Interdisciplinary modules

In Thinking Through Games you'll explore ways that videogames (and perhaps the occasional board game) can be used as tools to learn about important topics. For example, what can games say about sustainability, creativity, ethics and philosophy, heritage, economics, health, or education? And how might you use examples from games in your subject discipline? Over the duration of the module a carefully curated selection of games will be used to unpack these ideas and university subject experts will offer insight, inspiration, and interpretation. You'll be encouraged to join in the conversation about how games work in your discipline and conduct your own critical readings of games. By the end of this module, you'll have insight into complex issues, you'll be more familiar with the diversity of games and know how to analyse them, and will have had some fun!  

Comics are one of our oldest forms of storytelling, offering the ability to communicate beyond the language barrier. In this module, you will learn about global forms of visual storytelling and how comics are used to speak of our darkest fears and our greatest desires. How they inform our understanding of justice and tell the stories of the oppressed. You will also study the history of comics media and how real-world concerns influenced the stories we have consumed. By the end of this module, you will be able to understand the role of comics in the way we tell stories and how we view the world. 

Fuelled by a sense of loss and decline, the persistence of injustice and corruption, the rise of culture wars and post-truth politics, and the pointlessness of civic endeavour, there is a deepening moral crisis in our lives. Responding to such a crisis calls for the re-conceptualisation of something lost: a shared language of justice. This module will give students the opportunity to understand and explore some of the big moral and ethical questions of modern life: how should we respond to our current refugee crisis?; should we ban unhealthy products? is abortion right? is it wrong to riot in response to injustice?; are politicians justified in authorising the torture of a terrorist whose time-bomb threatens innocent civilian lives?; are deception and manipulation in marketing ever permissible?; and, should we colonise space? 

Develop social media skills and knowledge needed to build an influencer profile in your subject area, personal interest or passion. You'll create your own engaging content and uncover the secrets of successful influencers, learning how to develop a distinctive brand. By the end of this module, you will have gained a greater knowledge of different social media platforms and their audiences, a critical understanding of the importance of ethical and authentic influencing, and developed your own social media presence with a range of posts. 

‘Who owns my body?; and ‘Is it always an individual’s right to choose what they do with their body or can anyone claim they have a right over your body?’  Trading some body parts, including human cells, is illegal for commercial reasons, although it’s perfectly legal to sell or donate different parts of your own body. So, in some sense, we must own our bodies. Yet, there are some things that different societies collectively agree that we and others can’t or should not do with or to our bodies.  This module examines these questions in relation to topics such as abortion, the ‘right to die’, slavery, genetically modified bodies, tattooing, veiling, piercing, dieting and eating disorders, children's agency, religious principles and practices, and many more.  

The world is full of lies and distortion, so how can we be sure of anything? In this module, you will explore misinformation, media manipulation, echo chambers and the AI tools and social media algorithms that fuel them. You will develop skills and strategies to tackle these threats to you as an individual and to our society. This will make you an effective communicator of complex and contested ideas and give you the courage to speak truth to power.   

During this module you willl get the chance to hear from experts across a range of disciplines about the role of play in their field and the benefits of engaging with playful experiences for our learning, wellbeing and productivity. To understand how play features in these different domains, you will get the chance to experience hands on, playful learning utlising a broad range of tasks, games and simulations that will help embed the theoretical ideas around the benefits of play throughout the lifespan. Drawing upon ideas for boosting creativity, developing teams and your own professional development, you will get to bring all these ideas together as you create your own playful experience for other people to particpate in. 

In recent years, we have witnessed a heightened awareness about animal rights, yet animal cruelty is still being practised on a colossal scale, and the moral and legal status of animals remains unclear.  This module introduces students to the legal, ethical and social issues related to animal rights and cruelty, covering a range of topics from shark finning, pet smuggling, and trophy hunting, to medical research testing on animals, different types of farming, as well as the enclosure of animals in zoos, wildlife parks, and private pet ownership. Students will reflect on the problems raised with current animal welfare practices and consider recommendations of how to improve protection for animals in the future. 

Who do you think you are? What are your self-perceptions? How do you perceive disability and neurodiversity?

This module takes you on a journey of self-reflection to understand how disabilities (acquired and developmental), as well as neurodiversity, are viewed and understood according to subjective attitudes, perceptions, cultural contexts, experiences, and media representations (e.g. Film, literature, social media, music).

It will equip you with the skills (e.g. tackling ableism, understanding reasonable adjustments, using appropriate language) and attitudes required to work in various settings (e.g. sports and leisure, medicine, health, education, social care, law and policing) and public spaces to provide a disability-inclusive workplace/community by exploring your attitudes and beliefs, thus reducing stigma and relieving common misconceptions and discrimination.

You will consider the intersectionality of disability and other social identities as defined by the Equality Act (2010) in a primarily British context as well as critically engage with the terms 'disability' and 'neurodiversity' by considering historical and political contexts/perspectives, disability activism, models of disability (conceptualizing disability), disability and the law, and disability studies.

The brain is a ‘black box’ – we still have much to learn about what it can do and its capacity. Knowledge claims about the brain have a long, varied, and sometimes questionable history- from the wild phrenological interpretations of the skull to contemporary neuroscientific knowledge emerging through visual technologies. This module introduces students to the complexities of the human brain, through questions such as: ‘Is there a world outside of my brain?’; ‘how does sleep affect my brain?’; ‘does visualisation improve my brain performance?’; ‘is my brain neurodiverse?’; ‘can positive thinking rewire my brain?’; ‘should boxing and other risky sports be banned?’ to ‘what can I do with my brain?’ 

You will explore citizenship, allyship and bystander intervention, and personal transformation in an interactive and practical way. You will work with experts and practitioners to develop your own approach to make a difference to the community you live and study in, focusing on positive change and a sustainable future. Beginning with an examination of who you are and how you can create meaningful change you will then be given the opportunity to do something that really matters to you. In this module you will make a difference in the world, staring with your university. 

In a post-truth society, how do we articulate problems, influence and persuade, or call people to action in concise and memorable ways? In this module you will learn how to capture your voice and communicate your ideas in short and accessible forms. You will experiment with Tik Tok, photo and animated montage, 90 second films, digital infographics, micro tracts and social media campaigns. By the end of this module, you will be able to visualise, pitch and create your own micro story. 

Monsters represent both our deepest fears and figures of empathy for the marginalised and oppressed. On this module you will encounter zombies and vampires, creatures from urban legend, demonic beasts, vegetal and spectral monsters, climate change monsters of the future, and manmade monsters from Frankenstein to AI. By the end of this module you will be able to understand the complexities of imagined and real-world monstering, demonising and othering, and how the status of the ‘monstrous’ might be reclaimed. 

We are all podcasters now! You will learn the essential skills in how to research, script, interview, record, present, edit, host and market your podcast. No experience necessary.

We will cover hands on production skills, alongside analysis, discussion and audio presentation. You will explore a range of podcasts, styles and genres before producing your own.

This module would seek to explore the ways in which the broad spectrum of arts has played a central role in the practice of activism. From Banksy to Basquiat, from Ai Weiwei to Pussy Riot. You would examine the aims of activism from the perspective of the individual, the movement, the politics and the ideology and explore the impact of art, physical performance and music on the dissemination of ideas.  You will engage with the intersections present between socio-political thought and the artistic practices that challenge established systems of power.