aesthetics and ethics of dance practice. The module provides a space to consider questions raised in and by studio-based study, as well as the wider ramifications of dancing, making and performing in different contexts. The module is taught via lecture-seminar, of which class discussion is a key component. Online resources (guided readings, viewings, links to relevant websites, quizzes etc.) are provided via Moodle to prepare students for class discussion and extend their knowledge of topics beyond the walls of the seminar. Tutors may also extend discussion of philosophical themes jn relation to studio practice by visiting relevant studio classes for other programme modules. One-to-one tutorials support students in relation to assessment and provide opportunities for individualised discussion of topics of particular interest.

The module covers a variety of philosophical themes and encourages students to interrogate their dance practice(s) critically. It explores concepts, theories and assumptions which underpin and inform dance and performance more generally – empowering learners to question, challenge and transform the artistic fields in which they are engaged. Drawing on both analytic and continental philosophy, and strands of contemporary critical theory, the module develops skills of critical analysis in relation to dance contexts. Students will engage through reading, class discussion and practical tasks with questions such as the nature of dance as art, choreography, and the ethics of dance practice, relevant to dance practitioners and professional artistic work. These will also be explored through embodied experience, providing a space to consider questions raised in and by studio-based studies, as well as the wider ramifications of dancing, creating and performing in a variety of settings. This module thus aims to foster and develop a clear sense of the premises, scope, value and limits of (among others) artistic-aesthetic, cultural-political and ethical perspectives on dance practice and scholarship, and of the possibilities and tensions found therein. This module will extend and inform work in Dance Practice and Practice as Research, and develop student thinking towards their Final Projects.

This module develops mature skills in the crafts of choreography, lighting design and production in order that students can develop a clear understanding of the context of their work. It enables students to define and develop their own choreographic style, utilising the practical skills acquired at level 5 and manifested through a process of independent practical research. The module features extensive practice in peer appraisal, requiring students to analyse and evaluate various aspects of both their own and others’ choreographic projects constructively, which in turn fosters their ability to work effectively. The module provides further training in dance production, lighting and screendance, and opportunities for collaboration and specialization (for instance as lighting designers, AV developers and dramaturges) are built into the assessment strategies. The process of combining the various disciplines involved in producing an event promotes the skills and knowledge that can be deployed in both community and commercial/corporate environments.

This module introduces students to the diverse career paths open to dance professionals, and to skills and responsibilities in research, funding, collaborative work and promotional activities. It prepares students for successful careers in the dance or creative arts professions through exposure to practical examples, drawing on lecturers’ own industry experiences. The module also considers the social context in which professionals create, curate and respond to work, addressing for instance political parameters such as arts policy and politics and the relationship between art and society. It fosters students’ growth mindsets and motivation to become engaged professionals who are aware of their position in the community and the functions of dance within political and social frameworks.

The Project enables students to pursue independent research in an area of their choice, selecting topics in close consultation with tutors, in relation to their previous experience (both within and outside their specific MA programmes) and according to resource availability. Its inclusion to the MA programmes offers flexibility: some students may prefer to study in this mode rather than opt for a sixth taught module. The Project’s assessment can either follow the more traditional academic formats used for theory modules, i.e. an extended essay, or include a practical element and/or an oral presentation. The former can be seen as a useful preparatory experience before the Dissertation, whilst also offering a research experience to Graduate Diploma students who will not go on to take the Dissertation. The latter offers different modes of assessment, which both expand the students’ skills and may allow them in some instances to link the programme with their career pathway. Projects, however, cannot not be fully practical/verbal as an element of written work demonstrating critical reflection is required within every form of assessment throughout the MA/MFA/MRes cluster.

This module focuses on students gaining experience which will enhance their CV and develop their knowledge and understanding of a specific area of work. The work placement/internship may help students to confirm their career choice, or introduce them to new ideas which they had not previously considered. The module sets out to enhance students’ employability through the development of a wider range of work-related skills, including learning how to network and build contacts that link directly or indirectly to a graduate job search or postgraduate specialist education.

Corporeality (or corporeity) is a term widely used in the field of critical dance studies and related art fields. It was first coined by the French philosopher Michel Bernard (1991) and later fleshed out by North American choreographer and dance scholar Susan Leigh Foster, as a concept that “vivifies the study of bodies through a consideration of bodily reality, not as natural or absolute given but as tangible and substantial category of cultural experience” (Foster 1995: x). Following this premise, the module Theories of Corporeality focuses on a range of views about “the body” as flesh and bone, but also the socio-historical constructions and deconstructions of various kinds of “bodies”, replete with contingent meanings. On the one hand, it aims to problematises “the body” as a permanent and significant organic structure. On the other, it seeks to question how various bodies produce, rather than only reflect, rhetoric (even though these two cannot be fully disassociated). Across the term, we will consider key tools, lenses and approaches to the subject, giving emphasis on their applications to the co-related fields of performing arts, such as theatrical and social dance; drama and theatre; performance art and durational art; as well as new media or mediated arts. In particular, we will address bodies’ relation to concepts such as structure, habitus, discipline, pain, trauma, protest, presence, visibility and evanescence. Both the module’s resource list and classroom activities will be not only interdisciplinary, juxtaposing ideas from distinct disciplines, but will also draw on an ecology of knowledges beyond Western/Eurocentric scholarship, paying close attention to postcolonial and decolonial frameworks as well as indigenous and diasporic ways of knowing. Subsequently, this interdisciplinary and de/postcolonial module will address the corporeal through many of its different articulations in the social, focusing on how different bodies operate discursively in/across distinct cultural contexts and/or political domains. In this regard, the concepts of knowledge, power and being (and being-in-the-world) will be recurring themes as we analyse how these understandings of corporeality elicit across these domains, in relation to categories of identification (i.e. gender, race/ethnicity, class, sexuality, ability, and nationality) and modes of representation. Yet, our in-class activities and Assessments will ground us back to the relationship between moving bodies and the tangible ideas they articulate.

This is the main ‘exit’ module of the MFA Dance and Embodied Practice: the thesis is a ‘practice dissertation’. The module provides opportunities for students to undertake independent practice research in order to deliver a range of materials relating to their interests as dance practitioners including classes, workshops. screen dances and performances. Students will be encouraged to develop professional, outward-facing projects in order to engage with a unique vision for the impact of their practice – a dance manifesto. The module explores the inception, planning and production of longer periods of teaching and workshop delivery in order to examine the scope of curricula and artistic aims or perspectives, and the implications of these for design and evaluation. Students develop original research which is supported by tutorials, peer review and open classes and workshops. The year-long module operates as a series of practical workshops, laboratory tasks, offsite visits, feedback sessions, seminars and tutorials. Key feedback points are allocated during the year; these will be negotiated events with students making choices about the aims and structure of feedback processes.

This year-long module explores Dance as a means of embodied inquiry into the ways that our interactions with nature, the built environment and each other, construct new possibilities to observe, analyse and create the world we in/cohabit. Focused on embodied inquiry and its implications for practice, research and applications in a range of contexts, the module offers opportunities to delve into the experiential, practical and theoretical considerations of Dance’s relationship to the 21st century challenge of environmental sustainability. Areas of investigation may include topics such as nature, landscape and climate change; design, architecture and infrastructure; home, migration and adaptation; autobiographical, public and professional life. Delivery strategies will include practical workshops, seminars, and lectures, as well as group tasks and field trips.

Dance Science in Practice builds on foundations laid in the first year practical modules where students learn important concepts about training in a safe and effective way. It is imperative that students have an understanding of how best to prevent injury and care for their bodies and minds throughout their dance career. A further understanding of research within the Dance Science field will help students to not only apply this work to their own dance practice, but also apply what they are learning to other dance-specific situations. For a dance teacher, an understanding of dance science theory and research is invaluable as they become responsible for other dancers and their wellbeing in the studio.

This module is a core module allowing students to advance their practical dance skills in the context of dance art seen and performed in C21st Britain, within broad multi-cultural and artistic contexts. Students will advance their practical dance and performance skills developed in Dance Practice 1. Approaches will be drawn from a variety of dance styles and movement practices and may include codified dance techniques (such as ballet and contemporary techniques), improvisation, somatic movement practice, and other dance styles appropriate to recent developments in the sector. Emphasis will be on the development of movement skills, energy use, strength and control, while expanding interpretative skills and performance quality. There is a focus on the acquisition of self-reflective and problem solving skills equipping students with focus, concentration and resilience to be able to expand their physical and mental potential and to develop their communicative skills individually and in groups. Students will be expected to become self-reliant practitioners and to develop their personal professional practice including class preparation, methods of injury prevention, awareness of well-being and the ability to collaborate and contribute to a community of practice.

This module focuses on the development of holistic production values and conceptual lighting design. It will provoke investigation into the relationship of potential and limitation. Through assignments, research and comparative analysis of alternative artistic interpretations it will enable students to appreciate and challenge how production and light impact and inform choreographic process and presentation. An initial period of tutored practical sessions will equip students to engage their research and experimentation with technical competence. Using their individual choreographic styles and technical foundations, they will be tasked with exploring concepts and ideas that will extend the boundaries of their thinking about contemporary performance practice. This module will place an emphasis on reflection in conjunction with extensive self and peer appraisal as an evaluative tool.

This module is designed to help students to explore and shape their identity as a choreographer, director, and performer. In a collaborative and constructive laboratory environment, the content of the module encourages participants to interrogate existing choreographic practice and enables them to investigate choreographic interests within a framework of contemporary dance-making.

Weekly questions, tasks and assignments encourage students to investigate choreographic identity and to question the shifting roles of ‘a choreographer’. Through a range of encounters, tasks and provocations, the module aims to provide students with tools and resources to develop their choreographic skills and versatility. The creative laboratory environment supports continuing research to find the issues, practices and processes which are of interest to the group as a whole and the individuals which constitute the group.

Due to the safe movement of bodies in space and specific scheduling requirements of each programme, the module is delivered to 2nd year students on the MFA Dance and Embodied Practice programme in the autumn term, and MA Dance Practice and Performance students in the spring.

Somatic practice is an integral part of a dancer's training. The fundamental principles underpinning many somatic techniques are also important for efficient performance in a variety of dance forms. While students experienced somatic education integrated into their practical classes throughout level 4 and 5 of the programme; this module presents an opportunity for students to learn and experience separate techniques in a deeper context. The module will help students to engage with concepts and terminology that their practical tutors may be using in the dance studio and thus will further their understanding of how to optimize the work of class and dance performance. For those who aim to teach dance in the future, this module will help students understand how to integrate somatic education into their teaching. From a dance science perspective, students will be challenged to explore how we can analyse and observe somatic principles within dance. The relationship between science and somatics will be investigated and parallels will be drawn with the potential difficulties that can exist when trying to scientifically measure something that is felt, sensed and experienced. For a dance scientist, an understanding of the relationship between science, somatics, and dance is imperative and will help prepare them for future research in the field.

This module offers students the challenge to demonstrate their understanding of a particular aspect of their programme and/or to collaborate in researching a topic of common interest. The nature and scope of the project will be negotiated with an allocated tutor and the work undertaken will address identified Programme Learning Outcomes in order to facilitate students' transition into year 2 (level 5) of their programme.

This module examines the development of 'modern' Dance Anthropology since the 1960s, taking into account the early parallel developments taking place in the fields of Folklore, Folk Life Studies, Dance Ethnology, Ethnochoreology, Theatre Anthropology, Anthropology of Performance, Politics and Sociology of Dance and Semasiology. Key anthropological methodologies and topics of interests such as ritual, cross-cultural aesthetics, and kinesthesis are considered in relation to dance. Students develop an understanding of ethnography as a mode of study, and of fieldwork as the cornerstone to an anthropological approach to dance. Theoretical issues such as how 'the field' is conceptualised and constructed, how data is gathered and for what purpose are further pursued through fieldwork design and practice. The course will develop students' knowledge of, and critical thinking about, dance fieldwork and writing ethnographies. They will learn to evaluate and to make a scholarly contextualisation of their own fieldwork.

The Politics and Sociology of Dance module encompasses a range of theoretical perspectives that engage with hegemonic and resistive issues that emerge in studies relating to dance as a social and economic practice. The module will explore issues around signifying practices and explore questions relating to identity formation at the multiple levels of gender, ethnicity, nation, sexuality, transnationalism and diasporic practices in colonial and postcolonial contexts. Postcolonial themes include subalternity, 'double-consciousness', 'hybridity', 'performativity;' as they occur in contemporary and historical dance and bodily practices. Discussion of theoretical frameworks explored through case studies provide paradigms for further interrogation of artistic policies and productions within cultural and socio-political contexts, expanding on concepts first introduced in Ways of Knowing. The module also provides models for interdisciplinary analysis and understandings representations of the body in dance and wider society seen, for example, in the work of Michel Foucault and Pierre Bourdieu.

This module sits at the heart of the Roehampton Postgraduate Dance provision. It is designed to investigate ideas and principles that underpin research practices, and to give students the opportunity to apply and test these principles through their own research and/or practice. The students will explore processes of knowledge generation in dance, and will develop an awareness of how methodological approaches enable independent and diverse research practices. The module aims to inform and empower students by investigating the foundations of existing dance research methodologies, disciplines and approaches - dance analysis, ethnography, philosophy, history, postcolonial studies, choreography and practice as research - and to inspire students to conceptualise, research and carry out independent projects related to their fields of study. Discussion and debate across the cohort will develop a community of enquiry that is expected to both enlarge horizons and give a stronger sense of the issues particular to an individual student's programme. In this process students' thinking and their understanding of knowledge as a human construction will be challenged, enriched and deepened.

This module provides opportunities for students to investigate a range of workshop materials for dance which would be utilised by an artist in residence in a school or community setting. The module will develop a student's emerging philosophy as a dance artist and support the development of their own dance practice and interests. The module will develop a student's ability to plan, devise and communicate appropriate dance material for a variety of settings. Students will consider a specific project brief and utilise methods of delivery driven by their own practice of dance as an art-form, which is capable of integrating the needs of different learners. The module will provide the opportunity for students to investigate the practical application of current debates on teaching facilitation, empowerment and inclusion and to reflect critically on the self-evaluation and group processes which give impetus to their roles as teaching artists. It also provides students who are vocationally orientated to experience facilitation and leadership. The module serves to create a link between community and academy, and between industry skills and an understanding of people who dance and provides the practical skills and experience to be employed as a dance artist working in a community setting.

Portfolio is a choreographic and/or performance research module in which students develop and present a practice-led project on an area of their choosing. It consists of three interwoven outcomes: portfolio of practice, performative-presentation (seminar), and writing. The module is designed to allow the student to experiment with and reflect deeply on their practice, to locate their work in contemporary performance practice, and to consider—and creatively negotiate through—the broader conceptual, political and cultural implications of their work. The module delivers a flexible and supportive approach to the students' learning making it possible for them to continue and strengthen their professional practices whilst working towards a higher degree.

This module develops students' dance history knowledge as situated within broader socio-cultural contexts across time. Its historical study draws upon a variety of case studies from Western and non-Western dance cultures, ranging from theatre to social dance and from concert dance to dance in the digital era. The study of the history of Dance, however, will not be a simple chronological investigation of events; the module will provide space for critical investigations of dances within their contexts, traditions and cultures. Sessions will be formed from topics surrounding historical figures who shaped dance history, and will investigate their impact upon the rise of hierarchies in choreography and in the dance profession. The module examines ways in which dance histories are constructed, or lost, and how they shaped the thinking and inspiration of dance makers through time until the present day.

This module reflects on the nature of collaboration involved in choreography. It provides opportunities for students to broaden their choreographic experience through the development and performance of collaborative choreography alongside the continuous investigation of the generation, definition and refinement of movement ideas that were initiated at Level 4 in DAN020C147Y Improvisation and Dance Composition. Students engage physically, imaginatively and intellectually with both the potential and problems of making and performing choreography as collaborative practice.

This module develops mature skills in the craft of choreography in order that students can develop a clear understanding of the context of their work in contemporary theatre dance. It enables students to define and develop their own choreographic style, utilising the practical skills acquired at level 5 and is manifested through a process of independent practical research. The module features extensive practice in peer appraisal in order that students can effectively analyse and evaluate both their own and other students' choreographic projects, which in turn fosters their ability to work critically in preparation for practical dissertation research. The module is supported by experiences in dance production and the opportunities for collaboration (Lighting Designers, Dramaturges) and to extrapolate those skills associated with the theatrical production and performance of choreography.

This module develops skills, competence and versatility in the investigation of lighting and production within dance and theatre. It will enable students to define and develop their own ideas for dance production, by gaining extensive practical skills in the working environment of a theatre. The module will feature self and peer appraisal in order that students can develop a working dialogue about choreographic production in a variety of performance contexts.

The thesis is completed as an independent choreographic vision using original research which is underpinned by tutorials, peer review and open rehearsals. The module explores the inception, planning and production of choreographic ideas, or ambitions which can result in longer choreographic works. The process and/or product of the final choreographic work is supported by appropriate written and/or digital documentation. The year-long module operates as a series of practical workshops, laboratory tasks, offsite visits, feedback sessions, seminars and tutorials. Key feedback points will be allocated during the year; these will be negotiated choreographic events with students making choices about the aims and structure of feedback processes.

This module begins with the exploration of movement and enables students to experience improvisation, shared and individual workshop tasks and movement problem solving. Students investigate a variety of situations in order to start thinking about their unique movement identity and to begin developing a broader dance vocabulary through their practice. The concepts of movement initiation and movement development are explored using imagery and kinaesthetic feedback and the key foundations of body-form, dynamics, space and time are addressed. Crafting skills are introduced to structure short spontaneous movement studies to create a platform for longer choreographic works in the spring and summer terms. This module provides opportunities for students to generate, define and refine ideas in movement and to realise these in performance. Students are encouraged to recognise the importance of feedback from peers and from tutors and to utilise this effectively. Strong links are made in the module to students' work in Dance Practice and Dance Performance.

This module introduces students to screendance practices, artists, philosophy and history. Screendance is a hybrid dance discipline drawing on traditions of cinematography, dance and the visual arts. It builds on the choreographic learning that has taken place throughout the programme. Although the dance studio remains the primary location for the seeding and development of choreography, the trajectory for the production of performance is no longer certain. As dance practitioners increasingly turn towards relatively cheap cameras to develop and document ideas, actions and performances, the primary way in which we engage with dance has turned towards the screen. This transition to the 'YouTubed' dancing body invites questions of performance presence, perception, immediacy and proximity - questions that are essential for choreographers and dancers working in contemporary practices to confront. This module intends to address critically and creatively questions of space, time and embodiment for the choreographic camera. Through a series of practical workshops that address framing, shooting, performance, editing and video distribution, the module will provide space for students to conceive of the choreographic and artistic possibilities of working with and producing digital video.

Through a collaborative and constructive laboratory environment, this module will enable students to interrogate their existing choreographic practice. Weekly questions, tasks and assignments will encourage students to investigate choreographic identity and to question the shifting roles of ‘a choreographer’. Workshop tasks and provocations will sit alongside site, museum and gallery visits to develop crafting dexterity, personal resources, skills and versatility. The module also seeks to develop students’ working knowledge of dramaturgy and their capacities of observation, responsiveness and critical awareness in constructing self/peer review and feedback.? This year-long module operates as a series of practical workshops, laboratory tasks, offsite visits, feedback sessions, seminars and tutorials. Key assessment points will be allocated during the year – typically at the end of each term alongside an ongoing portfolio of smaller assignments.?

The dissertation module enables students to undertake independent research. The module encourages students to investigate an area of dance that is of particular interest to them; it may cross discipline boundaries and will enable the development of critical and research skills in the context of self-directed learning. The dissertation is completed as independent study with tutorial support and enables students to demonstrate their acquired skills and knowledge in a sustained piece of analytical writing or practice as research. The final assessment may include practice as a research method for the chosen topic, or as research material in its own right.

This is one of the programme core compulsory modules for the MFA Dance and Embodied Practice. It will anchor students’ knowledge and understanding so that they are able to interrogate their existing dance practice and training with a view to developing new ideas and new movement forms. The module will be strongly underpinned by the Practice as Research, Dance Practice 1+2, and Mediated Choreography modules, which are compulsory to all programmes, drawing particularly on the central themes of creative methods of artistic enquiry from the point of view of the practitioner, decolonising and decentring of methodological conventions, and embracing of multiplicity in conceiving, engaging and generating knowledges. Through a collaborative and constructive laboratory environment, the module will give opportunities to adapt dance practices for engagement in a range of contexts. The module will explore ways to engage with dance and identify ways to make dance ‘public’ using a range of methods to communicate creatively to envision and produce artistic projects, moving from the conventions of the dance studio and theatre to the outdoor environment, into galleries and museums, and into educational and healthcare settings. Weekly questions, tasks and assignments will encourage students to investigate and to question the shifting roles of ‘a dancer’. Workshop tasks and provocations will sit alongside site, museum and gallery visits to develop dexterity, personal resources, communication skills and versatility. The module also seeks to develop students’ working knowledge of dramaturgy and their capacities of observation, responsiveness and critical awareness in constructing self/peer review and feedback. This year-long module operates as a series of practical workshops, laboratory tasks, offsite visits, feedback sessions, seminars and tutorials. Key assessment points will be allocated during the year – typically at the end of each term alongside an ongoing portfolio of smaller formative assignments.

These practical classes provide a framework for students to explore movement potential using a variety of approaches. Technical, performance, improvisational and interpretative skills are addressed using the interplay between action, imagination, observation and questioning. Students are encouraged to reflect on their own practices as dancers and to find ways to explore detailed kinaesthetic awareness through testing (trial and error) and to define how movement is experienced in relation to space, time and gravity. Students will be involved in expressive and interpretative tasks in response to music, sound accompaniment or text and work with other dancers to locate synergies and sensitivity in their danced relationships. Students will experience a variety of practices as part of the portfolio. The approach and demands of each class will vary according to the interests and expertise of each tutor offering a range of experiences from within the professional field.

This module introduces a foundation study of dance movement using a range of practical classes, alongside the introduction of dance science and its application to safe and healthy dance practice. Students are encouraged to draw connections between codified dance techniques, somatic practice, and other contemporary and commercial dance styles and genres which reflect recent developments in dance practice. The module provides guidance for students to analyse, explore and challenge their own movement tendencies and their assumptions about dance technique, in order to find more efficiency, functionality and expressivity in their dancing.

The module provides an opportunity to study in-depth a topic or a question or some evidence which is of particular interest to the student. Students will be enabled to approach topics from either a disciplinary, interdisciplinary or multi-disciplinary perspective connected to their Liberal Arts pathway. In their project, students can demonstrate and further develop research, analytical, presentational, and writing skills acquired in preceding modules. Each student will initiate and design an independent research project with the guidance of designated supervisorial teams.

This module will consider how diasporas in north-west Europe between the eighth and twelfth centuries forged new identities and led to the transformation of Europe. Those who crossed the North Sea to settle in the British Isles became known as the English and Vikings; those who settled in northern France and Sicily as the Normans. Distinctions came to be drawn between Normans and English and between Normans, Arabs and Greeks, each with distinct cultural identities and horizons. The English and the Normans had wider diasporas into Scotland, Wales and Ireland, the Byzantine Empire, Italy and the Mediterranean littoral during the 11th and 12th centuries, but these pasts are often studied in discrete national historiographical boxes. This module collapses boxes which separate for instance the Vikings from the Normans or the Normans in Britain and Ireland from their cousins in Sicily and the Crusader states. Crucially it means that long-distance connections and comparisons can be explored, such as, the ways in which the Vikings and Normans carried out great acts of destruction in raids and conquests, and yet played a pivotal role in the making of Europe.

This module introduces students to fundamental concepts in political thought. We will investigate the nature of power and authority, the meaning of citizenship and democracy, and the ideals of liberty and equality. Students will also learn about some of the most important political ideologies in the contemporary world, such as liberalism, conservatism, feminism, and socialism. The module also aims to familiarise students with basic methods in political theory. This foundation in key concepts, ideologies, and methods will provide a solid basis for philosophically astute political analysis. Political Concepts is a core module on the Politics BA and the Philosophy, Politics, and Economic BA. It will provide these students with a grounding in philosophical and theoretical approaches to the study of politics. The module is intended to complement the more empirically-focused modules they will encounter elsewhere on the first year of their programmes. Students will also benefit from skills training and valuable experience in reading and discussing challenging theoretical work, which later historical and philosophical modules in their programme will build upon.

What does it mean to be free? When, if ever, is political power over others justified? This module introduces core themes in political philosophy, with a focus on questions about freedom and power. It takes a primarily historical approach which aims to familiarise students with philosophical ideas in major texts in the history of political thought. The module provides a grounding in the social contract tradition, liberalism and its radical critics, as well as thinkers associated with conservative, feminist, and abolitionist thought. In addition to the themes of freedom and power, students will also think through other important topics in the history of political philosophy, such as citizenship, the state, human nature, consent, property, and the purpose of politics. The module aims to equip students with skills in practical humanities – enabling them to use philosophical resources to understand problems that have emerged in social and political life. It also helps students develop their skills in the identification and construction of philosophical argumentation, with a focus on developing the capacity for interpretative and critical analysis of classic philosophical texts. The module exposes students to a range of arguments from different political perspectives, with students being required to provide a reasoned defence of their own views on matters of importance in the history of political philosophy.

This module addresses the nature and challenges of beginning theological study and prepares students to become critically self-aware about their own learning journey in theology. Skills and knowledge acquisition, alongside character development, are seen as complementary aspects of each student’s theological formation. The module aims to equip students with the key skills they will need to resource their learning in theology. These skills include e-learning, using library resources, referencing, academic reading and writing, communication, and assessment literacy. At the same time, students are equipped to reflect on their learning (both challenges and achievements) in this module and across the programme, as a vital aspect of their theological formation.

The module provides a significant opportunity for independent project-based learning for final-year Theology, Mission and Practice students at a greater length and depth than is possible in a standard 20 credit module. The project will focus on a significant practical, professional or creative challenge within theology that relates to Christian mission and / or practice. Students’ projects may lie within a specific aspect of their Christian practice, or bring together a broader range of knowledge, understanding and experience, including from other disciplines and professions. In dialogue with a designated supervisor, students will design and carry out a suitable project, developing the skills they will need for the progress and completion of the work. The projects can take a variety of forms including creative and experiential component options. All projects require a formal proposal to be accepted before the work may commence, and students are guided through this process through workshops and classes.

This module explores the incredible flourishing of radical ideas during the English Revolution (1640-1649). These years witnessed the destruction of the old order in both church and state, with the abolition of episcopacy in the church and the trial and execution of the king. The breakdown of the status quo weakened the effectiveness of systems of control (such as pre-publication censorship) while simultaneously raising public expectations. These expectations were spiritual as well as secular, as many believed that the downfall of earthly monarchy heralded the coming reign of Christ and his saints on earth. Others, notably some women, exploited the uncertainty of the times to push for a greater role in society. Some, such as the members of the Leveller movement even went so far as to argue for a democratic constitution while others, the Diggers, called for the redistribution of land amongst the people. The novelty of these demands is indisputable but historians remain divided as to the significance of radicalism both to the revolution itself and in the longer term. In this course, we will analyse the usefulness of 'radicalism' as a category of analysis and look at whether these groups and individuals had a more lasting impact upon English society. The module complements level 4 and 5 offerings in early modern British history, providing students with an opportunity to engage in an in-depth study of an aspect of the period. The module will also encourage students to engage in higher-level engagement with historical concepts such as radicalism, as well as particular historiographical traditions (the British Marxist historians). The emphasis upon engagement with original sources throughout this module and upon representations of the past (in popular culture as well as academic scholarship) will also provide a valuable stepping-stone to level 7 study.

This module focuses on fundamental philosophical and religious issues and problems in the Early Modern period (i.e. in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries), which was a crucial period and a turning point in the history of European ideas. Students will come to understand the philosophical basis of the modern scientific revolution in the seventeenth century, and be able to grasp the relation of the new philosophical quest for certainty in the period to traditional religious belief. The unit examines in epistemology and metaphysics such as rational proofs for the existence of God, the existence of miracles, the reality of the external world, the distinction and union of mind and body. The module features close readings of sections from texts by a range of canonical thinkers, including Descartes, Locke, Galileo, Gassendi, Hume and Reid. The module also incorporates recent developments in the historiography of Early Modern Philosophy by including the texts and ideas of female philosophers such as Queen Elizabeth of Bohemia and Anne Conway. Students will also be encouraged to reflect on the early modern European question for ‘mastery and possession of nature’ to the project of European colonialism.

This module examines the inter-connected histories of race and empire from the late eighteenth century to the present day. Students will explore how ideas about race and racial difference were formed, expressed, and contested in British and colonial contexts, how race was linked to the expansion and maintenance of empire, and consider its role in the making of modern Britain. Weekly content for the module is thematic, including: medical and scientific theories about race; civilising missions and humanitarianism; race and the politics of ethnicity; race, sex, and gender; the violence of the end of empire; and the legacies of racialised thinking in postcolonial Britain and in Africa. Lectures will provide a broad overview of key themes and concepts in the history of empire, including imperialism, humanitarianism, migration, nationalism, and decolonisation. Seminars will involve in-depth discussion of case studies from across the British Empire, drawing on diverse secondary sources, as well as primary sources that highlight the perspectives of colonised peoples, as well as black, Asian, and minority ethnic communities in Britain. In doing so, the module equips students with the intellectual tools to reflect critically and sensitively on a complex and often contentious history that continues to provoke debate today.

This module prompts students to engage critically with how historians actually 'do' history. It identifies and analyses some of the most important developments in historical research, and explores a series of high-profile debates that have arisen between scholars. Its purpose is to encourage students to think about approaches to history which they may not have consciously encountered before, and to reflect critically on how and why historians might disagree in their interpretation of the past. The first strand of the module traces the 'history of history', highlighting some of the principal turns that influenced how we research and write about the past. Topics introduced here include the Rankean Revolution towards the end of the nineteenth century, Marxist approaches to history, the Annales School and the impact of social history, gender history cultural history, post-colonialism and post-structuralism. In the process, students will learn about key theories and discuss exemplary texts by leading scholars. The second strand of the module sees different members of the History team introducing students to historiographical debates (or 'controversies') relevant to their own field. Accordingly, these case studies will be drawn from different historical periods and relate to different parts of the globe. Situated within the second year of the History programme, this module enables a natural progression from the skills-based, Level 4 module 'The Historian's Craft', while providing crucial training in the evaluation of secondary sources and historical methods that can be applied to final year dissertation projects.

Making History offers a practical introduction to how historians operate, within the academic sphere and beyond. We will consider how historians select their research topics, how they incorporate minority voices into their work and – crucially - how they use their research to contribute to wider society. The module embeds a Digital Humanities approach to the past that highlights contemporary research practices and innovations and enhances students’ digital literacy skills. The module also provides a valuable introduction to the field of Public History, as students explore the different media through which historians may communicate knowledge (policy documents, blogs, popular history magazines, documentaries, TED talks, news outlets e.g. The Conversation etc.) and think critically about how the past is presented within museums, heritage sites, popular culture, and the surrounding landscape. Fundamentally, the module develops the core research and critical thinking skills that will be required throughout the History degree, teaching students how to compile bibliographies, reference sources, analyse diverse primary materials and write a persuasive argument. But the module is also unique in moving beyond the classroom to give students the opportunity to work on real projects – liaising with external clients to produce a community history output and/or creating a Digital Humanities output to facilitate public engagement with the past. As a result, Making History inculcates transferable skills, promotes authentic assessment and demonstrates an emphasis on student employability right from the start of degree programme. Moreover, it is anticipated that, through having these earlier opportunities to network with external clients, students will be better prepared for undertaking the period of work placement that is required for the core, Level 5 module, ‘Applied Humanities’.

This module explores the society and cultures of Britain and China during the tenth and eleventh centuries in the framework of Global and comparative history. Travel need not have been more difficult in this period than in the seventeenth century, and through maritime connections and the Silk Roads Britain and China were part of a wider world. The first part of the course explores the worlds of these connections and ways of understanding Global and comparative history. The second and third parts of the course shift attention to culture, society and the state. In Britain the English kingdom came into existence and in China the Northern Song dynasty emerged as one of the most advanced civilizations on earth. A thematic approach is used in which students will study texts, material culture and archaeological evidence to assess how these two societies differed from each other. The course provides an opportunity to recontextualize the history of Britain and China during eras of state and society formation, and provides a lead into a third-year module on Empires and Geographies of Power in the Pre-Modern Age.

This module explores some key debates relevant to understanding global religions and the contemporary issues they face. Focusing on developments in Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism, the course will examine discussions related to gender, religion and culture, political theology, migration and ethics. There will be two main specific, yet interconnected, focuses. One is to provide students with an in-depth analysis of selected themes linked to Islam and women, in both historical and contemporary contexts. Students will critically analyse the cultural, historical and theological issues that inform the discourse on the current status of women within Islam, both in Islamic countries and those where Muslims are a minority community. Relevant Qur’anic verses and hadiths will be analysed in their different interpretations to support diverse current opinions and practices. Special emphasis will be given to Muslim approaches to the issues, i.e. those from within the tradition, and how they compare to the outsider’s perceptions. The second focus of the module is to explore religious, cultural and political issues in global Hinduism and Buddhism including caste, gender, political theology, and ethics. The course will consider variations and commonalities in global and local communities and how colonialism, migration and diaspora identities have shaped developments. These issues will be approached by situating classical Hindu and Buddhist texts in relation to contemporary events and views as reported in media and online news stories. The module may include a visit to a place of worship or a museum/gallery in London or/and the visit of a guest speaker from the world of business, the media, charities or NGO organizations.

This module will introduce some of the key issues and approaches involved in the study of religion and religions, with the aim of providing a solid basis for further study over the following two years of the BA degree. It will provide students with the theoretical and methodological backgrounds needed for the study of religion, both within and across traditions, and examine them within the context of specific religions and their cultural contexts. Selected modern issues in global religions will also be introduced and discussed. It will also seek to develop some of the key transferable skills needed for undergraduate work in this field, such as critical thinking, effective writing and planning, critical use of electronic resources, etc. Further transferable skills include the ability to critically engage with current events relevant to religion and discuss issues ethically and respectfully to form a balanced academic argument.

This module develops a robust grounding in theories and methods in the study of religion. It provides students with a critical vocabulary with which they can identify and analyse aspects of religion in varied contexts. The course covers a range of methods including textual studies, anthropology of religion, sociology of religion and material culture. There will be integration of critical theories of religion and identity, such as intersections of race and gender. By reflecting on historical and contemporary examples and case studies from different regions and religions, the course takes a global approach to religion and culture. Students will develop confidence in discussing varied approaches from study of religions and develop a ‘toolkit’ of methodologies that they can integrate into their research and assignments.

This module introduces students to the history of the Americas from the period of European conquest to the modern day. It traces that history through an overview of the peoples, societies, events, economies, and cultures that have come to define the Western Hemisphere. The diverse history of the Americas is approached through weekly themes that offer students a comparative lens to view long-running controversies, core American concepts, and moments of change (or consistency) that have come to define the region. The module also moves chronologically, considering the period of European colonization, independence movements, the institution and abolition of slavery, the impact of industry and war on society, migration, the rise of feminism, the creation of culture, race relations, and hemispheric relations. Students will learn about various forms of empire and the corresponding forms of revolution that challenged European and home-grown imperialism. It covers the idea of race from the slave trade to the modern civil rights movement, the fight for women’s rights, labour struggles, religious freedom, and the impact of migration within, to, and from the Americas. Students will develop an ability to consider historical events in multiple contexts by using varied resources as evidence. This will facilitate a better understanding of key ideas and concepts that characterize the history of the Americas and push learners to go beyond traditional methodologies. The module adds geographical scope to the first year programme and gives students an opportunity to learn more about the roots of contemporary American culture and society.

This module addresses the scholarly debate about how violent the ancient Greeks were. While some scholars suggest that the growth of the law courts in classical Athens brought about a change in cultural values and attitudes towards violence, others find that the Athenian appetite for violence was not diminished by the rise of the law courts. Students consider evidence from a variety of sources in order to assess what Athenian cultural norms were and whether/how they were transgressed. Skills covered in this module include: formulating historical questions, interpreting rhetoric, engaging in critical thinking about scholarly debates, critiquing opposing arguments.

This research skills module is intended to assist students in developing the study and research skills that they need to successfully undertake postgraduate study in theology and religious studies. Students will be guided in techniques of academic reading and writing, advice on creating their own bibliographies, and practical advice on how to make the most of the electronic and in-house library learning resources at Roehampton and other accessible UK HE institutions (eg. electronic databases, SCONUL access, interlibrary loans etc.). Generic study-skills advice will be embedded in the module and enhanced by subject-specific advice tailored to the content of the MA TRS programme, notably advice on how to study the sacred texts and traditions of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Indian Religions (Hinduism, Buddhism etc.) at postgraduate level and engage with and evaluate scholarship in the discipline critically as well as sessions on empirical research methods.
The practical advice and guidance which students will engage with in the seminar sessions will be augmented by their attendance at research presentations by Roehampton staff or invited external speakers, so as to learn best practice by attending research papers and honing their listening, communication, and evaluation skills. The research presentations programme will be created fresh each academic year by the convenor(s), and may include attendance at research papers offered by Roehampton research centres (such as the Centre for Inclusive Humanities) as well as attendance at off-campus events, for example research events in London, in order to take advantage of our location as a study resource.

The Dissertation module provides an opportunity for the study of a significant religious or theological question or problem in greater depth and length than is possible in an ordinary module. Dissertation projects may lie within one specific area of religion or theology or interact with other disciplines. In dialogue with a designated supervisor, students will not only design a suitable project, but further develop the critical research, analytical, presentational, and writing skills from those acquired in taught modules. The dissertation module allows students the unique opportunity to undertake self-directed and independent research driven by their own interests. Students will choose a topic which interests and excites them and will - through a series of group work sessions and individual supervisions - develop an MA dissertation length essay (15,000 words) on a topic of religious or theological merit.

This module aims to establish patterns for life-long learning through introducing students to the habit of theological reflection – that is, looking at student professional practice through a critical theological lens. The focus of this reflection is the students’ Long Professional Placement (LPP), which runs for the duration of the academic year, and so a LPP proposal is a prerequisite for the module. Building on their first year of study, students will learn how to draw from across their theological curriculum to date to inform reflection on their LPP. Benefitting from practical theology insights, students will also learn how to identify and evidence their growth as reflective practitioners.