University Study in the United Kingdom: Queen Mary University of London

British cinema is often celebrated for its social realism, yet has made significant and influential contributions to the worlds of horror, fantasy, and science fiction. From the Gothic tradition of Dracula to nightmarish visions of London in 28 Days Later and the spectacular popular fantasies of Doctor Who and Harry Potter, this course investigates this alternative history or ‘repressed underside’ of British cinema and the ways in which these films have responded to their social and cultural production contexts.

Introducing you to a range of critical approaches to film and literature and making full use of our unique London setting, we will engage with debates on the cultural appeal and social significance of horror and fantasy, and the nature of audiences and film spectatorship. Key topics for discussion will be the depiction of London and the East End as both a landscape of fear and wonder; the representation of women, gender and sexuality in horror and fantasy; the psychoanalytic interpretation of horror and the ways through which these films engage with the history of Britain and its capital. With an emphasis on cinema, we will also compare the writing of British authors with film adaptations of their work.

What does the future world of work look like? This module critically evaluates contemporary trends in the changing world of work. We focus on these trends with a view to understanding their implications for work, employment, and society. Some issues explored in this module are: automation and AI; emotional labor; flexible working; the platform economy; climate change; regulation and the role of the state; globalization. The extent to which COVID-19 has disrupted, or accelerated, such trends will also be explored throughout.

This module considers specific cognitive functions and properties of the human mind. The material will cover perception, attentional processes, language and knowledge representation, memory mechanisms, problem-solving and expertise, and the relationships and links between processes. Studies from classical and modern cognitive psychology will be provided throughout.

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This innovative module sits at the forefront of cultural criminology and legal humanities, offering you a deep exploration of the relationship between culture and criminal justice. It engages you in critical discussions on how culture shapes, and is shaped by, law, covering topics such as art theft, cultural looting, AI and technology, performance in trials, and the role of technology in legal processes. The first half of the module examines criminal justice through the lens of art and culture, exploring literature, theatre, and art that engage with justice themes, and developing analytical skills through performance analysis and creative writing. The second half reverses the perspective, analyzing art through a criminal justice lens by considering issues such as censorship, policing culture, and the legal frameworks that regulate art and cultural expression. The module fosters cross-disciplinary thinking and equips you with new methods of critical analysis for criminology, law, and justice studies.

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This summer course will provide clear understanding of the different types of environmental exposures that are related with pathogenic mechanisms of human diseases. The first section will review the natural environment (land, water, air, energy) and its impact on health indicators, as well as nutritional content of food and nutraceuticals. The second section will focus on the built environment (housing, urban vs. rural landscapes, transport, work) and the relation of our living conditions with health outcomes. The third section will review the effects of the psychosocial environment (mental health, stress, socialization, financial status) on the public health. The fourth section will expand on the microenvironment features (microbiome) and the epigenetic effects (gene-by-environment interactions) that modulate disease mechanisms. The final section of the course will focus on the combined and synergistic impact of all different types of the environment on health indicators. It will also showcase the added value of multidisciplinary approaches to evaluate the combined impact of environment on health and disease.

This module explores how technology is transforming banking and finance, with a focus on distributed ledger technology (DLT), blockchain, and innovations such as digital currencies, DeFi, NFTs, DAOs, and decentralised exchanges. It also examines the rise of Regulatory Technology (RegTech) and the growing role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in financial markets and services. The course reviews these developments through a legal and regulatory lens, highlighting key challenges and opportunities. No prior knowledge of FinTech or related fields is required.

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This module introduces you to the core principles of marketing and explores how artificial intelligence is transforming modern marketing practices. Topics include consumer behavior, segmentation, branding, and marketing strategy, alongside AI applications such as predictive analytics, personalization, and digital advertising. Through interactive workshops, case studies, and an AI Skills Bootcamp, you will develop practical knowledge and critical understanding of how data-driven technologies are transforming marketing practice.

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This module will cover the main aspects of international dispute resolution from conciliation, mediation to arbitration. You will learn about the relevant institutional arbitration rules, national laws, many based on the UNCITRAL Model Law, and relevant international treaties (New York Convention 1958 and ICSID Convention 1965). You will learn about the difference between commercial and investment arbitration.

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This module introduces the sector and its principal issues, contracts, and sources of dispute, with lectures on the financing of major energy projects; granting of hydrocarbons rights and related contracts; the power sector and its main contracts; public international law rules on climate change and national litigation; the legal effects of an expanded role for renewable energy in the energy transition; how disputes are typically managed including international treaty, and; commercial arbitration.

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How and why are Shakespeare’s plays performed, filmed, read and taught, from China to Chile, from Singapore to South Africa? What makes Shakespeare a “global” force? Shakespeare's plays display the vast panoply of human desires and emotions: from passionate love to bewildering fear, from unswerving loyalty to basest envy, from the noblest instances of self-sacrifice to the desire to inflict unspeakable pain. His depictions of these emotions are often shocking in their vividness, yet always recognizable as fundamental facets of human experience. This course will look at Shakespeare’s afterlives in different parts of the world, and include hands-on workshops in which we will try out different possible ways of interpreting “global” plays like Antony and Cleopatra.

This module explores the dynamic intersections of influencer marketing and artificial intelligence (AI), equipping you with the insights and skills to navigate these critical aspects of modern marketing. Through this module, you will gain an in-depth understanding of influencer culture within both traditional and digital marketing landscapes. Key topics include the role of influencers in digital marketing, strategies for brand-influencer partnerships, online community building, and content creation that resonates across platforms. You will analyze various types of creative and strategic content, developing the skills to create impactful marketing campaigns.

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This summer school module offers a comprehensive introduction to the main branches of intellectual property law, providing a solid foundation for advanced study. It covers the essential legal frameworks governing patents, copyrights, trademarks, and designs, examining how they incentivize creativity and innovation while balancing public interest. You will explore the legal principles and policy rationales underlying IP protection, gaining a deep understanding of core IP doctrines and the ability to apply this knowledge across various industries and legal contexts.

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International criminal justice is at a crossroads. On the one hand, we now have an unprecedented ability to prosecute individuals accused of torture, genocide, and crimes against humanity both domestically and internationally, emblematic of the extent to which these kinds of prosecutions have become normalized over the last 70 years. On the other hand, more and more countries have raised concerns about the efficacy and fairness of international criminal prosecutions, arguing that they are selective or neocolonialist, biased or myopic. This is exemplified by the complex status and reception of the International Criminal Court, alternately lionized and criticized. This module introduces you to these debates and examines the legal and philosophical underpinnings of international criminal law and justice.

Key topics in this course will be:

• The development of the laws that govern international criminal justice, including detailed study of the laws against torture, genocide, crimes against humanity, and aggression.
• The philosophical and historical origins of international criminal justice.
• The courts and tribunals that adjudicate these kinds of crime, including the International Criminal Court.
• The key challenges facing the greater implementation of these kinds of criminal prosecutions, including the role of politics and of the international community, and questions of sovereignty and human rights.

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The module will examine some of the legal and ethical issues arising from the use of AI. It analyzes the technologies and considers the legal issues arising from a range of applications (in areas such as financial services, healthcare, employment, judiciary). It provides an overview of existing and emerging legislation on an international and comparative basis and self-regulatory systems.

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This course offers a broad overview of public international law and its various areas, its relations to politics, and current challenges of the international legal system. The focus will be on the theoretical background of international law as well as its practical implications in our globalized world. It will provide a critical, analytical, and stimulating perspective on the nature and scope of international law for every scholar interested in this field. Furthermore, our location in London will offer you access to law firms exclusively dedicated to international law (such as Volterra Fietta), and to international organizations based in London (such as the International Maritime Organisation and the Commonwealth of Nations, International Coffee Organisation).

Teaching in lectures and seminars will be supplemented with a number of structured study sessions, such as a supervised library skills workshop, and assessment preparation for the coursework.

This course teaches essential concepts in law and economics in a dynamic setting. It introduces rationality theory and explores specific areas of law, such as Tort, Contract, or Criminal Law, focusing on current topics. You will apply analytical skills to analyze legal situations, culminating in a legal memo addressing a current legal issue or public consultation.

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This dynamic course will provide you with an opportunity to learn about some of the key legal skills which are used in practice to become a successful, ethical lawyer and professional. It will help you understand the theory behind these skills within the classroom and participate in practical workshops and activities where they will use and develop certain skills. There will be also be practical activities where you will see legal skills in practice and have an opportunity to reflect on the skills presented.

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Through visits to ten of London’s most important institutions, you will examine the development of how institutions curate culture from Renaissance ‘cabinets of curiosities’ to the modern ‘white cube’ gallery space. The module will equip you with the historical, theoretical, and practical knowledge necessary for studying culture through institutional collections. The class will analyze the techniques and practices museums use to collect, organize, and display their objects; we will consider the messages these institutions send through their architecture, patronage, and methods of display; and we will delve into some of the most important issues affecting cultural institutions today like decolonization, repatriation, and social impact.

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You will be studying London through visits, tours, talks, walks, screenings, and events, and from this develop your knowledge of the city and the town's history and culture. The scope of the study will be by period and locale with directed and self-directed study, so you are able to follow your own interests; history, politics, music, fashion, cinema, art, literature. This is a summer course for those who want to learn about London by seeing and experiencing it. The teaching will focus your research skills and your practical skills in photography and writing though practice-based workshops in photography, journalism, and creative writing.

This module uses London's central place in the world's carbon economy to understand global environmental challenges. Through field trips, firsthand encounters, and engaging class sessions, you will learn about London's role in the global geographies of carbon extraction. The module starts with early connections of empire, colonialism, and coal. It then moves through efforts to transition from carbon intensive energy sources to consider contemporary contests over climate change and the different ways financial activism seeks sustainable futures.

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What is a city? Is it constituted of buildings? People? Institutions? This module introduces the city as a series of dynamic practices: the movement of people; the proposition of highways and alleyways, green spaces and social housing; the configuration and scheduling of transport; the regulation and timetabled glow of light; the whiffs and breezes and pockets of air pollution. It is also the circulation of ideas and the pulse of affect. This module offers a series of weekly encounters with the literary and performative city. You will study a range of literary and theoretical texts, and walk London, traveling along its transport connections, listening to guides, looking around yourself, and engaging self-reflexively with the meanings and imperatives found in the city.

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The module offers an introduction to maritime law and aviation law, examining how maritime and air transport have been regulated internationally. It examines how the law responds to the challenges these critical sectors of the global economy are faced with, such as climate change, the use of new technologies and artificial intelligence (e.g. autonomous vessels and drones), external shocks (e.g. sanctions and trade wars) and an unlevel playing field. The module concludes with a comparative analysis of the international regulation of shipping and aviation.

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This module examines the biological, psychological, and social factors that influence mental health and mental health conditions. The module provides foundational knowledge of common mental health conditions, covering symptoms, underlying causes, and evidence-based treatments. In addition, you will be introduced to experimental methods in psychology and neuroscience to study mental health and better understand the basis of mental health conditions. You will learn about the basics of neuroscientific methods, from research using animal models to neuroimaging. In workshops, you will gain hands-on experience in analyzing and interpreting data of various methods (animal work, EEG, functional magnetic resonance imaging). A fieldtrip exploring the history of mental health research and treatment in London is included as part of the summer school.

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This module provides you with the key legal skills necessary to enable compliant, effective and sustainable public procurement contracting. The module engages with different policy objectives for the public procurement life cycle including contracting specifications, evaluation criteria, conflicts of interest and dispute settlement. This dynamic module includes two negotiating exercises addressing procurement contracts and procurement agreements to provide you with the skills to communicate and understand the legal parameters as well as the different trade-offs involved.

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Surgical Skills & Science is designed for students who aim to follow a career in surgery, or allied healthcare professionals who need to acquire basic surgical techniques. Combining traditional teaching with hands-on practice and simulation, the course aims to deliver comprehensive training on basic surgical skills, as well as introduce fundamental research methodology.

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This module provides you with the key legal skills necessary to enable compliant, effective, and sustainable public procurement contracting. The module engages with different policy objectives for the public procurement life cycle including contracting specifications, evaluation criteria, conflicts of interest and dispute settlement. This dynamic module includes two negotiating exercises addressing procurement contracts and procurement agreements to provide you with the skills to communicate and understand the legal parameters as well as the different trade-offs involved.

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This module explores the concept of sustainable development, with a particular emphasis on the UN Sustainable Development Goals. It examines how finance contributes to sustainable development through various avenues, including building resilience, funding the technology needed for innovation, providing financial resources, the importance of digital and other infrastructures. Additionally, we will discuss the international financial framework and the roles of organizations such as G20, World Bank, and BRICs. Key areas of focus include climate change, biodiversity, energy, economic growth, and social inclusion.

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Taxation is an important factor in commercial and financial decision making, as well as an important aspect of public and administrative law. An understanding of taxation is therefore essential for a proper understanding of business and finance as well as law. The module will give those of you who intend to work in business, law, or government an understanding of the principles underpinning domestic and international taxation as well as an overview of some of the major issues in international taxation.

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