Biodiversity loss is a matter of increasing public concern, but its extent and manifestations are not widely understood. In this module, you consider biodiversity in the context of species conservation and management. You are given a basic knowledge of animal and plant diversity, classification and biogeography and explore the evolutionary changes that living organisms have experienced in arriving at their present day distribution and abundance.

The module will begin with the question of what defines a plant and how they related to the other kingdoms. This will then lead on to a journey from the plant cell to vegetation communities and how they interact with, and are import to, other groups of organisms. The module will then finish with a discussion surrounding the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (from the Convention on Biological Diversity) and the targets within this document.

This module aims to give you an understanding of a range of key environmental issues, the ways in which they have arisen, and the means by which they might be addressed. Among the topics considered are: global warming, climate change and energy policy; waste and waste management; transport and tourism; development population, and agriculture; the politics of food production and supply; the rise of environmental concern; the socially constructed character of environmental issues; representations of environmental issues in mass media; environmental movements and protest; environmentalism and global justice; cultural conceptions of nature; tropical deforestation, biodiversity and trade; environmental policy and the nature of environmental law and regulation. The module includes contributions from the perspectives of sociology, anthropology, social policy, political science and law.

This is a module designed to introduce students to the range of basic practical and technical skills requires to undertake an Undergraduate programme. including academic writing, bibliographical skills, referencing, photography, video skills, and project planing.

This course introduces students to the issues and theories of social anthropology by looking at people from around the world, from pre-industrialised societies to the industrial West, through a selection of topics.

This module introduces evolutionary ideas, explores the diversity of primates, covers the evolutionary history of humans from ape-like ancestors to the appearance of civilization, and explores areas such as human variation, race, consciousness and language. The module provides a foundation for the biological anthropology courses in years 2 & 3.

This module considers human use of natural resources and the way in which changing patterns of use are influencing environmental policies. The environmental sciences (agriculture, medicine, epidemiology, horticulture, forestry, fisheries, pollution science, pedology, hydrology and water management, mining etc.) will be reviewed to assess the concept of sustainability in past and current practices. The necessity for global conservation in the context of sustainable development is also considered the essential knowledge and understanding of the mechanisms underlying evolution and adaptation in higher organisms. It gives a working knowledge of genetics, physiology, evolution and comparative morphology, and basic laboratory skills.

This module introduces students to theories of management, beginning with classical management systems through to contemporary management concepts. It will illustrate the continuities and transformations in management thinking and practice throughout the 20th and 21st century. Lecture topics will include the following: Scientific Management; Human Relations School; Bureaucracy; Post Bureaucratic Organizations; Contingency Approach; Culture Management; Leadership; Decision-making and Managing Ethically.

This module introduces students to theories of management, beginning with classical management systems through to contemporary management concepts. It will illustrate the continuities and transformations in management thinking and practice throughout the 20th and 21st century. Lecture topics will include the following: Scientific Management; Human Relations School; Bureaucracy; Post Bureaucratic Organizations; Contingency Approach; Culture Management; Leadership; Decision-making and Managing Ethically.

Hurricanes, air crashes, earthquakes, wars, shipping disasters, environmental disasters, and the Chernobyl explosion are all topics which can partly be understood from a scientific viewpoint. In a fairly clear sense, they represent situations in which the usual smooth-running laws of science breakdown, but in recent years methods have been developed which give some insight into catastrophic events. This module will cover a number of phenomena, many of them well known and well publicised giving a clear account of each and discussing the scientific, technical and human contributions to the disaster and some which have the potential to cause catastrophic change.

Sociology offers insight into how society works. To do this, we question and look behind the ‘common sense’ view of everything in the social world. This course looks at a range of important and topical aspects of society and explains how we can make better sense of them by ‘thinking sociologically’. The aim is to introduce students to the wide range of topics which comprise contemporary Sociology and indicate how social circumstances shape and influence our lives. Why do powerful differences and inequalities between men and women persist even though both are now formally equal? Why, in a world that is safer and healthier than ever before, do we witness so much concern about risks such as to our health, children and security. These are type of questions we will begin to answer. The course is suitable both for those who have studied sociology at A level, and those who have not. There is a considerable emphasis on interactive discussion, through weekly seminar groups.

This course follows on from the Sociology of Everyday Life, assuming familiarity with its range of issues and challenge to 'common sense' perspectives. It provides grounding in the basic history and assumptions of sociological thinking and research, and how they apply to key aspects of our society. Topics are less from everyday experience than in the Sociology of Everyday Life course, focusing on more abstract topics such as the state and globalization. Students will also be encouraged to consider competing perspectives on these topics and how they might be assessed. There will be a lecture and seminar each week and students will be encouraged to engage in informed discussion and debate.

This module provides an introduction to the study of economics at university level for students without A level Economics or an equivalent qualification. The aims of the module are to introduce the main ways in which economists think about problems, the basic principles of economics and the main debates about economic problems and policies This module provides the foundations for the study of economics at Stages 2 and 3. Students who are taking single or joint honours Economics or Accounting must take either Economics Mode A or B. If you are unsure about which mode you should take, consult the module convenors on your arrival at University. Economics Mode B assumes no previous knowledge of economics. Key skills are integrated into the learning and teaching of the module.

This module provides an introduction to the study of economics at university level for students with A level Economics or an equivalent qualification. The aims of the module are to introduce the main ways in which economists think about problems, the basic principles of economics and the main debates about economic problems and policies. The Mode A module builds upon and broadens previous knowledge of Economics at A level or equivalent. This module provides the foundations for the study of Economics at Stages 2 and 3. Students who are doing single or joint honours Economics or Accounting degree programmes must either take Economics Mode A or B. If you are unsure about which mode you should take, consult the module convenors on your arrival at University. Key skills are integrated into the learning and teaching of the module.