All content
Hundreds of educational interactives, games, quizzes, videos and podcasts, plus 1000s of articles written by academic experts and guest contributors.
activity icon
History & The Arts
Download free eBook guides to famous literary works
Exclusive to OpenLearn, OU experts have created guides to introduce some key works of fiction for you to download and read on your prefered device.
activity icon
Society, Politics & Law
Timeline: LGBTQ History
Explore some snapshots of LGBTQ history with our timeline.
free course icon
level 1: introductory icon
History & The Arts
Young people and religion: creative learning with history
This free course, Young people and religion: creative learning with history, will train teachers and others working with young people on how to engage them in learning about religious diversity past and present through the creative process of making short, creative films (Docutubes). It is based on the RETOPEA (Religious Toleration and Peace) ...
video icon
History & The Arts
Medea
Discover the Ancient Greek tragedy Medea (by Euripides), in our two-minute animation voiced by Angela Griffin.
video icon
History & The Arts
Witches in popular culture
Western culture can't seem to shake off portraying women as witches. Dr Chloé Germaine Buckley wonders why.
article icon
History & The Arts
A timeline between The OU and the royal family
Take a look at this extensive timeline, detailing the relationship between The OU and the Queen and royal family over the years.
article icon
Science, Maths & Technology
Light: Wave-particle duality
One of the most confusing concepts in physics, wave-particle duality is unlike anything we see in the ordinary world.
article icon
History & The Arts
African Caribbean religions and the problem of representation
Hilde Capparella explores the negative narrative created around Africa and African cultures by the West and how this lead to the demonisation of African Caribbean religions.
article icon
History & The Arts
Different cultures, different childhoods
A 'normal' childhood depends on where you live and when you're born. Heather Montgomery wonders how some common British practices might look to other cultures.
article icon
History & The Arts
Legacy of the Romantics
Who were the Romantics and what did they stand for? Stephanie Forward explains.
article icon
Languages
How emoji are changing the shape of everyday English
What influence are emoji having on the way we communicate? Is the common use of the eggplant or facepalm emoji something to worry about? Philip Seargeant explores this online visual language...
activity icon
History & The Arts
How women changed the world
Who wrote the first novel over 1000 years ago? Who disguised herself as a man to explore the new world? Take this interactive world tour to discover the stories the history books left out.