Thinking Allowed is BBC Radio 4's weekly focus on the social sciences. Here, we bring you exclusive content from The Open University's academic experts responding to the subjects Laurie Taylor and his guests explore, as well as links to teaching materials such as the Open University module, Introducing The Social Sciences.

See below for more information about each episode and exclusive academic content.

Thinking Allowed is on BBC Radio 4 on Wednesdays at 4.00pm and repeated on Monday mornings at 12.15am. Full transmission details, and listen again links, can be found on bbc.co.uk

Latest episodes and exclusive content

OU on the BBC: Thinking Allowed - Middle Class enclaves and escapes New content Creative commons imageCredit: By // solidether via Flickr under Creative Commons licence

This week features a special edition of Thinking Allowed recorded at the British Sociological Association's 2013 conference   Read more : OU on the BBC: Thinking Allowed - Middle Class enclaves and escapes

OU on the BBC: Thinking Allowed - Class survey Copyrighted imageCredit: Wilfred Stanley Sussenbach | Dreamstime.com

This week, Laurie Taylor discusses the 'Great British Class Survey', a unique piece of research conducted by BBC Lab UK and academics   Read more : OU on the BBC: Thinking Allowed - Class survey

OU on the BBC: Thinking Allowed - The power of oil Creative commons imageCredit: Xavier de Jauréguiberry licensedfor reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Oil is the focus of this week's Thinking Allowed   Read more : OU on the BBC: Thinking Allowed - The power of oil

OU on the BBC: Thinking Allowed - English heritage and clergy lives Creative commons imageCredit: Sue Haskerlicensedfor reuse under CC BY-ND 2.0

Laurie Taylor is in the Thinking Allowed studios this week discussing heritage politics in the UK, and the everyday lives of parish priests  Read more : OU on the BBC: Thinking Allowed - English heritage and clergy lives

OU on the BBC: Thinking Allowed - Thatcherism and thrift chic Copyrighted imageCredit: BBC

This week's Thinking Allowed asks, in light of Margaret Thatcher's death, is 'Thatcherism' a distinct ideology?   Read more : OU on the BBC: Thinking Allowed - Thatcherism and thrift chic

OU on the BBC: Thinking Allowed - Women in combat Copyrighted imageCredit: Jupiter Images

The focus of this week's Thinking Allowed is women in combat  Read more : OU on the BBC: Thinking Allowed - Women in combat

OU on the BBC: Thinking Allowed - Urban dereliction and gang labour Copyrighted imageCredit: By Keoni Cabral via Flickr under Creative Commons license

This week, Thinking Allowed looks at industrial ruination, and the origins and rise of gang labour in the UK  Read more : OU on the BBC: Thinking Allowed - Urban dereliction and gang labour

OU on the BBC: Thinking Allowed - The social life and language of food Copyrighted imageCredit: Used with permission

This week's Thinking Allowed explores the Italian food market, and the language of food and food politics   Read more : OU on the BBC: Thinking Allowed - The social life and language of food

Ou on the BBC: Thinking Allowed - Art auctions and overflowing cemeteries Copyrighted imageCredit: Jupiter Images

This week's Thinking Allowed asks how do auctioneers and buyers transact sales in seconds? Also: the Guatemalan cemetery with no more room  Read more : Ou on the BBC: Thinking Allowed - Art auctions and overflowing cemeteries

OU on the BBC: Thinking Allowed - Drugs for life and youthful hankering Copyrighted imageCredit: Jupiter Images

This week's focus for Thinking Allowed is the burgeoning consumption of medicine in the US and hanging onto a subcultural identity in later life   Read more : OU on the BBC: Thinking Allowed - Drugs for life and youthful hankering

OU on the BBC: Thinking Allowed - Red racism and mother / daughter fashion Copyrighted imageCredit: BBC

This week's Thinking Allowed subjects are racism in Communist and Post Communist countries, and how mothers influence their daughters' fashion  Read more : OU on the BBC: Thinking Allowed - Red racism and mother / daughter fashion

OU on the BBC: Thinking Allowed - Weapon dogs and 'Neds' Creative commons imageCredit: By The Laird of Oldham via Flickr under Creative Commons license

This week's Thinking Allowed looks at the phenomenon of weapon dogs and the growth of 'Ned' pride in Scotland.  Read more : OU on the BBC: Thinking Allowed - Weapon dogs and 'Neds'

OU on the BBC: Thinking Allowed - Stanley Cohen Creative commons imageCredit: Brizzle born and bredlicensedfor reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

The eminent sociologist Stan Cohen passed away in January. This week's Thinking Allowed is dedicated to him   Read more : OU on the BBC: Thinking Allowed - Stanley Cohen

OU on the BBC: Thinking Allowed - Organised crime Creative commons imageCredit: johnthurmlicensedfor reuse under

Organised crime in the UK - how has it changed? This is the question explored in this week's Thinking Allowed   Read more : OU on the BBC: Thinking Allowed - Organised crime

OU on the BBC: Thinking Allowed - Russian women prisoners Creative commons imageCredit: By Noukka Signe via Flickr under Creative Commons license

In the light of Pussy Riot's imprisonment, Thinking Allowed looks at research on Russia's distinctive penal geography  Read more : OU on the BBC: Thinking Allowed - Russian women prisoners

OU on the BBC: Thinking Allowed - Climate change denial Copyrighted imageCredit: Production team

This week's Thinking Allowed explores the denial of climate change and the history of class and commuting on the London Underground  Read more : OU on the BBC: Thinking Allowed - Climate change denial

OU on the BBC: Thinking Allowed - Music and race Copyrighted imageCredit: Jupiter Images

The enduring and complex relationship between race and music is the focus of this week's Thinking Allowed.  Read more : OU on the BBC: Thinking Allowed - Music and race

OU on the BBC: Thinking Allowed - young men and work Copyrighted imageCredit: Dreamstime

This week's Thinking Allowed focuses on the changing relationship between men and work. Our exclusive content looks at the difficulties faced by today's young men  Read more : OU on the BBC: Thinking Allowed - young men and work

The best of 2012

The best of Thinking Allowed on OpenLearn Copyrighted imageCredit: BBC

Read the best of our Thinking Allowed articles from the past few months  Read more : The best of Thinking Allowed on OpenLearn

Previous episodes

OU on the BBC: Thinking Allowed - Past episodes Copyrighted imageCredit: BBC

Thinking Allowed and The Open University have come together before - find out about some of our earlier collaborations.  Read more : OU on the BBC: Thinking Allowed - Past episodes