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History & The Arts
Why not ‘World Religions’?
The idea that there are five or six ‘major’ or ‘world’ religions is so common that it seems natural to us today. What makes something a ‘World Religion’? Why do we group some religions in this way? You’ll explore these questions in this free course. You’ll also look at the potential issues with classifying religions like this and why scholars ...
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History & The Arts
What is Britain's most sacred site?
Britian is scattered with sacred sites - why do we feel the resonance of ancient religion?
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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.
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Society, Politics & Law
Timeline: LGBTQ History
Explore some snapshots of LGBTQ history with our timeline.
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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) ...
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History & The Arts
Medea
Discover the Ancient Greek tragedy Medea (by Euripides), in our two-minute animation voiced by Angela Griffin.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Health, Sports & Psychology
Centre for Open Thanatology Hub
The Open University’s interdisciplinary research centre dedicated to the study and education of death, dying, loss, and grief across the life course and in diverse contexts.
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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.
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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.