Level 2

This module offers an accessible and cutting-edge introduction to the study of religions, exploring places, practices, texts and experiences. You will encounter a range of religious traditions, in particular Christianity, Hinduism and Islam, in diverse geographical, cultural and historical contexts. You will study these religions as they are actually lived and investigate their impact on different societies and cultures. The module challenges various widely held assumptions about religions and the study of religion, and engages students with three core questions: What is religion? How do we study religion? Why should we study religion? Drawing on rich audio-visual material, this module develops key skills for study and employability.

The British Isles in the long nineteenth century was a place of rapid expansion and growth, when the United Kingdom became the so-called ‘workshop of the world’. It was also a period of conflict and uncertainty, where poverty and political unrest prompted widespread anxieties about the nature progress. Taking up these different perspectives, this module looks at the landmark transformations of the period such as the political union of Britain and Ireland, industrialisation, the growth of cities, and the expansion of the British Empire. By focusing on one century, this module provides space for a deep engagement with historical method and debate.

In this interdisciplinary module you’ll cover key areas of international development. These include: different models of development; shifting power in the international system; the relationship between poverty, inequality and livelihoods; the impact of conflict and insecurity; and the role of technology and the environment. The history of development as a process of change, the power relationships in that process and the different scales at which development takes place from transnational to local, are themes running throughout the module. These themes integrate the material – using a mix of case studies, interactive activities, text and DVD – to provide a central narrative encouraging critical appraisal and curiosity. (60 credits)

This module draws on classic and contemporary theory and research in psychology and applies them to a broad range of contexts. You will learn how psychologists have studied both practical and theoretical issues, such as nationalism or sexuality, with a particular emphasis on understanding and solving problems that directly affect people’s lives. You will explore core academic areas of psychology as set out by the British Psychological Society (e.g. social, cognitive, developmental) and applied aspects of professional practice (e.g. clinical, forensic, counselling). You will also develop your understanding of psychological research methods, along with other useful academic and employability skills.

What is politics? Who is engaged in politics locally, nationally and internationally? How do we study politics? This online module answers questions like these and explores how political ideas, institutions and processes help govern our world. Using a range of study materials you will explore the interrelationships between politicians, pundits and publics. You will learn the key practical skills that are used to explore and explain the ways in which politics, in all its forms, helps order the social world and provide for the governance of persons and the administration of things. (60 credits)

This module responds to the need to understand the problems of running national and global economies in the wake of a major economic crisis. It starts with macroeconomics, looking at how economies work from global and integrated perspectives. It then moves to microeconomics, drilling down into the behaviour of people, firms and governments. This combined analysis allows you to start exploring how policy affects, and is affected by, the economy and its constituent members. Using a simulator, you will apply what you have learned, taking on the role of an economic analyst to make or advise on policy choices.

Before registering for this module, to help you decide whether you're ready to study at this level you can take our Are you ready for DD209? quiz. You will also find advice on preparatory materials you can study before you start in order to be better prepared for your studies.

Environmental issues pose challenges. What are the biophysical and social causes of environmental change? What exactly is an environmental issue and why are they often controversial and difficult to resolve? How can we make a difference? You will address all of these questions as you explore four key global environmental concerns – life, water, carbon, and food – through a rich and interactive set of study materials. As you do so, you will develop a distinctive way of thinking about environments and environmental issues that draws on the insights of both natural and social sciences to be at once intellectually innovative and practically relevant.

Reading and studying literature builds on the introductory modules in arts and humanities, The arts past and present (AA100), and Voices, texts and material culture (A105). It will introduce you to the study of English literature by looking at a selection of texts from the Renaissance to the present day. The module offers a stimulating mix of classic texts and less well-known works from a range of genres, including drama, poetry and prose fiction as well as autobiography, travel-writing and film. An overarching concern of the module is the uses we make in the present of the literature of the past.

This module is for anyone interested in classical Greece and Rome. You will investigate a wide range of topics (such as the world of Homer; political uses of theatre; art and rhetoric in Athens; the history of the Roman Republican period; Latin poetry and Roman social history), studying sources as varied as poetry, drama, history writing, art, architecture, archaeology, inscriptions, and philosophy. Whether your interest in the classical world is long-standing or new, this module will give you a fresh perspective, develop your skills in analysis and evaluation and lay a firm foundation for further exploration.

This introduction to philosophy considers fundamental questions from six core areas: the self; philosophy of religion; ethics; knowledge and science; the mind; and political philosophy. What makes me ‘Me’? Does God exist? Why should I act morally? Can I trust science? How can I, a physical being, have thoughts and emotions? Should I obey laws I disagree with? Philosophers – both past and present – have offered radically diverging answers to these and the other questions asked in this module. Guided engagement with this philosophical tradition will provide the platform for you to tackle the big questions of philosophy for yourself.