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Education & Development
Youth justice in the UK: children, young people and crime
This free course will introduce you to the many ways of working with children in trouble with the law. You will learn about the emergence of the youth justice system in England and Wales and how it has changed over the years. A comparative approach provides opportunities to learn about the approaches taken in Northern Ireland and Scotland. You will explore topical issues surrounding young people and crime, such as how rates of victimisation and offending vary, with particular reference to the ways age, gender, race and social class shape young people’s experience of crime.
Health, Sports & Psychology
The psychology of cybercrime
In this free course, The psychology of cybercrime, you will explore different questions about cybercrime from a psychological angle in an attempt to better understand this relatively recent field of psychology. You will consider the realms and limits of cybercrime, distinguishing between the different types of cybercrime (e.g. trolling, cyber-stalking, -----, hacking), the experiences of being victims of cybercrime and the causes behind engaging in these types of criminal activity. Finally, current interventions will be highlighted. Even though cybercrime is broadly encompassing all the different types of crime committed online, it is important to emphasise very early on that it is likely to be committed by offenders with different characteristics, motivations and behaviours than those who commit other types of crime. As a result, those online criminal activities share similarities with offline equivalents (e.g. ----- and online -----). The interest in studying the psychology of cybercrime both from the perpetrator and victim perspectives has arisen in an attempt to understand what makes cybercrime unique or similar to its offline counterpart. Content warning Cybercrime victimisation can affect both adults and children who engage online. Please find links to two useful guides that give tips on to stay safe online: Cybercrime and online safety developed by West Yorkshire police 355355 Supporting your child’s wellbeing by the NSPCC 356356 This free course is an adapted extract from the Open University course DD802 Investigating forensic psychology357357. Explore the collection of Postgraduate study in psychology and criminology.
Languages
Beginners’ Chinese: a taster course
Learn about Mandarin Chinese as a tool for communication and gain insights into Chinese society and culture. This free course, Beginners’ Chinese: a taster course, provides a brief introduction to the Chinese language, its scripts and sounds, and how words are formed. You will hear short conversations where people greet each other and introduce themselves, and learn how to ----- from one to ten. You’ll learn different ways of saying your name and greeting people, as well as give your telephone number. This OpenLearn course is introductory material for absolute beginners in Chinese.
Money & Business
Organisations and the financial system
Learn about the main types of financial resources available to organisations, how these funds can be used to start up a new business or sustain day-to-day operations, as well as develop long-term expansion plans. This free course, Organisations and the financial system, introduces the key operational and decisional features of the process of business financing and also considers organisations’ specific structures and goals. Transcript
TV, Radio & Events
This Fishing Life
Follow the fortunes of Cornish fishermen, fighting to secure a future for their traditional way of life.
Education & Development
LGBTQ hub
Collection of free resources exploring sexuality and LGBTQ+ history across the core faculty areas within The Open University.
Education & Development
Free educational resources
Whether you're homeschooling or looking to brush up on your existing knowledge, keep on top of your learning with these free resources as collated by academics from the four faculties of The Open University. These collections have each been created with sixth form (or the equivalent - year 13 & 14 or S6) and college-age students in mind, with all content selected deemed suitable for those aged 16+
Society, Politics & Law
No sex please, we're British!
There have been major changes in sexual attitudes over the years, but what are the views of the ‘average’ British person in terms of sex? Try our sexual attitudes interactive 'No sex please, we’re British!' to see how your views compare to the majority.
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