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History & The Arts
The American Civil Rights Movement
In this free course, The American Civil Rights Movement, you will learn about the mass movement for racial equality in the United States that reached its zenith during the 1950s and 1960s. During this turbulent period in United States history, black Americans sought to overturn deeply entrenched systems of racial segregation and discrimination. This course discusses the key events in this campaign for social justice, drawing on a wide range of primary sources. In doing so, it assesses the achievements, shortcomings and revolutionary qualities of the civil rights movement. Use of racial language and terms This course deals with topics involving racial issues. Since the societies being studied were characterised by deeply-held and widespread racist views, this course contains language that is also racist. Although these may provoke a strong personal response, we believe it is necessary to engage with such attitudes to reach a clear understanding of the past. This OpenLearn course is an adapted extract from the Open University course A113 Revolutionsand is part of a set of four OpenLearn courses, covering Revolutions of the Sixties. Transcript
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Education & Development
Race and Youth Policy: working with young people
How should we, as a society, best respond to and prevent gang and knife crime and violent extremism? Is it fair to target Black and Muslim Asian youth populations, via social policy, as being groups most at-risk from committing gun and knife violence and acts of terrorism? Within a context of major cuts to generic young people’s services, is it justifiable for government policy and funding priorities to only focus on youth programmes, tasked with preventing radicalisation and gang violence? This course will look at the meaning of social policy, how it works as a mechanism of persuading people to behave in specific ways, its role in shaping our understandings of young people, and the role practitioners can play in mediating and influencing policy. In particular, this course will examine the racialisation and criminalisation of youth social policy as it pertains to Black and Muslim Asian British youth.
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Society, Politics & Law
It’s all in a name: why I refuse to use a ‘white’ name
Should you ever change your identity in order to progress your career? Open University employee Sudesh Loi gives his views...
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Education & Development
Black Women and State-Sanctioned Police Violence: The Case of Sarah Reed
In January 2016, Sarah Reed, a woman with known mental health problems, was found dead in her cell at Holloway prison. She had been a victim of police violence a few years earlier. This article explores the injustice in the Criminal Justice System experienced by black women.
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History & The Arts
Deconstructing the Moors: Black Presence in the United Kingdom Before and During the Tudor Period
Dr Carol J. Brown-Leonardi delves into the largely unknown history of black settlers in the UK before and during the sixteenth century in this talk and accompanying article.
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Society, Politics & Law
Discussing intersectionality: race, gender and social class
What is intersectionality and why are race, gender, social class and intersectionality important to social research? This series of videos explores...
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History & The Arts
When Edward met Bertha: Mental Health, Colonialism, Race and Patriarchy in Jane Eyre
Bertha Mason is described as the ‘insane’ ex-wife of Mr Rochester in Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre. What does the depiction of her tell us about views of mental illness, patriarchal society and ethnicity in the Victorian era? Siobhán Halliday explores in this personal reflection on race and colonialism as prompted by the novel.
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History & The Arts
Is Anthropology of Religion Racist?
Were early studies in anthropology structured by white supremacy and what does the anthropology of religion look like today? Dr Paul-François Tremlett explores...
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History & The Arts
Black History Month
In recognition of Black History Month we have pulled together some content about some inspirational individuals and events for you to explore.
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Education & Development
What is Indigenous Psychology?
Ecology and psychology are closely related. Dr Manfusa Shams explains the link in this article...
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Education & Development
Dr Eric Addae Kyeremeh on his experience at The Open University
Dr Eric Addae Kyeremeh explains here the staffing changes he has noticed over the past ten years, working at the OU, and his highlights.
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Education & Development
Tessy Mbofung on cultural values and expectations and the need for more awareness of race
Tessy Mbofung explains the challenges of her strong African cultural values and holding on to them in another culture in this short video collection