Non award bearing

Aims of the course:

This course will explore how society developed systems of civil obligation and criminal deterrence. As we make our way through concepts of privacy, confidentiality, property and equality, we will ask what happens  to these hallowed concepts when they come up against 21st century biotechnologies riding the crest of the genetics wave.

Course content overview:

Orientation week

Purpose/Learning outcomes

By studying this week the students should have:

• Become familiar with navigating around the VLE and from VLE to links and back
• Tested their ability to access files and the web conferencing software and sorted out any problems with the help of the eLearning Helpdesk
• Learnt how to look for, assess and reference internet resources
• Used forums to introduce themselves to other students
• Contributed to a discussion forum to introduce themselves to other students and discuss why they are interested in the course, what they hope to get out their studies and also to respond to News item sent out on behalf of tutor

Teaching Week 1: What is the law?

Purpose

An understanding of where law comes from, its primary objectives in maintaining civic society, why it is important to remember that some laws only govern transactions between individuals, others regulate the relations between the individual and the state, and completely different laws apply between nations.

Learning outcomes

By studying this week the students should have an understanding of:

• The structure of law, legal concepts and relationships
• Private/public responsibility, precedents and remedies
• How all of this is relevant to the rules, regulations, conventions and other laws governing the use and application of genetic data.

Teaching Week 2: Law and technology

Purpose

Law evolves organically and politically and usually slowly. This is in contrast to technology which is a fast response to crisis and available tools and data. How quickly the latter outruns the former, and how “knee jerk” legal reactions to runaway innovations can be as damaging as they are helpful. Understanding that law is useless unless enforceable, and that there is no such thing as a global court/police force to ensure that international ethical rules are upheld.

Learning outcomes

By studying this week the students should have an understanding of:

• CRSPR, ”designer babies”, food crops and GMO regulation
• The debate around the legality or otherwise of He Jiankui’s procedure. The EU position on GMOs and the recent ruling from the Court of Justice on genetic editing v random mutagenesis.

Teaching Week 3: Law and genetic information

Purpose

Understanding how law categorises and seeks to protect personal information. Regulation of genetic information, medical confidentiality, doctors’ liability.

Learning outcomes

By studying this week the students should have an understanding of:

• The intersection of regulation and genetics
• The law of privacy, anonymity and medical confidentiality
• Types of genetic disease
• Genetic counselling and the law of negligence
• Prenatal scanning and course actions for “diminished “ or “wrongful” life
• Individual and family interests in genetic information and third parties’ interests in genetic information
• Case study on the liability of local authorities and re-adoption genetic testing.

Teaching Week 4: Genetic discrimination

Purpose

What “discrimination” is in law, and how societies seek to control it via common law, statute and international law.  The state’s interest in genetic information.

Learning outcomes

By studying this week the students should have an understanding of:

• “prohibited grounds” of discrimination
• Prohibition of discrimination in the provision of services, employment and insurance
• Attempts by countries (e.g. US and Canada) to prevent discrimination on the basis of genetic information
• GINA

Teaching Week 5: Body parts and patents

Purpose

How law developed out of property rights; types of property recognised by all legal systems. This session will investigate the notion of proprietary interests in biological entities in the UK and other common law systems.  We will then explore the roots of patent law and the challenges presented to intellectual property regulators by genetic technology

Learning outcomes

By studying this week the students should have an understanding of:

• The law of body parts
• No property in a body or body parts: Religious origins of rule, Slaves, grave robbers and animals
• Current challenges: cosmetic surgery, trade in organs, retention of gametes by fertility clinics, etc
• The notion of property rights arising out of “exercise of skill” (eg dissection or preservation)
• Human Tissue Act 2004
• Patent law
• Origin, “inventive step”, CRSPR litigation

Schedule (this course is completed entirely online):

Orientation Week : 6-12 April 2026

Teaching Weeks: 13 April-17 May 2026

Feedback Week: 18-24 May 2026

Each week of an online course is roughly equivalent to 2-3 hours of classroom time. On top of this, participants should expect to spend roughly 2-3 hours reading material, etc., although this will vary from person to person.

While they have a specific start and end date and will follow a weekly schedule (for example, week 1 will cover topic A, week 2 will cover topic B), our tutor-led online courses are designed to be flexible and as such would normally not require participants to be online for a specific day of the week or time of the day (although some tutors may try to schedule times where participants can be online together for web seminars, which will be recorded so that those who are unable to be online at certain times are able to access material).

Unless otherwise stated, all course material will be posted on the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) so that they can be accessed at any time throughout the duration of the course and interaction with your tutor and fellow participants will take place through a variety of different ways which will allow for both synchronous and asynchronous learning (discussion boards,etc).

Certificate of Participation

A Certificate of Participation will be awarded to participants who contribute constructively to weekly discussions and exercises/assignments for the duration of the course.

What our students say:

"The course fully met my expectations. I have acquired many valuable materials that I will gladly use in writing my dissertation"

"I am thankful to have learnt from everyone since the beginning of this course. I also value the insightful course material and guidance from our tutor that has made this learning process very fulfilling!"

"I must say that this course has been to a reasonable extend an eye opener for me about what is going on in the world of genetics and  the advancement  in the technology of DNA modification. I truly enjoy all the topics in the course. I also enjoyed all the contributions to each topic. I honestly shared both the anxieties and enthusiasm of professionals on the course."

Entry requirements

This course is open to everyone, and you don’t need any previous knowledge or experience of the subject to attend.

Our short courses are designed especially for adult learners who want to advance their personal or professional development. They are taught by tutors who are expert in both their subjects and in teaching students of all ages and experiences.

Please note that all teaching is in English. You should have near-native command of the English language in order to get the maximum benefit from the course.

Fees

The course fee includes access to the course on our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), personal feedback on your work from an expert tutor, a Certification of Participation (if you complete work and take part in discussions), and access to the class resources for two years after your course finishes.

VAT does not apply to course fees and there is no service charge (gratuities to domestic staff are left to your discretion).

Concessions

For more information on available concessions, please visit the Concessions information page on our website.

Alison Fordham Bursary

The Institute is proud to offer the Alison Fordham bursary, which is awarded to students who wish to study on one of our short online courses via our virtual learning platform, reducing the fee paid by 50%. The bursary is limited to a single award for each set of online courses.

Application criteria: 

• Applicants should set out their personal learning motivations since priority will be given to those who are returning to learning after an extended break, or have not previously engaged with fully online learning, or are seeking to use the online short course as a bridge towards undergraduate award-bearing study.    
• Applicants who can demonstrate financial need.  
• Apply here https://www.ice.cam.ac.uk/bursary-application

Aims of the course:

1. To explore the range of fiction and book formats for different ages and stages of childhood.
2. To show how to shape and write stories, sometimes to work with illustration.
3. To allow participants to develop an understanding of the market, and how to pursue publication.

Learning outcomes

As a result of the course, within the constraints of the time available, students should be able to:

1. understand what a story is, and how it works;
2. appreciate why different stories and styles suit different stages of childhood and book format;
3. make an informed attempt at writing for children of different ages;
4. understand what is involved in getting a story published.

Course content overview:

• This course will consider children of different ages and stages, and the books suited to them.
• An understanding of story will be developed, considering character, plot and writing voice appropriate to the young audience and readership.
• Information will be given in targeting different potential publication openings.

Schedule (this course is completed entirely online):

Orientation Week: 6-12 April 2026

By studying this week the students should have:

• become familiar with navigating around the VLE and from VLE to links and back;
• tested their ability to access files and the web conferencing software and sorted out any problems with the help of the eLearning Helpdesk;
• learnt how to look for, assess and reference internet resources;
• contributed to a discussion forum to introduce themselves to other students and discuss why they are interested in the course, what they hope to get out of their studies and also to respond to News item sent out by tutor.

Teaching Weeks: 13 April-17 May 2026

Week 1 What’s the story?

Purpose: To explore what a story is and how to shape one. By studying this week the students should have an understanding of the necessary structure of story.

Week 2 Character and plot

Purpose: To show how character and plot are intertwined to achieve story. By studying this week the students should have:

• an understanding of how character powers plot;
• the tools with which to create character through words;
• the experience of writing a story opening that establishes character and sets a plot in motion.

Week 3 Voice

Purpose: To explore how different writing treatments can achieve different effects.  Narrative voice, first person, use of dialogue, letters and diary entries. By studying this week the students should have:

• an understanding of different writing styles, and the effect those different styles can create;
• experience in trying some of those different styles;
• experience in assessing those styles, when written by others.

Week 4 Words in partnership with illustration and design

Purpose: To show how pictures showing story can work together with words telling or animating a story.  To demonstrate how book design can present story to dramatic effect. By studying this week the students should have:

• an appreciation of how words and pictures can work together to communicate story in picture book form;
• an experience of writing with illustration in mind.

Week 5 Aiming for publication

Purpose: To introduce the complex world of children’s book publication, highlight potential openings, and teach how best to approach publication. By studying this week the students should have:

• an understanding of the markets for children’s books;
• an understanding of the different requirements from publishers aiming different formats of books for different ages of children and different markets;
• knowledge about how best to approach publication

Feedback Week: 18-24 May 2026

Each week of an online course is roughly equivalent to 2-3 hours of classroom time. On top of this, participants should expect to spend roughly 2-3 hours reading material, etc., although this will vary from person to person.

While they have a specific start and end date and will follow a weekly schedule (for example, week 1 will cover topic A, week 2 will cover topic B), our tutor-led online courses are designed to be flexible and as such would normally not require participants to be online for a specific day of the week or time of the day (although some tutors may try to schedule times where participants can be online together for web seminars, which will be recorded so that those who are unable to be online at certain times are able to access material).

Unless otherwise stated, all course material will be posted on the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) so that they can be accessed at any time throughout the duration of the course and interaction with your tutor and fellow participants will take place through a variety of different ways which will allow for both synchronous and asynchronous learning (discussion boards,etc).

Certificate of Participation

A Certificate of Participation will be awarded to participants who contribute constructively to weekly discussions and exercises/assignments for the duration of the course.

What our students say

"Pippa's weekly feedback was excellent. So thorough and considered. She was very honest and constructive which is much appreciated. Her insider knowledge is so interesting and useful. I think most of all she seemed genuinely invested in our development."

“The course content exceeded my expectations. It managed to cover a lot of detail about how to write and what makes a good story, as well as more practical matters.”

“I enjoyed the challenges and they were pitched at the beginner level which suited me well."

“Every week I found myself challenged and encouraged with insightful information, exercises and feedback.”

Entry requirements

This course is open to everyone, and you don’t need any previous knowledge or experience of the subject to attend.

Our online courses are designed especially for adult learners who want to advance their personal or professional development. They are taught by tutors who are expert in both their subjects and in teaching students of all ages and experiences.

Given the nature of creative writing, it is important that students' use of English is sufficiently fluent to be able to understand in English nuances of meaning and have a familiarity with the structure and grammar of English. Please note that all teaching is in English. You should have near-native command of the English language in order to get the maximum benefit from the course.

Fees

The course fee includes access to the course on our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), personal feedback on your work from an expert tutor, a Certification of Participation (if you complete work and take part in discussions), and access to the class resources for two years after your course finishes.

VAT does not apply to course fees and there is no service charge (gratuities to domestic staff are left to your discretion).

Concessions

For more information on available concessions, please visit the Concessions information page on our website.

Alison Fordham Bursary

The Institute is proud to offer the Alison Fordham bursary, which is awarded to students who wish to study on one of our short online courses via our virtual learning platform, reducing the fee paid by 50%. The bursary is limited to a single award for each set of online courses.

Application criteria: 

• Applicants should set out their personal learning motivations since priority will be given to those who are returning to learning after an extended break, or have not previously engaged with fully online learning, or are seeking to use the online short course as a bridge towards undergraduate award-bearing study.    
• Applicants who can demonstrate financial need.  
• Apply here https://www.ice.cam.ac.uk/bursary-application

Aims of the course

• To explore key theorists of art from classical antiquity to the modern era. 
• To examine specific texts produced by seminal theorists, and to begin to make connections between them.
• To analyse theoretical texts about art by contextualising and critiquing them. 

Learning outcomes

•  To understand the development of theoretical approaches to Art History from classical antiquity to the modern era.
•  To demonstrate a knowledge of key primary sources and theoretical texts relevant to the study of Western art in particular.
•  To think critically about written sources relating to Art History and make comparisons between them.

Course content overview

In this course we will explore how art has been written and thought about from classical antiquity to the modern era. By considering primary source texts as well as works of criticism, we will gain an understanding of the historiography and theory of Art History. Topics will include debates about art and architecture in the classical world; Renaissance approaches to art and architecture; art and the European Enlightenment; nineteenth and early twentieth-century art theory; and the New Art Histories. We will also consider how theoretical texts relate to artistic practice, and how approaches to Art History are expected to evolve in the future.

Schedule (this course is completed entirely online)

Orientation Week: 6-12 April 2026

Teaching Weeks: 13 April-17 May 2026

Feedback Week: 18-24 May 2026

Teaching Week 1 - Debates about art and architecture in the classical world

This week we will study seminal approaches to art and architecture in classical antiquity. We will look at two primary sources: Plato’s Republic and Vitruvius’s De architectura libri decem (The Ten Books on Architecture). We will begin by exploring the argument made by the Ancient Greek philosopher Plato that artistic production constitutes a mere imitation of reality, and is therefore a process of which we ought to be wary. We will then consider the key arguments made in the architectural treatise of the Roman architect and engineer Marcus Vitruvius Pollio, the only surviving writing on architecture from classical antiquity, and examine the impact this had upon later generations of architects.

Learning objectives:

• To understand Plato’s theory of forms and how this relates to debates about the value of art.
• To understand the elements which Vitruvius considered to be necessary for a well-designed building: firmness, commodity and delight. 
• To explore the impact of the work of Plato and Vitruvius upon later approaches to art.

Teaching Week 2 - Renaissance approaches to art and architecture

This week we will study seminal approaches to art and architecture in the Renaissance period. We will look at two primary sources: Leon Battista Alberti’s De re aedificatoria (On the Art of Building) and Giorgio Vasari’s Le Vite de' più eccellenti pittori, scultori, e architettori (Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors and Architects). We will explore how the work of the Italian architect and theorist Alberti epitomises the reawakening of classical architecture in the Renaissance period, and how it relates to the context of Humanist learning at that time. We will examine the motivations and narrative techniques of the Italian painter and writer Vasari and how his work served to establish a canon of art and artists. 

Learning objectives:

• To understand how Alberti reimagined classical architecture for the contemporary Renaissance city. 
• To understand how Vasari used his own experience as an artist to shape his writing about art, and how his canon can be critiqued.
• To explore the impact of the work of Alberti and Vasari upon later approaches to art.

Teaching Week 3 - Art and the European Enlightenment

This week we will study seminal approaches to art during the European Enlightenment. We will look at two theoretical works: Johann Joachim Winckelmann’s Reflections on the Imitation of Greek Works in Painting and Sculpture and Immanuel Kant’s The Critique of Judgement. We will explore how the work of the German art historian Winckelmann reflects the notion of an idealist classicism, and how it relates to the rediscovery of Ancient Greek heritage during the Enlightenment. We will examine how the work of the German philosopher Kant contributes to debates about aesthetic judgement and the concept of genius.

Learning objectives:

• To understand how Winckelmann’s writings on the sculpture of ancient Greece and Rome provided a theoretical framework for Neo-classicism.
• To understand how Kant’s work contributed to debates about aesthetics and the philosophy of art.
• To understand how Kant’s work fits into wider concepts of formalism in art historical theory. 

Teaching Week 4 - Nineteenth and early twentieth-century modernism

This week we will study the rise of modernism in the nineteenth century and early twentieth centuries. We will look at extracts from Charles Baudelaire’s The Painter of Modern Life and Jacques Derrida’s Restitutions of the Truth in Pointing. We will explore how the work of the French poet and art critic Charles Baudelaire reflects upon the purpose of art and the role of the artist. We will also look at the impact of Baudelaire’s art historical criticism upon later art theory and practice. We will examine the work of French philosopher Jacques Derrida, including his response to the work of Immanuel Kant, and his own contribution to the analysis and understanding of the visual arts.

Learning objectives:

• To understand how Baudelaire’s art historical criticism contributed to the development of modernism.
• To understand how Baudelaire’s writings were responded to in later art theory and practice.
• To understand how Derrida’s discussion of one of Van Gogh’s Boots paintings highlights the difficulties of specifying the referent in a work of representation.

Teaching Week 5 - The New Art Histories

This week we will study new approaches to Art History that emerged following World War II, which challenge previous traditional approaches. We will look at two examples of ‘New Art History’: Feminist Art Theory and Postcolonial Theory. We will analyse the seminal essay by American art historian Linda Nochlin, Why have there been no great women artists?, to see how it dismantles the concept of greatness and the male-centric genius in art. We will examine Globalization and its Discontents by American art historian Donald Preziosi to see how Art History can be broadened to incorporate a wider geographical context. Both of these approaches will be considered with reference to specific works of art.

Learning objectives:

• To understand how Feminist Art Theory can be used to critique the traditional canon.
• To explore the relationship between Feminist Art Theory and Feminist Art.
• To understand how Postcolonial Theory can help us to understand colonial contexts for art and display. 

Each week of an online course is roughly equivalent to 2-3 hours of classroom time. On top of this, participants should expect to spend roughly 2-3 hours reading material, etc., although this will vary from person to person.

While they have a specific start and end date and will follow a weekly schedule (for example, week 1 will cover topic A, week 2 will cover topic B), our tutor-led online courses are designed to be flexible and as such would normally not require participants to be online for a specific day of the week or time of the day (although some tutors may try to schedule times where participants can be online together for web seminars, which will be recorded so that those who are unable to be online at certain times are able to access material).

Virtual Learning Environment

Unless otherwise stated, all course material will be posted on the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) so that they can be accessed at any time throughout the duration of the course and interaction with your tutor and fellow participants will take place through a variety of different ways which will allow for both synchronous and asynchronous learning (discussion boards etc).

Certificate of participation

A Certificate of Participation will be awarded to participants who contribute constructively to weekly discussions and exercises/assignments for the duration of the course.

Entry requirements

This course is open to everyone, and you don’t need any previous knowledge or experience of the subject to attend.

Our short courses are designed especially for adult learners who want to advance their personal or professional development. They are taught by tutors who are expert in both their subjects and in teaching students of all ages and experiences.

Please note that all teaching is in English. You should have near-native command of the English language in order to get the maximum benefit from the course.

Fees

The course fee includes access to the course on our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), personal feedback on your work from an expert tutor, a Certification of Participation (if you complete work and take part in discussions), and access to the class resources for two years after your course finishes.

VAT does not apply to course fees and there is no service charge (gratuities to domestic staff are left to your discretion).

Concessions

For more information on available concessions, please visit the Concessions information page on our website.

Alison Fordham Bursary

The Institute is proud to offer the Alison Fordham bursary, which is awarded to students who wish to study on one of our short online courses via our virtual learning platform, reducing the fee paid by 50%. The bursary is limited to a single award for each set of online courses.

Application criteria: 

• Applicants should set out their personal learning motivations since priority will be given to those who are returning to learning after an extended break, or have not previously engaged with fully online learning, or are seeking to use the online short course as a bridge towards undergraduate award-bearing study.    
• Applicants who can demonstrate financial need.  
• Apply here https://www.ice.cam.ac.uk/bursary-application

Aims of the course

• To improve relatively experienced participants' financial confidence and skills.
• To enable participants to work successfully with finance specialists on significant projects.
• To support participants considering a career or secondment in finance.

Target audience

This course is for you if your answer to one or more of these questions is Yes:

• Do you want to collaborate successfully with financial specialists on a significant project?
• Would you benefit from improving your understanding of small business finances?
• Are you considering a career or secondment in finance?

No prior knowledge or experience of finance is assumed or required.

This course is at a relatively advanced level compared with our introductory course 'Essential finance', and our intermediate level course 'Understanding finance in organisations'. However, you are warmly welcome to follow these courses in any order that suits your personal schedule. Many participants have followed two - or all three -  of these courses in different orders.

Learning outcomes

The course will offer participants the opportunity to:

• Enjoy collaborating with finance colleagues and specialist finance advisors.
• Appreciate and improve the financial dimensions of any self-employed work they do.
• Learn whether a secondment or career in finance is likely to be enjoyable for them.
• Get more of their proposals approved by financial specialist decision-makers.

Schedule (this course is completed entirely online)

Orientation Week: 6-12 April 2026

Teaching Weeks: 13 April-17 May 2026

Feedback Week: 18-24 May 2026

Teaching Week 1 - Markets and our place in them

Purpose: To gain a sound appreciation of markets, how the capital liabilities of organisations are assets in financial markets, and why communication with markets is so important. 

Learning objectives:

• To understand the interaction of perceptions or organisational risk with the market mechanism.
• To appreciate how organisations' capital instruments are originated, and transacted in the market.
• To understand the fundamental importance of appropriate communication with the market.
• To attempt related self-assessment learning activities on the VLE.
• Contribute constructively to the related discussions on the VLE.

Teaching Week 2 - Shareholder value and other stakeholders

Purpose: To grasp the fundamentally important concept of shareholder value, and its relationship with the interests of other stakeholders in organisations. 

Learning objectives:

• To understand the key concept of shareholder value, its measurement and management.
• To appreciate the perspectives of other stakeholders in organisations.
• To understand how organisations and authorities seek to reconcile the interests of different stakeholder groups.
• To attempt the related self-assessment learning activities on the VLE.
• To contribute constructively to the related discussions on the VLE.

Teaching Week 3 - Making better friends with spreadsheets

Purpose: To further improve the reliability and speed of your spreadsheet work to support and deepen your understanding of shareholder value, risk management and the presentation of proposals.

Learning objectives:

• To apply some of the enormous potential of spreadsheets to increase the speed, reliability and presentation of financial work.
• To increase the use of spreadsheets native functionality.
• To apply data table and chart analysis.
• To increase use of the keyboard when appropriate, in place of the mouse or trackpad.
• To attempt the related self-assessment learning activities on the VLE.
• To contribute constructively to the related discussions on the VLE.

Teaching Week 4 - Risk management

Purpose: To gain comfort and confidence with risk identification, risk management and risk reporting. 

Learning objectives:

• To appreciate the meaning and importance of risk identification, risk management and risk reporting.
• To work with selected measures of risk.
• To apply your understanding to a mini case study.
• To integrate this understanding with your work in the first three weeks of the course.
• To contribute constructively to the related discussions on the VLE.

Teaching Week 5 - Getting your proposals accepted

Purpose: To appreciate how to optimise the analysis and presentation of your proposals to maximise the prospects for acceptance. To apply this understanding in a self-chosen case study.

Learning objectives:

• To deepen your appreciation of the reasons why financial decision makers need detailed information about operational proposals, presented in conventional ways.
• To connect your understanding with your learning from weeks 1 to 5 of the course.
• To apply your deeper and broader appreciation of these concepts to a self-chosen case study.
• To contribute constructively to the related discussions on the VLE.

Study commitment and Certificate

Each week of an online course is roughly equivalent to 2-3 hours of classroom time. On top of this, participants should expect to spend roughly 2-3 hours reading material, etc., although this will vary from person to person.

There will be an optional interactive 1 hr webinar each week. All webinars will be recorded and shared on the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).

While they have a specific start and end date and will follow a weekly schedule (for example, week 1 will cover topic A, and week 2 will cover topic B), our tutor-led online courses are designed to be flexible and this course does not require participants to be online for a specific day of the week or time of day.

Unless otherwise stated, all course material will be posted on the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) so that they can be accessed at any time throughout the duration of the course and interaction with your tutor and fellow participants will take place through a variety of different ways which will allow for both synchronous and asynchronous learning (discussion boards, etc).

Certificate of Participation

A Certificate of Participation will be awarded to participants who contribute constructively to weekly discussions and exercises/assignments for the duration of the course.

What our students say

"The courses have been structured in a way to support learners coming from very different backgrounds. The weekly topics were comprehensive, the language very clear and understandable. The forum chats and the weekly webinar gave me the chance to easily interact with the other participants, share opinions, ask questions, and gave me the feeling to be part of a class, which I greatly appreciate. Special credit goes to the tutor, Doug Williamson, whose enthusiasm has created a very positive and questioning atmosphere. He answered all our questions, provided multiple additional resources to allow us to go more in depth into some of the topics, and made the learning experience very enjoyable."

"I found Doug very approachable and friendly to work with. He is always in a positive mood with a good sense of humour. Whenever I had questions or wanted to discuss anything with him he would always get back to me in very quick time with great resources to share which I greatly appreciated."

"The course was well structured with technical concepts translated into simple language and easy format. There is a section focusing on using excel sheets for financial modelling, basics that could help anyone with their personal or organisational finance. I found the inclusion of the personal project - developing a financial model cum value proposition for any business idea of our choice - very useful, nicely collating all the information in the earlier sections."

Entry requirements

This course is open to everyone, and you don’t need any previous knowledge or experience of the subject to attend.

Our short courses are designed especially for adult learners who want to advance their personal or professional development. They are taught by tutors who are expert in both their subjects and in teaching students of all ages and experiences.

Please note that all teaching is in English. You should have near-native command of the English language in order to get the maximum benefit from the course.

Fees

The course fee includes access to the course on our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), personal feedback on your work from an expert tutor, a Certification of Participation (if you complete work and take part in discussions), and access to the class resources for two years after your course finishes.

VAT does not apply to course fees and there is no service charge (gratuities to domestic staff are left to your discretion).

Concessions

For more information on available concessions, please visit the Concessions information page on our website.

Alison Fordham Bursary

The Institute is proud to offer the Alison Fordham bursary, which is awarded to students who wish to study on one of our short online courses via our virtual learning platform, reducing the fee paid by 50%. The bursary is limited to a single award for each set of online courses.

Application criteria: 

• Applicants should set out their personal learning motivations since priority will be given to those who are returning to learning after an extended break, or have not previously engaged with fully online learning, or are seeking to use the online short course as a bridge towards undergraduate award-bearing study.    
• Applicants who can demonstrate financial need.  
• Apply here https://www.ice.cam.ac.uk/bursary-application

Aims of the course:

1. To explore a range of styles and techniques in writing about nature.
2. To develop participants’ skills in observing and capturing nature in words.
3. To increase participants’ awareness and appreciation of nature.

Course content overview:

• This course offers students fresh perspectives on producing creative nature writing.
• Students will learn how to sharpen their senses and heighten awareness and understanding of wildlife.
• The course will show how nature writing can be ‘enlivened’, making it real to the reader

Welcome week (Week 0)

By studying this week students should have:

• Become familiar with navigating around the VLE and from VLE to links and back
• Tested their ability to access files and sorted out any problems with the help of the Helpdesk
• Learnt how to look for, assess and reference internet resources
• Used forums to introduce themselves to other students
• Contributed to a discussion forum to introduce themselves to other students and discuss why they are interested in the course, what they hope to get out of their studies and also to respond to news sent out on behalf of the tutor

Week 1: What's the story?

By studying this week students should have:

• An understanding of the multiple possibilities in constructing narratives from observations of nature

Week 2: A feel for nature - how to harness your senses

By studying this week students should have:

• Used their senses to improve their descriptive powers, especially using the under-developed senses of touch and smell

Week 3: Facts are our friends

By studying this week students should have:

• An understanding that prior knowledge can help them with selection of subjects
• An ability to use facts to enhance their perception of what they have observed
• An understanding that background knowledge can contextualise natural history writing

Week 4: Landscapes, places and details: a question of scale

By studying this week students should have:

• Learned how to describe places from the very big to the very small
• Examined the descriptive language that goes into building images of locations
• Experimented with portraying such places

Week 5: Nature and the self

By studying this week students should have:

• Understood how writers can indicate their feelings and state of mind through nature
• Discovered how the narrator can - through humour and emotion - gain the reader's empathy
• Weigh up the pros and cons of projecting the self into nature writing

Week 6: What next?

• Assessment of student learning
• Assessment of student satisfaction
• Encouragement of further study

Schedule (this course is completed entirely online):

Orientation Week: 6-12 April 2026

Teaching Weeks: 13 April-17 May 2026

Feedback Week: 18-24 May 2026

Each week of an online course is roughly equivalent to 2-3 hours of classroom time. On top of this, participants should expect to spend roughly 2-3 hours reading material, etc., although this will vary from person to person.

While they have a specific start and end date and will follow a weekly schedule (for example, week 1 will cover topic A, week 2 will cover topic B), our tutor-led online courses are designed to be flexible and as such would normally not require participants to be online for a specific day of the week or time of the day (although some tutors may try to schedule times where participants can be online together for web seminars, which will be recorded so that those who are unable to be online at certain times are able to access material).

Unless otherwise stated, all course material will be posted on the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) so that they can be accessed at any time throughout the duration of the course and interaction with your tutor and fellow participants will take place through a variety of different ways which will allow for both synchronous and asynchronous learning (discussion boards,etc).

A Certificate of Participation will be awarded to participants who contribute constructively to weekly discussions and exercises/assignments for the duration of the course.

Course textbook/required sources

• No textbook is required reading but students would be advised to use the great outdoors as a source of inspiration, ideas and as a writing laboratory.
• Students should read widely from nature writing – both historic and contemporary. A suggested reading list will be provided.

What our students say

“It was impressive how thoroughly the content could be fit into six short weeks! I learned quite a bit in that period of time, and I hope to continue with more courses.”

"One greatly appreciates a tutor that is highly sensitive and with high academic understanding of his field, beyond merely a knowledge of books. His inclusion of a section on Nature and the Self is a noteworthy tour de force which opened up many new avenues for me and, by comments made by other participants, for others."

“Derek’s very fast feedback on our exercises was much-appreciated (and spot-on). His personality also came across in his comments and the respect and care he showed for the students and their work was evident.”

This course is open to everyone, and you don’t need any previous knowledge or experience of the subject to attend.

Our online courses are designed especially for adult learners who want to advance their personal or professional development. They are taught by tutors who are expert in both their subjects and in teaching students of all ages and experiences.

Given the nature of creative writing, it is important that students' use of English is sufficiently fluent to be able to understand in English nuances of meaning and have a familiarity with the structure and grammar of English. Please note that all teaching is in English. You should have near-native command of the English language in order to get the maximum benefit from the course.

Fees

The course fee includes access to the course on our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), personal feedback on your work from an expert tutor, a Certification of Participation (if you complete work and take part in discussions), and access to the class resources for two years after your course finishes.

VAT does not apply to course fees and there is no service charge (gratuities to domestic staff are left to your discretion).

Concessions

For more information on available concessions, please visit the Concessions information page on our website.

Alison Fordham Bursary

The Institute is proud to offer the Alison Fordham bursary, which is awarded to students who wish to study on one of our short online courses via our virtual learning platform, reducing the fee paid by 50%. The bursary is limited to a single award for each set of online courses.

Application criteria: 

• Applicants should set out their personal learning motivations since priority will be given to those who are returning to learning after an extended break, or have not previously engaged with fully online learning, or are seeking to use the online short course as a bridge towards undergraduate award-bearing study.    
• Applicants who can demonstrate financial need.  
• Apply here https://www.ice.cam.ac.uk/bursary-application

Aims of the course

• To introduce participants to the varied ways in which humans have treated their dead throughout time and across the world, and how this impacts death and burial today
• To provide the necessary knowledge for a better understanding of mortuary studies in archaeology and anthropology and how scientific studies and humanities play a role in this
• To familiarise participants with case studies that emphasize the significance of death studies not only in learning more about the peoples of the past but where we are going with how we treat our dead in the future

Course content overview

Why is the skull such a fascinating subject for artists? And why are catacombs popular tourist destinations? These are just some of the questions we will discuss in this course about the unique and unusual ways we honour and inter our dead. Burial sites, human remains, grave goods, and memento mori have embedded information to offer not only about the deceased, but also shifts in ideology of living populations. This course will present a wide range of topics relating to the beliefs and treatment of the dead, across cultures and through time, with current research including how archaeologists are using biomolecular evidence to access how identity is encoded in bones and teeth. There will also be discussion of new and unique ways contemporary society interacts with the deceased, featuring cremation ash tattoos, jewelled skeletons, and zombie history. 

Schedule (this course is completed entirely online)

Orientation Week: 6-12 April 2026

Teaching Weeks: 13 April-17 May 2026

Feedback Week: 18-24 May 2026

Teaching Week 1 - The archaeology of death and burial

In our introductory session we will take a look at the major themes and contributors in mortuary archaeology and discuss how burials and bones are analysed via excavations. We will also discuss the ethics of working with human remains and the importance of ethical guidelines when working with the dead.

Learning outcomes

By studying this week the participants should have:

• A basic understanding of the burial archaeology and the role that human remains and burials play in understanding the past.
• A knowledge of what ethical considerations there are in working with human remains and how osteoarchaeologists try to address the ethics in every day practice.

Teaching Week 2 - The Ancient Dead

In this session we will focus on more specific forms of burial treatment such as mummification, excarnation, and cremation and look at examples from around the world via a death map activity. We will also look at deviant burials with unique case studies such as Vampire burials and human sacrifice. I will take you on a virtual tour of my lab to show you what scientific methods we use to study human remains.

Learning outcomes

By studying this week the participants should have:

• A better idea of the way in which peoples of the past dealt with their deceased and the reasons why which leads to inferences made about societal structure and belief systems.
• Familiarity with the scientific techniques osteoarchaeologists use to analyse human remains

Teaching Week 3 - Memento Mori: the relationship between death and art

This week we will examine the pre-historic and historic relationship between death and art through modified skulls, painted effigies, bejewelled skeletons, Renaissance art, and zombie culture. We will dive into the ways in which philosophy, spirituality, demonology, and medicine influenced how humans have expressed concerns about death through various media.  

Learning outcomes

By studying this week the participants should have:

• A stronger sense of how humans express views about death in creative ways.
• A familiarity with the how humans have modified their bodies throughout prehistory as a way to signal social status and economic power.  

Teaching Week 4 - Catacombs, crypts, and graveyards: death tourism

This week will travel the world looking at places of memory and spaces of commemoration including charnel houses, catacombs, royal crypts and mortuary monuments. We will evaluate why these places have become popular tourism sites and discuss the impact this has on these places through a ‘dark tourism’ lens.

Learning outcomes

By studying this week the participants should have:

• A better understanding of deathscapes and why these appeal or not to a wider audience and the emotional impact these places can have on the living.

Teaching Week 5 - Ashes to Ink: new ways of engaging with the dead

In the final teaching week of this course we will look at new and innovative ways in which humans today are treating our dead with a focus on modern anthropology. We will review what options are now available for dealing with the deceased and discuss the death positive movement as well as cremation tattoos and how popular culture is influencing the field of mortuary studies.

Learning outcomes

By studying this week the students should have:

• A more thorough understanding of how the business of death is changing and what options are available to the public now.
• A new appreciation of how ancient rituals are being revitalised in new death practices.

Each week of an online course is roughly equivalent to 2-3 hours of classroom time. On top of this, participants should expect to spend roughly 2-3 hours reading material, etc., although this will vary from person to person.

While they have a specific start and end date and will follow a weekly schedule (for example, week 1 will cover topic A, week 2 will cover topic B), our tutor-led online courses are designed to be flexible and as such would normally not require participants to be online for a specific day of the week or time of the day (although some tutors may try to schedule times where participants can be online together for web seminars, which will be recorded so that those who are unable to be online at certain times are able to access material).

Virtual Learning Environment

Unless otherwise stated, all course material will be posted on the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) so that they can be accessed at any time throughout the duration of the course and interaction with your tutor and fellow participants will take place through a variety of different ways which will allow for both synchronous and asynchronous learning (discussion boards etc).

Certificate of participation

A Certificate of Participation will be awarded to participants who contribute constructively to weekly discussions and exercises/assignments for the duration of the course.

What our students say

"The tutor presented the course at the start of each week and was always available if necessary to discuss any issues that might crop up .The presentation of the course and the materials were excellent covering on a global scale the issues and concepts in depth and using up to date research. The videos and the transcripts were great tools to guide us through the materials in gaining in depth understanding--.A warm approach with no pressure."

"It was rich and interesting and presented in a structured way that helps students get engaged in the subject matter. I have taken many online courses but as far as content goes, this one really stands out. Well done!"

"This was a wonderful course and more than met my expectations. Dr. Biers chose consistently thought provoking discussion topics and provided both course content and additional reading that compelled one to explore in greater death."

"I decided to take the course, even thought my schedule is really full. I could not let the chance pass. It exceeded my expectations and the tutor was knowledgeable and engaging. I highly recommend."

Entry requirements

This course is open to everyone, and you don’t need any previous knowledge or experience of the subject to attend.

Our short courses are designed especially for adult learners who want to advance their personal or professional development. They are taught by tutors who are expert in both their subjects and in teaching students of all ages and experiences.

Please note that all teaching is in English. You should have near-native command of the English language in order to get the maximum benefit from the course.

Fees

The course fee includes access to the course on our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), personal feedback on your work from an expert tutor, a Certification of Participation (if you complete work and take part in discussions), and access to the class resources for two years after your course finishes.

VAT does not apply to course fees and there is no service charge (gratuities to domestic staff are left to your discretion).

Concessions

For more information on available concessions, please visit the Concessions information page on our website.

Alison Fordham Bursary

The Institute is proud to offer the Alison Fordham bursary, which is awarded to students who wish to study on one of our short online courses via our virtual learning platform, reducing the fee paid by 50%. The bursary is limited to a single award for each set of online courses.

Application criteria: 

• Applicants should set out their personal learning motivations since priority will be given to those who are returning to learning after an extended break, or have not previously engaged with fully online learning, or are seeking to use the online short course as a bridge towards undergraduate award-bearing study.    
• Applicants who can demonstrate financial need.  
• Apply here https://www.ice.cam.ac.uk/bursary-application

Aims of the course

• To provide participants with a solid understanding of the basics of evolutionary biology – such that they can explain where new traits come from and how they spread.
• To help participants understand how cost-benefit optimality modelling can be used to understand why certain traits do or do not evolve.
• To show participants how evolutionary biology can be applied to solve real-world problems

Target audience

Anyone interested in science generally, and those interested in evolutionary biology in particular. No previous study of the subject is required.

Schedule (this course is completed entirely online)

Orientation Week: 5-11 January 2026

Teaching Weeks: 12 January-15 February 2026

Feedback Week: 22 February 2026

Teaching Week 1 - The origin of new traits

This week will introduce the terms genes, proteins and phenotypes to students, explaining how genes code for proteins and proteins build phenotypes. We will then introduce the concept of mutations generating new alleles, look at how mutations occur and explore the different possible consequences for mutation on the phenotype. 

Learning objectives:

• To gain the ability to explain the relationship between genes and phenotype.
• To identify mutation as the source of all new traits in biology.

Teaching Week 2 - The spread of new traits

In this week, we will be introduced to the different modes of selection that can operate in natural populations and how can it affect fitness. We will look at positive and negative selection (one allele is better/worse than the rest) first. Then we will look at the mystery of why sometimes multiple alleles are maintained in populations – with sickle-cell anaemia offering a good example of balancing selection. The lecture closes by inviting students to consider whether the spread of all traits can really be explained by maximising the chance of offspring surviving – which is next week’s topic.

Learning objectives:

• To gain the ability to explain how natural selection can cause traits to spread.
• To explain the different effects of positive selection, negative selection and balancing selection.

Teaching Week 3 - More than just surviving

We have so far tried to explain the spread of traits by considering how they increase the probability of an organism surviving – just like Darwin did initially. This week we look at two alternative explanations for why a trait might spread: sexual selection and genetic drift. When considering sexual selection, students will learn about the difference between intrasexual and intersexual selection and how these can lead to the evolution of traits that increase mating success despite reducing survival probability. We will also look at the idea of non-adaptive evolution, and how sometimes an allele can increase in frequency despite no survival or reproductive benefits. Iris colour variation in humans is discussed as an example of genetic drift.

Learning objectives:

• To understand how sexual selection can lead to traits that do not enhance an organism’s chance of survival from spreading.
• To understand how genetic drift can cause non-adaptive evolution to occur.

Teaching Week 4 - The evolution of behaviour

Behavioural adaptation is the most complex and impressive form of adaptation. In this lecture we look at how the cost-benefit framework of optimally modelling, along with the concept of trade-offs, can let us understand the evolution of animal behaviour. We will look at a worked example – how high should a crow fly?. The concept of proximate and ultimate causation is also discussed here, helping students to see how why questions can be answered in biology.

Learning objectives:

• To explain how the cost-benefit framework of optimality modelling can be used to predict which behaviours do or do not evolve.
• To gain an understanding of the concept of trade-offs in evolutionary biology.

Teaching Week 5 - Applying evolutionary biology

Evolutionary biology is a fascinating science in its own right – but this final teaaching week helps learners see some of the practical applications of what they have been learning about. We look at evolutionary medicine (e.g. the Old Friends hypothesis, antibiotic resistance, tumour resistance to chemotherapy) and predicting responses to climate change. We gesture towards some of the many other applications possible – from reconstructing galaxy evolution to understanding the evolution of Red Riding Hood! 

Learning objectives:

• To explain how evolutionary biology can be applied to solve real-world problems in medicine, conservation and the humanities. 

Each week of an online course is roughly equivalent to 2-3 hours of classroom time. On top of this, participants should expect to spend roughly 2-3 hours reading material, etc., although this will vary from person to person.

While they have a specific start and end date and will follow a weekly schedule (for example, week 1 will cover topic A, week 2 will cover topic B), our tutor-led online courses are designed to be flexible and as such would normally not require participants to be online for a specific day of the week or time of the day (although some tutors may try to schedule times where participants can be online together for web seminars, which will be recorded so that those who are unable to be online at certain times are able to access material).

Virtual Learning Environment

Unless otherwise stated, all course material will be posted on the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) so that they can be accessed at any time throughout the duration of the course and interaction with your tutor and fellow participants will take place through a variety of different ways which will allow for both synchronous and asynchronous learning (discussion boards etc).

Certificate of participation

A Certificate of Participation will be awarded to participants who contribute constructively to weekly discussions and exercises/assignments for the duration of the course.

What our students say

“I can’t believe such an interesting course has come to an end so soon. It is a fabulous course which I enjoyed very much. In particular, I like reading the academic articles and your last list will surely occupy my time until well after Christmas.”

“There are so many interesting subjects in this course which may be interesting to laymen like me, like evolution of sex, speciation, coevolution, etc.”

Entry requirements

This course is open to everyone, and you don’t need any previous knowledge or experience of the subject to attend.

Our short courses are designed especially for adult learners who want to advance their personal or professional development. They are taught by tutors who are expert in both their subjects and in teaching students of all ages and experiences.

Please note that all teaching is in English. You should have near-native command of the English language in order to get the maximum benefit from the course.

Fees

The course fee includes access to the course on our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), personal feedback on your work from an expert tutor, a Certification of Participation (if you complete work and take part in discussions), and access to the class resources for two years after your course finishes.

VAT does not apply to course fees and there is no service charge (gratuities to domestic staff are left to your discretion).

Concessions

For more information on available concessions, please visit the Concessions information page on our website.

Alison Fordham Bursary

The Institute is proud to offer the Alison Fordham bursary, which is awarded to students who wish to study on one of our short online courses via our virtual learning platform, reducing the fee paid by 50%. The bursary is limited to a single award for each set of online courses.

Application criteria: 

• Applicants should set out their personal learning motivations since priority will be given to those who are returning to learning after an extended break, or have not previously engaged with fully online learning, or are seeking to use the online short course as a bridge towards undergraduate award-bearing study.    
• Applicants who can demonstrate financial need.  
• Apply here https://www.ice.cam.ac.uk/bursary-application

Aims of the course

• To provide participants with a solid understanding of the basics of evolutionary biology – such that they can explain where new traits come from and how they spread.
• To help participants understand how cost-benefit optimality modelling can be used to understand why certain traits do or do not evolve.
• To show participants how evolutionary biology can be applied to solve real-world problems

Target audience

Anyone interested in science generally, and those interested in evolutionary biology in particular. No previous study of the subject is required.

Schedule (this course is completed entirely online)

Orientation Week: 6-12 April 2026

Teaching Weeks: 13 April-17 May 2026

Feedback Week: 18-24 May 2026

Teaching Week 1 - The origin of new traits

This week will introduce the terms genes, proteins and phenotypes to students, explaining how genes code for proteins and proteins build phenotypes. We will then introduce the concept of mutations generating new alleles, look at how mutations occur and explore the different possible consequences for mutation on the phenotype. 

Learning objectives:

• To gain the ability to explain the relationship between genes and phenotype.
• To identify mutation as the source of all new traits in biology.

Teaching Week 2 - The spread of new traits

In this week, we will be introduced to the different modes of selection that can operate in natural populations and how can it affect fitness. We will look at positive and negative selection (one allele is better/worse than the rest) first. Then we will look at the mystery of why sometimes multiple alleles are maintained in populations – with sickle-cell anaemia offering a good example of balancing selection. The lecture closes by inviting students to consider whether the spread of all traits can really be explained by maximising the chance of offspring surviving – which is next week’s topic.

Learning objectives:

• To gain the ability to explain how natural selection can cause traits to spread.
• To explain the different effects of positive selection, negative selection and balancing selection.

Teaching Week 3 - More than just surviving

We have so far tried to explain the spread of traits by considering how they increase the probability of an organism surviving – just like Darwin did initially. This week we look at two alternative explanations for why a trait might spread: sexual selection and genetic drift. When considering sexual selection, students will learn about the difference between intrasexual and intersexual selection and how these can lead to the evolution of traits that increase mating success despite reducing survival probability. We will also look at the idea of non-adaptive evolution, and how sometimes an allele can increase in frequency despite no survival or reproductive benefits. Iris colour variation in humans is discussed as an example of genetic drift.

Learning objectives:

• To understand how sexual selection can lead to traits that do not enhance an organism’s chance of survival from spreading.
• To understand how genetic drift can cause non-adaptive evolution to occur.

Teaching Week 4 - The evolution of behaviour

Behavioural adaptation is the most complex and impressive form of adaptation. In this lecture we look at how the cost-benefit framework of optimally modelling, along with the concept of trade-offs, can let us understand the evolution of animal behaviour. We will look at a worked example – how high should a crow fly?. The concept of proximate and ultimate causation is also discussed here, helping students to see how why questions can be answered in biology.

Learning objectives:

• To explain how the cost-benefit framework of optimality modelling can be used to predict which behaviours do or do not evolve.
• To gain an understanding of the concept of trade-offs in evolutionary biology.

Teaching Week 5 - Applying evolutionary biology

Evolutionary biology is a fascinating science in its own right – but this final teaaching week helps learners see some of the practical applications of what they have been learning about. We look at evolutionary medicine (e.g. the Old Friends hypothesis, antibiotic resistance, tumour resistance to chemotherapy) and predicting responses to climate change. We gesture towards some of the many other applications possible – from reconstructing galaxy evolution to understanding the evolution of Red Riding Hood! 

Learning objectives:

• To explain how evolutionary biology can be applied to solve real-world problems in medicine, conservation and the humanities. 

Each week of an online course is roughly equivalent to 2-3 hours of classroom time. On top of this, participants should expect to spend roughly 2-3 hours reading material, etc., although this will vary from person to person.

While they have a specific start and end date and will follow a weekly schedule (for example, week 1 will cover topic A, week 2 will cover topic B), our tutor-led online courses are designed to be flexible and as such would normally not require participants to be online for a specific day of the week or time of the day (although some tutors may try to schedule times where participants can be online together for web seminars, which will be recorded so that those who are unable to be online at certain times are able to access material).

Virtual Learning Environment

Unless otherwise stated, all course material will be posted on the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) so that they can be accessed at any time throughout the duration of the course and interaction with your tutor and fellow participants will take place through a variety of different ways which will allow for both synchronous and asynchronous learning (discussion boards etc).

Certificate of participation

A Certificate of Participation will be awarded to participants who contribute constructively to weekly discussions and exercises/assignments for the duration of the course.

What our students say

“I can’t believe such an interesting course has come to an end so soon. It is a fabulous course which I enjoyed very much. In particular, I like reading the academic articles and your last list will surely occupy my time until well after Christmas.”

“There are so many interesting subjects in this course which may be interesting to laymen like me, like evolution of sex, speciation, coevolution, etc.”

Entry requirements

This course is open to everyone, and you don’t need any previous knowledge or experience of the subject to attend.

Our short courses are designed especially for adult learners who want to advance their personal or professional development. They are taught by tutors who are expert in both their subjects and in teaching students of all ages and experiences.

Please note that all teaching is in English. You should have near-native command of the English language in order to get the maximum benefit from the course.

Fees

The course fee includes access to the course on our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), personal feedback on your work from an expert tutor, a Certification of Participation (if you complete work and take part in discussions), and access to the class resources for two years after your course finishes.

VAT does not apply to course fees and there is no service charge (gratuities to domestic staff are left to your discretion).

Concessions

For more information on available concessions, please visit the Concessions information page on our website.

Alison Fordham Bursary

The Institute is proud to offer the Alison Fordham bursary, which is awarded to students who wish to study on one of our short online courses via our virtual learning platform, reducing the fee paid by 50%. The bursary is limited to a single award for each set of online courses.

Application criteria: 

• Applicants should set out their personal learning motivations since priority will be given to those who are returning to learning after an extended break, or have not previously engaged with fully online learning, or are seeking to use the online short course as a bridge towards undergraduate award-bearing study.    
• Applicants who can demonstrate financial need.  
• Apply here https://www.ice.cam.ac.uk/bursary-application

Aims of the course

• To introduce participants to key theories and concepts in psychology of social cognition and emotions
• To learn the key methods to study emotional and social cognition: how to measure our ability to recognise facial expressions and the feelings of others
• To study the foundations of the theories of embodied cognition: we are what we feel

Target audience

• Anyone with an interest in psychology. This course will touch on the fundamental principles of cognitive psychology with a specific focus on emotional social and embodied cognition

Course content overview

Psychology is the study of the human mind. cognitive psychologists primarily focus on how our mind works when interacting with other minds and bodies as well as interacting with itself, such as with our own memories and sensations. This course is an introduction to a fascinating discipline. It is intended for anyone with an interest in psychology. We will explore the key theories and findings on emotions and social embodied cognition, the key methods to measure our ability to understand the feelings of others. We will focus on the main theories of embodiment and hypotheses and on how researchers investigate and address them. In doing so, we will learn about the main methods and materials used to explore emotional embodiment and to measure our ability to recognise other people’s facial expressions. This will include the main experimental designs, behavioural and neuroimaging methods adopted. This course will show that psychology is not just about the mind; it will introduce participants to the idea that our mind is rooted in our body and that perhaps it is time to move on from this dichotomy.    

Schedule (this course is completed entirely online)

Orientation Week: 6-12 April 2026

Teaching Weeks: 13 April-17 May 2026

Feedback Week: 18-24 May 2026

Teaching week 1 - What is Cognitive Psychology: an overview

This week will provide an overview of key findings, theories and research methods of cognitive psychology.

Cognitive psychology is the scientific study of the mind as an input and output processor. Cognitive psychologists base their research on models of how people's minds process information and how different areas of the brain interact with each other to do it. These models relate to various cognitive functions including perception, attention, language, memory, thinking, and consciousness.

 This week will explore:

a.         History and key findings of cognitive psychology.  

b.         What is the purpose of cognitive psychology?

c.         What is the literature framework of the major models.

Learning outcomes

By studying this week participants should:

• Learn about the key findings and assumptions of cognitive psychology;
• Familiarize themselves with some of the central debates in cognitive psychology concerning the role of nature vs nurture in shaping the human mind;
• Understand the relationship between the mind and the brain and the role of automatic vs controlled processes in shaping human behaviour.

Teaching week 2 - How we feel emotions: introduction to the psychology of facial expressions and to theories of embodied emotional processing

This week will provide an introduction to the main concepts and theories of social cognition. In particular, this week explores the extent to which mirror neurons shape our ability to understand others and our ability to understand that others might have mental states that differ from our own (theory of mind reasoning).  

Learning outcomes

By studying this week participants should:

• Learn key concepts and theories in studying emotional and social cognition;
• Become familiar with core debates on the role of facial expressions and on the embodiment of emotional recognition.
• Understand how the production and perception of emotional facial expressions is explored from different angles by different theories.

Teaching week 3 - How do we study emotions? Emotional processing and social cognition research methods

This week explores the key research methods of embodied emotional processing and social cognition. It will outline the most important techniques in the broader cognitive psychology and evaluate the contribution they can make to emotional processing research and embodiment theories. It will also introduce the role of neuropsychological research in understanding how brain lesions can help us understand how the brain normally functions. Key methods of neuroimaging techniques covered will be specifically focused on electroencephalogram (EEG) and electromyography (EMG).

Learning outcomes

By studying this week participants should:

• Understand of the main methods in Cognitive Psychology.
• Learn neuroimaging techniques and neuropsychological findings and how they contribute to our knowledge on emotional processing and embodied cognition.
• Develop a critical approach to methods and how each of them helps answer to specific research questions.

Teaching week 4 - How do we recognise the emotional facial expressions of others? Feeling me to feel you - from theory-theories to the simulation theory

This week will provide an introduction to the main theories of emotional facial expression recognition. It will include an overview of the Theory theory models as well as of the simulation theory models. It will also illustrate the key findings on facial mimicry often associated with better facial expression recognition.

Learning outcomes

By studying this week participants should:

• Learn the main theories of emotional facial expression recognition and to critically evaluate the extent to which empirical studies support different theoretical claims.
• Understand how the simulation models account for the facilitating role of sensorimotor simulations during emotion mind-reading process.
• Develop a critical approach towards the literature on production and recognition of emotional facial expressions and the mechanisms involving both sensorimotor simulation and theory-theory processing.

Teaching week 5 - Is it always easy to understand others' emotions? The influence of context and expression ambiguity on mimicry during emotional recognition

Any emotional expression is a communication channel that has the intrinsic intention of conveying a message. The expression finds its meaning in the interaction with another person and its sense in the social context.

This week provides an overview of the factors that influence the emotional understanding in a natural social situation. This week will outline some of the main factors that are thought to affect the way we have insights about other’s feeling and intentions. This includes our attitude towards the other (for instance our motivation to understand their emotions), prior knowledge that we have about them and the ambiguity of the facial expression itself.  

Learning outcomes

By studying this week participants should:

• Learn that the embodied understanding of other’s emotions is an interpretation of emotional signals.
• Understand that the embodied understanding of other’s emotions is influenced by contingent factors of the reader and the expresser.
• Develop a critical approach to the literature and research questions of the field.

Each week of an online course is roughly equivalent to 2-3 hours of classroom time. On top of this, participants should expect to spend roughly 2-3 hours reading material, etc., although this will vary from person to person.

While they have a specific start and end date and will follow a weekly schedule (for example, week 1 will cover topic A, week 2 will cover topic B), our tutor-led online courses are designed to be flexible and as such would normally not require participants to be online for a specific day of the week or time of the day (although some tutors may try to schedule times where participants can be online together for web seminars, which will be recorded so that those who are unable to be online at certain times are able to access material).

Virtual Learning Environment

Unless otherwise stated, all course material will be posted on the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) so that they can be accessed at any time throughout the duration of the course and interaction with your tutor and fellow participants will take place through a variety of different ways which will allow for both synchronous and asynchronous learning (discussion boards etc).

Certificate of participation

A Certificate of Participation will be awarded to participants who contribute constructively to weekly discussions and exercises/assignments for the duration of the course.

What our students say

"I think the content was easy to follow, considering it is open to everyone. Then, the articles and additional readings and videos were complementary of the course transcript. I think it is a good mix."

"It was better than my expectations! The combination of a summary provided by the professor with related articles and videos was very engaging."

"The mixture of learning delivery was great - readings, lectures, quizzes, discussions. There was a lot of information so great value for money."

Entry requirements

This course is open to everyone, and you don’t need any previous knowledge or experience of the subject to attend.

Our short courses are designed especially for adult learners who want to advance their personal or professional development. They are taught by tutors who are expert in both their subjects and in teaching students of all ages and experiences.

Please note that all teaching is in English. You should have near-native command of the English language in order to get the maximum benefit from the course.

Fees

The course fee includes access to the course on our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), personal feedback on your work from an expert tutor, a Certification of Participation (if you complete work and take part in discussions), and access to the class resources for two years after your course finishes.

VAT does not apply to course fees and there is no service charge (gratuities to domestic staff are left to your discretion).

Concessions

For more information on available concessions, please visit the Concessions information page on our website.

Alison Fordham Bursary

The Institute is proud to offer the Alison Fordham bursary, which is awarded to students who wish to study on one of our short online courses via our virtual learning platform, reducing the fee paid by 50%. The bursary is limited to a single award for each set of online courses.

Application criteria: 

• Applicants should set out their personal learning motivations since priority will be given to those who are returning to learning after an extended break, or have not previously engaged with fully online learning, or are seeking to use the online short course as a bridge towards undergraduate award-bearing study.    
• Applicants who can demonstrate financial need.  
• Apply here https://www.ice.cam.ac.uk/bursary-application

Aims of the course

• To provide a full structure and understanding to your learning in this subject, through a framework that gives a clear and comprehensive understanding of the nature of the universe through a review of its origin, structure, and evolution from the Big Bang to today, and on into the future.
• To provide an understanding of modern cosmology, the scientific study of the large-scale properties of the universe as a whole.
• To provide a framework, in this present golden era of astronomy, within which you may better understand the science of astronomy encountered on multimedia, and to place into context the importance of new discoveries.
• To help you take full advantage of online resources, such as YouTube astronomy channels, audiobooks, and astronomy books aimed at the general public.
• To encourage you to attend astronomical observing opportunities and consider undertaking additional astronomy courses elsewhere.

Target audience

Non-astronomers who are captivated by the night sky and simply wonder 'why'?

Course content overview

Assuming no prior knowledge, as celestial explorers in today’s modern era of precision cosmology, and armed with full-spectrum vision and multi-messenger tools, we’ll explore the entire history of our Universe. From birth to death through its origin, evolution, and structure, with precise, reliable answers based on a spectacular series of recent breakthroughs in the last few decades.

Cosmology, an ambitious field that concerns itself with the entire universe, as well as all of time, is presently in the midst of a truly remarkable period of growth, particularly in the last 20 to 30 years.  Precision is indeed possible, even on the grandest of scales, in which to nail down the various parameters, with an uncertainty in these values of just ~1% or so, that have worked in concert to determine the structure of the universe over its eons of existence, along with all the eons to come - long sought-after numbers that define the form and age of the universe.

A universe that is vast, pushing comprehension to its limits, but surprisingly one that bears witness to the fact that the consistency of our laws of nature throughout the universe means that it is understandable. This is a remarkable fact, for as Neil DeGrasse Tyson points out, the Universe is under no obligation to make sense to you, and yet the same laws of science apply everywhere. That is, the laws of physics are universal. This is why we can use spectroscopy and studies of the behaviour of distant stars and planets under gravity to derive information about them. Atoms in distant stars and galaxies obey the same quantum laws everywhere, allowing us to interpret information conveyed by their spectra. The motions of planets, stars, galaxies and galaxy clusters can be understood using the universal laws of gravity and motion, whether we use the version complied by Newton or Einstein.

By the end of this course, we will understand how cosmology, as a subject, which not that long ago carried a faint hint of disreputable scientific study, has moved from pure and often wild speculations, to the most solid of solid scientific foundations. A universe that we now comprehend was birthed from a microscopic dot of existence to the size of a watermelon through faster-than-light expansion for the merest fraction of a fraction of a second. But the universe, that we could understand and live in, then followed, born silently in the shortest of instances, in a torrent of energy in full blazing light. Then, following basic scientific laws within the first three minutes of its existence, proceeding the creation of subatomic particles, the light elements, hydrogen, and helium, were formed. From the creation of the first atoms, and the operation of the known forces of physics, the rest was history, as laid out beautifully in the LambdaCDM model, our current best picture of the origin and evolution of the Universe.

From dark matter to dark energy, cosmic inflation and the possibility of a multiverse, we will comprehend the full wealth of mysteries of this vast universe. An observable universe that was once considered finite and unbounded, as in the surface of a sphere by analogy with nothing outside of it, is now thought likely infinite and more or less flat in shape, with any possible curvature only visible in the metaverse beyond.

To comprehend this stunningly rich and coherent picture presented by modern observational cosmology, that is dominated by the Big Bang theory, requires getting to grips with the two essential languages for cosmology: General Relativity, Einstein’s theory of gravity; and the Standard Model of physics, which explains how the basic building blocks of matter interact, governed by four fundamental forces.

Armed with this knowledge we will address some of the biggest questions in modern astronomy, such as: What came before the Big Bang? How old is the universe? Will the universe end? and if so, how? In addition we will touch on some of its most fundamental mysteries which remain unsolved. So, if you truly wish to expand your horizons, and occasionally blow your mind in the process, then please join me for this one truly amazing journey

Schedule (this course is completed entirely online)

Orientation Week: 6-12 April 2026

Teaching Weeks: 13 April-17 May 2026

Feedback Week: 18-24 May 2026

Teaching Week 1: An inventory of the contents of the Universe

This week will cover:

• Understanding the quantities, and types, of matter and radiation in the cosmos.
• Understanding the concepts of dark matter and dark energy.
• The uniformity and expansion of the cosmos.

Teaching Week 2: Modelling the Universe

This week will cover:

• Understanding the cosmological assumptions and the Copernican principle that underly modern cosmological models.
• Comparing the Steady State and Big Bang models, and the overwhelming evidence for the latter theory.
• A brief over of all the ages of the universe.

Teaching Week 3: The very early Universe - in the beginning...

This week will cover:

• Understanding the smallest scales we can observer, and consider what came before the hot Bing Bang, that is inflation.
• Neutrino decoupling and particle annihilation to complete the first second of the universes existence.

Teaching Week 4: The early Universe - Creation of atoms to recombination

This week will cover:

• Understanding the creation of the lightest elements via the process of nucleosynthesis.
• Studying the Cosmic Microwave Background and its cosmological implications.
• Considering the Dark Ages and the emergence large-scale structure.

Teaching Week 5: The Universe today, the far future, and its ultimate fate

This week cover:

• Discussing the stelliferous era, beginning with the first stars and galaxies in the universe, and ending with the fate of the galaxies.
• Considering the various degenerate, black hole and dark era's.
• Concluding with a discussion on the fate of the universe, the consequences of dark energy and consideration of such concepts such as the multiverse.

Each week of an online course is roughly equivalent to 2-3 hours of classroom time. On top of this, participants should expect to spend roughly 2-3 hours reading material, etc., although this will vary from person to person.

While they have a specific start and end date and will follow a weekly schedule (for example, week 1 will cover topic A, week 2 will cover topic B), our tutor-led online courses are designed to be flexible and as such would normally not require participants to be online for a specific day of the week or time of the day (although some tutors may try to schedule times where participants can be online together for web seminars, which will be recorded so that those who are unable to be online at certain times are able to access material).

Virtual Learning Environment

Unless otherwise stated, all course material will be posted on the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) so that they can be accessed at any time throughout the duration of the course and interaction with your tutor and fellow participants will take place through a variety of different ways which will allow for both synchronous and asynchronous learning (discussion boards etc).

Certificate of participation

A Certificate of Participation will be awarded to participants who contribute constructively to weekly discussions and exercises/assignments for the duration of the course.

What our students say

"I can easily tell that Dr Hardip has a true passion for the mysteries of the universe around us and a great understanding of how we have progressed from wonder to a firm foundation of knowledge about many aspects of our universe I found his presentations thought provoking but not abstruse The you tube links were also generally good as supplements and often led me to other videos/ articles regarding related information I will try to continue pursuing this topic on my own although the feedback from Dr Hardip was very valuable."

"I found this to be a fabulous course and a wonderful final course to end the trilogy of courses on introductory astronomy. I left this course with an awe on the scale of our universe, a grounding in particle physics and its mysteries and a wonder as to whether this universe is just one of many in existence. I enjoyed the presentations, discussion threads and fantastic videos. All made possible by Hardip, an excellent and remarkably supportive tutor."

"I have enjoyed the course massively! I look forward to signing up for the other two courses in the series. We have all gained immensely from the extra effort that Hardip has put in to deliver the complex concepts of the course so concisely (especially General Relativity), being available in the forums, posting extra videos, and reviewing contributions. We leave with a solid introduction to cosmology, the evolutionary history of the universe, and current research, as well as a sense of profoundness."

"As with the previous two courses, this was superbly presented with a wealth of fascinating and thought-provoking subjects. It’s easy to say, but it genuinely is awe-inspiring to try to comprehend the distances, sizes and time spans involved with cosmology, from the infinitesimally tiny to the absolutely enormous. Once again, thank you Hardip for your well-constructed modules, your stimulating use of video to bring to life the various subjects, and the prompt and proactive way you have dealt with questions and issues as they’ve arisen."

“Thank you Hardip for yet again another mind blowing experience. I truly enjoyed it this one and I am very happy that I took all 3 astronomy classes in order. I feel much more confident now about astronomy in general. The courses are amazing. I cannot praise enough of the deep understanding they provide.”

“All of this is, of course, exactly what I needed to further my understanding of the Cosmos. Thank you Hardip for once again offering a really great course. It is obvious that you put a tremendous amount of preparation into this offering. The material was completely up to date, and referenced the latest material in a field which is in an era of extremely rapid development. What’s next Hardip?”

“I have loved this journey and am sorry that it is ending. I wish there was a fourth course...It has inspired my work and daily life. It has changed my perspective, how I look at everything, and how I approach and feel about time, space, and life. I had a more difficult time with the math and some concepts of the third class, but I still found elements that were fascinating to me and led me towards other discoveries as i watched the lessons and extra videos you shared. Thank you for being our guide on this journey. It has opened my mind and I understand concepts which I never knew I could. I am amazed and disheartened that a deeper study of astronomy is not a part of every middle and high school program. I think it would change people's lives to understand our place and our origins and create in people a profound gratitude and love for our earth. I also think that all leaders should study Astronomy to learn humility and the beauty of our very quick moment on this marvelous planet to be treasured and not destroyed with power struggles and wars and territorial battles. Thank you again, Hardip!”

Entry requirements

This course is open to everyone, and you don’t need any previous knowledge or experience of the subject to attend.

Our short courses are designed especially for adult learners who want to advance their personal or professional development. They are taught by tutors who are expert in both their subjects and in teaching students of all ages and experiences.

Please note that all teaching is in English. You should have near-native command of the English language in order to get the maximum benefit from the course.

Fees

The course fee includes access to the course on our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), personal feedback on your work from an expert tutor, a Certification of Participation (if you complete work and take part in discussions), and access to the class resources for two years after your course finishes.

VAT does not apply to course fees and there is no service charge (gratuities to domestic staff are left to your discretion).

Concessions

For more information on available concessions, please visit the Concessions information page on our website.

Alison Fordham Bursary

The Institute is proud to offer the Alison Fordham bursary, which is awarded to students who wish to study on one of our short online courses via our virtual learning platform, reducing the fee paid by 50%. The bursary is limited to a single award for each set of online courses.

Application criteria: 

• Applicants should set out their personal learning motivations since priority will be given to those who are returning to learning after an extended break, or have not previously engaged with fully online learning, or are seeking to use the online short course as a bridge towards undergraduate award-bearing study.    
• Applicants who can demonstrate financial need.  
• Apply here https://www.ice.cam.ac.uk/bursary-application