University of Exeter Courses

Genomic Medicine and Research: A Community Approach

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Explore the benefits of a community approach to genomic medicine and researchTranslational research has shown the benefits of using a community-focussed approach to healthcare. This course shares these benefits and raises awareness of community genetics as a field of medicine. Amish communities and families affected by inherited disorders are given as an example.On this course, you will explore the skills needed for translational research work and understand the meaning of community genetics. You will also learn the value of whole genome sequencing in the community context and the importance of community-specific medical research to patients.This course is for research teams, clinicians and allied health and special educational needs workers and diagnostic facilities that work with families affected by inherited diseases.

Valuing Nature: Should We Put a Price on Ecosystems?

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Explore how we value the natural worldThere are many services that ecosystems provide that we never even consider, until we destroy them. Natural ecosystems help alleviate flooding, improve food security and protect our coastlines. Yet we consistently replace these ecosystems with manmade alternatives. If we put a price on nature, will it help us to protect these important ecosystems? And is it morally right to put a price on nature? Get answers with this course that uses an interdisciplinary approach to explore the ins and outs of how we value nature.This course is for anyone interested in nature and the environment, you don’t need any past experience.

Future Food: Sustainable Food Systems for the 21st Century

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Learn to define key terms related to sustainable foodWhat are sustainable food systems? And why are they so important for the future? With this course, you can explore these questions and more.You’ll learn about how our understanding of diet, health, and food production is changing, why food security and sustainable agriculture is essential, and how we can make positive future steps.Learn how culture, sustainability, and technology is changing the future of food productionFood production has transformed our planet. Currently, 40% of the land’s surface is used for agriculture, meaning soils and freshwater are under threat, and fisheries are overexploited.With this sustainable food systems course, you’ll discover why this means that millions of smallholders are facing economic uncertainty, and how just four transnational companies control the global grain supply.Explore the challenges of climate change and the proposed solutionsUltimately, by 2050, we must feed 9 billion people in the face of a changing climate. You’ll find out how agroecology sustainable food systems can help through economic, social, and environmental incentives. On this course, you’ll learn about some of the obstacles facing the future of food production, as well as some potential solutions.Find out how changing and sustainable food systems can impact you and the planetYou’ll also learn about the global food system as a whole, as you explore everything from individual food choice to the impact of agriculture on climate change.The future of food will be shaped by a change in our attitudes towards consumption and production. With this course, you can find out how sustainable agriculture and food systems can play a part in creating this future.The course is designed for anyone interested in food sustainability. Whether you’re thinking about a career related to the future of food or sustainable agriculture, or simply want to find out more about these fascinating areas, this is the course for you.

Climate Change: Solutions

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Discover solutions to climate changeMan-made climate change is one of the biggest threats to the world. The effects are already being seen through receding glaciers, ocean acidification and an increasingly vulnerable food supply. It’s vital we work to find solutions to climate change.On this course you will explore solutions to this global challenge, including mitigation, adaptation and geo-engineering, which can help avoid the most dangerous climate changes and increase the resilience of societies and ecosystems to climate changes that cannot be avoided.You don’t need any prior knowledge of climate change, just an interest in science, nature and the environment. However it might be useful to have completed the sister course to this one: Climate Change: The Science.

Empire: the Controversies of British Imperialism

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Explore the British Empire through six controversial themesOver six weeks, we’ll explore the British Empire through six themes - money, violence, race, religion, gender and sex, and propaganda. You’ll get to hear the stories of the fascinating individuals who contributed to both its rise and fall.Along the way, you’ll be able to debate the questions these themes raise with learners from around the world, and draw your own conclusions.You can start to explore the Empire and find out more about the Centre for Imperial and Global History on its blog, Imperial & Global Forum, or by following @ExeterCIGH on Twitter.This course is intended for anyone with an interest in imperial history.It doesn’t require any reading before you start or previous experience of studying the subject.

Grand Challenges: Food for Thought

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Our demand for food from natural systems is changing the world we live in from the soil beneath our feet to the birds in the sky and the fish in the sea. Unsustainable practices of production (overfishing or monoculture) and consumerism are to blame. Widely publicised examples include mere decades of soil fertility for crop growth and drastic declines in pollinating insects. This course aims to educate you in the way that every human being can reduce their impact on our planet and inspire you to make global connections to tackle sustainability issues.No previous experience or qualifications are required. The content will complement interests in science, nature and the environment and works well at any stage of education.You will need access to an internet browser. You will also be encouraged, with our guidance, to use simple online tools to aid, collate, publish and share your findings.

Tipping Points: Climate Change and Society

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Explore the possible future of EarthA tipping point occurs when there’s a shift in the state of a system towards a new equilibrium. We’re now facing tipping points in our climate system that could accelerate the dangerous effects of climate change. Natural systems will change, as will human systems. In future we could see the collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, dieback of the Amazon or droughts across the Sahel but also behavioural changes and regional warfare.On this course you will explore the concept of tipping points from an interdisciplinary perspective, discovering their role in climate change and the future.This course is for people with a basic knowledge of climate change science (to get an introduction join the course Climate Change: The Science).

Helping patients recover from breast cancer treatment: a programme to prevent shoulder problems

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Learn how breast cancer treatment can cause shoulder pain and how to overcome itThis course will equip you with an in-depth understanding of the side effects of breast cancer surgery and, more specifically, shoulder pain that is experienced by many women.You’ll find out more about the types of exercises that should be prescribed through the PROSPER (the Prevention of Shoulder Problems) programme, as well as how to support breast cancer patients to do them.Learn how to identify women at risk of shoulder pain after non-reconstructive breast cancer surgeryRehabilitation following breast cancer treatment is important to help women return to full active lives.This course will teach you how to identify women prone to shoulder pain following their treatment as well as how to prescribe the PROSPER programme to reduce the impact of the surgery’s side effects.Improve your ability to care for breast cancer patientsThrough the PROSPER programme, you’ll explore ways to deal with cancer treatment related problems such as cording and fatigue, as well as strategies to support breast cancer patients and help them get back to a physically active life and regular exercise.You’ll also learn how to monitor and manage women’s post-surgery progression and rehabilitation.Apply research-based findings from the PROSPER exercise programmeThe PROSPER programme has been developed by experts and tested in a large clinical trial by research and clinical staff at the University of Oxford and Warwick. They found that women who followed the programme had better arm function and lower pain scores compared to women who received usual care.You’ll not only learn how to identify women at risk of shoulder problems following breast cancer treatment and prescribe the programme, but also how to deal with several other cancer treatment related problems.The Prevention of Shoulder Problems (PROSPER) programme was designed to be delivered by physiotherapists working with patients at higher risk of shoulder problems after breast cancer treatment.This course is designed for those physiotherapists working with patients at risk of shoulder problems after breast cancer treatment.However, other health professionals can also benefit, learn new skills, and help their patients recover post breast cancer treatment.

Building Your Career in Tomorrow’s Workplace

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Get prepared to forge a career in the workplace of the futureThe workplace of the future offers new challenges and opportunities, shaped by technological change and trends towards globalisation.  We’ll help you to identify and progress towards clearly defined career goals, whether you’re already employed or looking to start your career.You’ll review the key global changes impacting the world of work and explore what these changes may mean for future careers. You’ll also discover the implications of new developments like 3D printing, the internet of things, cryptocurrencies and the circular economy.This course is for anyone interested in how the world of work is changing and how this may affect their current or future career. It’s also suitable for anyone who provides career guidance, such as teachers, consultants and counsellors.

Climate Change: Challenges and Solutions

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##The course is aimed at the level of students entering university, and seeks to provide an inter-disciplinary introduction to what is a broad field.It engages a number of experts from the University of Exeter and a number of partner organisations.The course will set contemporary human-caused climate change within the context of past nature climate variability. Then it will take a risk communication approach, balancing the ‘bad news’ about climate change impacts on natural and human systems with the ‘good news’ about potential solutions. These solutions can help avoid the most dangerous climate changes and increase the resilience of societies and ecosystems to those climate changes that cannot be avoided.Please join the discussion with your fellow learners and, if you’d like to follow the Exeter team, please look us up on Facebook and Twitter.Professor Tim Lenton and Dr Damien Mansell hosted an AMA about Climate Change on Reddit on 19th January 2017. You can catch up with the AMA on Reddit to read their responses, and will have the opportunity to ask your own questions in a live Q&A session during the final week of this course.No previous experience or qualifications required.

Discovering Business in Society

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This introductory course will guide your discovery of how businesses function and interact with the wider socio-economic environment.Tensions brought about by competition for resources, the legal and moral frameworks for business activity, and the complexities of knowledge management in organisations will present you with core challenges in the future. Together we’ll explore these dimensions alongside an assessment of the specific business impact of global governance, resource depletion, demographic change, and the power of repeated technology and communications revolutions.Improving your core knowledge of these new contexts for business activity will ensure you’re better placed to embark upon the next phase of your learning. For those currently in business it gives the chance to reflect, contribute to discussion, and gain recognition for experience.Questioning anew the contexts for future commercial and organisational success is imperative; this is the purpose of Discovering Business in Society.Your learning will be guided by senior staff from the EQUIS-accredited University of Exeter Business School. Passing the exam will lead to exemption from the ACCA paper F1, Accountant in Business.You can find out more about what to expect from this course in two posts on our blog - one asking whether corporations are too powerful, the other examining how the world can change in 50 years.There are no pre-requisites for the course.

Transforming Energy Systems: Why Governance Matters

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Understand the importance of governance for rapid energy system decarbonisation.Energy governance includes the rules, regulations, institutions and politics that affect energy system change. Effective governance is key to the transformation of energy systems in order to tackle climate change with the urgency that’s needed.On this course, you will explore how and why energy systems need to change, and what this means for security, people and costs. You will also learn about the key elements of effective energy governance and explore real-life examples of energy governance from around the world.This course is for those with an existing knowledge or interest in energy systems and energy system change. This includes energy practitioners, policymakers, regulators, researchers and students in the field.

Many Faces: Understanding the Complexities of Chinese Culture

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Look beyond the clichés and stereotypes of art and literature in Chinese cultureChinese culture has not been explored in as much depth as Chinese history and politics. By uncovering the richness and diversity of Chinese culture, you can gain a broader understanding of modern China as a whole.This course by the University of Exeter covers three important aspects of Chinese culture. Learn how the concept of the ‘noble hero’ is portrayed on cultural and political platforms. Examine the tension created by traditional and modern values in Chinese landscape art, and analyse literature created by marginalised groups like immigrants.This course is for anyone interested in building their knowledge of Chinese culture and society. You don’t need any prior experience or qualifications.

Invisible Worlds: Understanding the Natural Environment

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Discover Earth’s invisible systems and transform your understanding of the worldGiven the current climate emergency, it’s increasingly important that we have a good understanding of Earth’s life support systems. We rely on these systems for fresh air, clean water, fertile soil, rich biodiversity and a stable climate.On this course, you’ll explore the natural systems we can’t see or feel, from microscopic creatures to gases.You’ll discover how life is shaped by and shapes these invisible worlds and explore the evolution of these systems and the impact humans have on it. As you explore the interconnectedness of everything, you’ll transform your understanding of the world.This course is for anyone with an interest in science, nature, and the environment, including students and policy makers.The course expands on the content shown at the Eden Project’s Invisible Worlds exhibition.

Rheumatoid Arthritis: Exercises for Hands

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Explore the impact of rheumatoid arthritis and how SARAH can help patientsRheumatoid arthritis is a long-term joint disease and often involves the small joints of the hands and wrists. Hand exercises play an important role in improving the ability to do day-to-day activities.On this course, you’ll learn about an evidence-based hand and arm exercise programme called Strengthening and Stretching for the Rheumatoid Arthritis of the Hand (SARAH), and how you can successfully implement it as a healthcare professional.Discover how to apply the SARAH programme to treat rheumatoid arthritis in your clinical settingThe SARAH programme was shown to improve hand function and quality of life in a large UK based clinical trial. It is recommended in the national treatment guidelines for adults with rheumatoid arthritis (NICE guidelines NG 100).On the course, you’ll get an introduction on how rheumatoid arthritis affects hand function, explore how the SARAH programme was developed, and understand how you can apply it in your clinical setting.Identify how to use the SARAH programme in your practiceYou’ll also discover how to use and teach behavioural support strategies to your patients.You’ll study alongside multidisciplinary experts who are dedicated to using exercise and physiotherapy to help care for people with long-term musculoskeletal conditions.At the end of this two-week course, you’ll come away confidently able to deliver the SARAH programme in your clinical practice.This course is for all healthcare professionals who treat people having hand function problems due to rheumatoid arthritis.