University of Kent Courses

Introduction to International Business Management

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Discover what makes a great leader and take your business idea to the next levelLearn how to successfully develop and grow an international business, from planning and marketing to international expansion.

What is International Human Rights Law?

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Delve into the nature of human rights lawThe development of international human rights law started quite slowly, with the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, and the first binding UN human rights treaty adopted nearly 20 years later in 1965.On this four-week course, you’ll examine the nature of international human rights law, asking questions about the history and geography of its evolution and whether its particular history and geography have had an impact on the question of its alleged universality.Discover the history of human rights lawYou’ll travel through time to examine some of the monumental moments that led to the development of international human rights law.From the Magna Carta to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (the ICCPR), you’ll explore the different steps that got us where we currently are.Explore whether human rights are truly universalDuring week three of this course, you’ll discuss the much-claimed universality of human rights; the arguments for and against the idea that human rights law is applicable and relevant to all people in any part of the world.You’ll examine the history leading up to the adoption of the UN Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and consider the role of state sovereignty, in an attempt to assess universality claims.Learn about the norms, systems and institutions designed to protect human rightsThe final week in this course will take you through the UN human rights system, examining both treaties and the bodies designed to oversee the implementation of human rights. You will also look briefly at regional systems for the protection of human rights.This course is designed for anyone working for national and international governmental and non-governmental organisations, as well as lawyers looking to deepen their knowledge base.

Business Management and Leadership

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Develop techniques to effectively manage international businesses.Professional organisational management could be regarded as one of the most significant developments of the 21st century, and is now present in almost every aspect of society. Understanding what managers do and how they do it is central to understanding how a society works and how it creates wealth.On this course, you’ll explore the differences between leadership and management and look at the characteristics of successful leaders, using these elements to inform how you can manage international business.Delve into the key principles of managementWith many businesses rapidly expanding across the globe, it’s important that those leading the charge have the skills to successfully motivate teams, implement organisational cultures, and manage the business.You’ll gain a solid foundation towards becoming an effective leader through learning these principles and understanding the role of managers within a business.Learn how to build effective organisational structures and workplace culturesManagement structure and organisational culture are intrinsically linked within every business. On this course, you’ll compare the various organisational structures that companies use and how you can utilise them in a practical way. You’ll also discuss the concept of workplace culture and how to cultivate a positive culture through effective leadership.Explore different leadership styles and how to adapt them to international managementThere are many different management styles, each with their pros and cons. In order to improve your leadership skills, you’ll learn to identify different styles of leadership so you can successfully adapt to varying circumstances in your own management roles.This course is designed for anyone looking to develop their leadership skills, specifically in relation to international business.This may also be of extra interest to anyone studying business at degree level or business at level 3.

International Relations: Politics in Turbulent Times

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Guided by thought-leaders in international relations at the University of Kent, this microcredential will provide you with a vital understanding of the complexities and nuances of international politics in the 21st century.As well as gaining a cutting-edge understanding of modern international relations, you’ll also be armed with the tools to disentangle real information from fake news.Expand your knowledge of modern international relations and today’s political challengesFrom the coronavirus pandemic, to culture wars between liberals and conservatives, trade wars between the US and China, and an avalanche of ‘fake news’ on social media – global politics is currently going through an unprecedented state of upheaval.Being able to navigate and master this political maze is now recognised as a key skill by employers in governance, finance, and any organisation with international connections and operations.Explore the global issues that matterYou’ll get in-depth academic insight into pressing international issues, including the crisis of neoliberalism, climate change, culture wars, the realities of modern warfare, and the issues posed by ‘analogue’ governance in a ‘digital’ age.This microcredential is designed to give you core training in deconstructing, assessing, and analysing the global trends that will define politics and business in the 2020s and beyond.Moreover, it’s made to be taken part time, 100% online – meaning you can upskill alongside your work and at your own pace.Examine key cybersecurity threats and the challenges of internet governanceAs the United States’ control over the international order wanes and the post-Cold War order crumbles in the face of multiple crises, you’ll get a comprehensive overview of the sociopolitical challenges arising from cyber security and technological change.You’ll learn about the politics of cyberspace and consider how states can respond to these present cyber threats, and how diplomacy can best function in the digital age.Why study politics and international relations?As business and politics become ever-more global, there is increasing demand for employees with a grasp of global issues, and a deep understanding of contemporary debates in politics and economics.What careers can this course lead to?This course would benefit anyone working or looking to work in sectors where an understanding of international relations matters. This includes governance, NGOs, PR and media, marketing, finance, diplomacy, civil service, thinktanks, or consultancy.Will I earn a politics qualification?Yes. You’ll come away with a politics and international relations qualification from the University of Kent, certified by their world-leading research centre.

Understanding Marketing Basics

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Learn the key marketing principles and apply them to your business ideas.Marketing is one of the most important functions in a business, determining how your audience connect with your product, and influencing the success of your business.This course has been designed to take you through the basics of marketing. From the key concepts to marketing plans and strategies, you’ll develop the core marketing skills you need to grow a business.Discover the importance of customer segmentation and how to choose the right target marketOn this course, you’ll learn the techniques needed to profile and break down customer groups into segments. By using customer segmentation, you’ll be able to market your product around the needs of your target audience.Lay the groundwork with the principles of the marketing mixThe marketing mix makes up the core foundation of every marketing endeavor. It consists of the 4Ps of marketing: Product, Price, Promotion, and Place.This course will take you through each part of the mix to help you identify the key features and how to utilise them when developing your business.International marketing: is it that different?Different markets, just like individual customers, have their own wants, needs, and perceptions. It’s crucial to understand the distinctions between domestic and foreign markets to have the best chance of success.You’ll compare the key differences between domestic and international marketing to learn how to approach expansion from a marketing perspective.By the end of this course, with your new marketing skills in tow, you’ll be able to begin piecing together effective marketing plans and strategies to tackle different customer groups and markets.This course is designed for anyone interested in understanding more about marketing and how to use marketing effectively within businesses.This may also be of extra interest to anyone studying business at degree level or business at level 3.

Business Planning to Grow Successful Companies

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Develop and launch a successful business from idea to expansion.From initial idea and business strategy to funding and international expansion, this course will take you through all the steps to launching and developing a successful business.Plan and strategise to build a successful businessOn this course, you’ll look at the key elements of effective business planning and how to develop a business strategy. You’ll also be introduced to important financial concepts and the different ways that businesses are financed.By evaluating case studies of successful businesses and entrepreneurs, you’ll be able to develop your own business ideas, create plans and strategies to support them, and start to think about your funding options.Discover the tools to conduct effective industry analysisAn important step in assessing the feasibility of a business idea is understanding the business environment and competitors. There are many different tools that you can use to put together a market analysis.On this course, you’ll explore the key elements of three important tools: SWOT analysis, PESTLE analysis, and Porter’s five forces analysis. You’ll then look at applying different models for situation audits to help build a picture of the business environment.Evaluate the different methods for international expansionThere are a number of modes for expanding a business into foreign markets and each has its merits and drawbacks. Explore these different methods with a combination of case studies from real businesses and supplemental materials to help understand the different approaches to international expansion.Once you’ve learned the different methods, you can then apply them to your own business idea and discuss the suitability of each one.This course is designed for anyone looking to understand effective business planning, specifically in relation to international growth strategies.This may also be of extra interest to anyone studying business at degree level or business at level 3.

Understanding Autism

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Autistic people experience the world in ways that are different from non-autistic people.This includes differences incommunication and sensory experiences.These differences can often disadvantage autistic people as they navigate the non-autistic world.All autistic people will share these key differences but this may appear very differently in each person.Around 700,000 people in the UK are autistic, 1 in every 100 people. There are no blood tests or brain scans that can tell us if a person is autistic - so what exactly are we talking about?Image: Connor Sparrowhawk #JusticeforLBYou don’t need any prior experience or qualifications to do this course but it might be of interest to practitioners in the field of autism, healthcare workers, autistic people, and parents or carers.It is ideal for anyone considering postgraduate study in the field, such as the PCert in Autism Studies at the University of Kent.

A Reporter’s Toolkit for the Digital Age

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Enhance your skills as a news reporterWith so much of our news now consumed online, it’s important to know how digital journalism differs from traditional forms.On this four-week course, you’ll increase your understanding of the essential ingredients for good reporting and how to apply this to online journalism.This practical course will take you through a variety of exercises including how to pick the best stories for different target audiences, how to write a news story from information and quotes, and writing other forms of journalism to build your skills.Explore the value of community newsYou’ll examine what it means to have different communities reflected in the news and the impact this has on society.Drawing from your own experiences, you’ll discuss how far you have seen various communities represented in the news before learning how reporters create this type of story.You’ll also have the opportunity to create a story about your community or area of special interest.Examine the power of social media in reporting and journalismSocial media has undoubtedly changed the way we report and consume news.You’ll explore how news platforms use social media in reporting and what makes an engaging post without being ‘clickbait’.As well as this, you’ll examine how news outlets use social media to pick up stories, interviewees, and case studies.Explore the realms of digital journalismFinally, you’ll explore the power of the personal story.You’ll examine the attraction and also the danger of people telling their own stories before taking the opportunity to create your own piece of personalised journalism.This course is designed for anyone with an interest in media reporting.It will be of particular interest if you are an aspiring journalist or writer.

How to Fundraise: A Guide to Fundraising for Non-Fundraisers

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Design a fundraising strategy to help your group or charity take the next stepOn this course, you’ll get practical advice on how to fundraise whether you work for a non-profit or charity, or you volunteer in a community organisation.Using evidence-based fundraising research, you’ll learn who gives, how they do it, and why they do so.As you explore the fundraising process, you’ll build skills in fundraising management and learn how to create a fundraising strategy that works for your organisation.The course will help you to take the next step in raising the money and support that your cause, charity, group, or non-profit organisation needs to thrive.For live tutor interaction, join the course 14 February – 6 March 2022.This course is designed for anyone who would like to learn how to fundraise more effectively.The course will be particularly useful for leaders and members of small charities or non-profit organisations, local branches of larger charities, volunteer-led groups and community organisations, as well as inexperienced or new fundraisers.

Human Rights, Ways of Life, and the Future

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Examine what the future could bring for human rights lawThe defence of human rights was born of struggle but human rights law has already changed law and practice in many countries. What more can be done?On this four-week course, you’ll examine the challenge to human rights law posed by the ways of life of indigenous peoples and people of faith. You’ll also consider the impact of the global Covid-19 pandemic on human rights, before considering the future of human rights law.Explore religious freedom in international human rights lawReligion has been the cause of controversy and war across the world for centuries, which is why there have been many attempts made to protect religious freedom.The first week of this course will examine the right to religious freedom and its importance. You’ll then focus on the freedom of European Muslim women to wear garments that cover their faces in public. By looking at the responses of some governments, you’ll develop insights into the state of tolerance in 21st Century Europe.Discover the protections of Indigenous PeoplesMany indigenous peoples’ ways of life are being destroyed by individuals and companies who are engaged in land grabbing.On this course, you’ll learn how indigenous peoples have made creative use of existing human rights standards to protect their ways of life.Investigate how the pandemic has affected human rightsThere is growing evidence that the problems of poverty and inequality have been exacerbated by the global COVID-19 pandemic.You’ll consider the effects of the pandemic on different groups of people and the impacts of emergency responses on democratic processes and human rights.What can you do to promote human rights in the future?This week, you are asked to come with ideas for improving human rights protection, especially of the poor and marginalised people.This course is designed for anyone working for national and international governmental and non-governmental organisations, as well as lawyers looking to deepen their knowledge base.

Introduction to Politics

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This course will develop your understanding of the contested nature of politicsPrepare for further study of politics at degree level, with an introduction to political philosophy, democracy and ideology.

Feature Writing

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Learn how to write a feature articleThis four-week course will help you explore the feature landscape to help you understand the crucial difference between a news story and a feature.You’ll learn how feature writers get their ideas as you discover the importance of research and valuable sources. With this understanding, you’ll put what you have learned into practice and complete an exercise to get the ideas flowing for your own feature.Explore the vital ingredients for first-class feature articlesDelving into the key components of a feature article, you’ll learn the best techniques for interviewing people to help take your ideas and turn them into long-form pieces.You’ll think about the value of originality and some of the ethical dilemmas you could face as a feature writer.You’ll also examine different types of features to understand their common principles before being guided through a practical exercise to help you learn key structural tips.Discover the art of writing an opinion pieceFinally, you’ll explore the opinionated side of journalism– reviews, opinion columns, and news-based blogs.Having already explored the value of impartiality in journalism, you’ll understand the ethical and legal difficulties you could face when producing opinion pieces.This course is designed for aspiring writers or journalists with an interest in media reporting.

From Waterloo to the Rhine: The British Army 1815-1945

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Explore the British Army’s part in the making of the modern worldWith a legacy stretching back centuries, the British Army is proud of its hard-won reputation as one of the most formidable fighting forces in the world.On this course, you’ll see for yourself how the British Army evolved as an institution between 1815 and 1945. You’ll reflect on its social composition, place in society, and military proficiency, analysing a range of primary sources and incorporating your findings into historical debate.Ultimately, you’ll develop a deeper understanding of the British Army - its successes, failures and role in shaping the modern world.No prior experience or qualifications are needed for this course. It would suit anyone with an interest in the British military, or social history in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It would also appeal to prospective students of history, or military history.

How Politics Works: From the Individual to an International Scale

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Understand politics on an individual and global scaleThis introductory course is designed to help you prepare for a degree in politics at degree level, or to introduceyou to the basics of politics.You’ll learn the basics of democracy, the machinery of government, and the political economy and globalisation. Then we’ll move on to identity politics, looking at class and economic individualism. You’ll be introduced to some key texts, and given further reading to boost your learning.Discover the meaning and function of democracyIn the first week of this course, you’ll explore the meaning and function of democracy, and learn how to identify and assess different models of democracy. You’ll then apply your new knowledge in a debate on which model of democracy is the best, drawing on key texts and examples.Explore the machinery of governmentIn the second week, you’ll learn about key parts of government, including constitutions, the legislature, the executive and the judiciary. You’ll be recommended further reading, to bolster your learning and to prepare you for future study.Learn more about the political economy, globalisation, and identity politicsIn the latter stages of the course, you’ll zoom out to look at how politics affects the economy, enterprise, social capitalism, and globalisation. Debates here include whether students should pay for their own tuition.The last week of the course focuses on the individual role in politics. You’ll look at class analysis, economic individualism and neoliberalism, and the impacts of economic individualism. The course will be rounded off with some more recommended further reading.This course is designed for students who have excellent high school grades or partial A-level equivalent qualifications. It gives undergraduates aflavour of studying politics at degree level, and helps mature students return to study.

Understanding Politics

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Gain an expert view of how politics worksThis introductory four-week course will equip you with the basic knowledge and understanding you need for further education in political science. By the end, you’ll have an understanding of the role of governments, regimes and the state, an introduction to political ideologies, and recommendations for further reading.Discover different electoral systems and political modelsYou’ll gain an understanding of the different political models, including models of democracy around the world, and the models of political economy. These will offer you a critical lens for viewing political arguments, statements, and the world around you.Build your understanding of politicsPrepare for further study of politics by learning about identity and class politics, how they relate to ideologies, and political power. You’ll be introduced to key concepts across conservatism, socialism, and feminism, and look at differences and debates within them.At the end of the course, you’ll have a basic understanding of politics and a familiarity with key texts, historical context and ongoing debates.This course is for students who have excellent high school or partial A-level equivalent qualifications, but haven’t completed a suitable qualification or grades that allow them to apply for direct entry to a UK university.This course gives prospective students a flavour of studying politics at degree level, and is also ideal for mature students returning to study.