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History & The Arts
The OU meets Pink Floyd
Dr Sean Williams of The Open University talks to Pink Floyd's drummer Nick Mason about his drumming concerns and career.
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level 3: advanced icon
History & The Arts
Roaring Twenties? Europe in the interwar period
While recognising the shadows cast by two world wars (one concluded and one imminent) over European society during the 1920s and 1930s, this free course, Roaring Twenties? Europe in the interwar period, demonstrates how a number of specific features indicate that the interwar period was a distinctive and important moment of modernity in the ...
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level 2: intermediate icon
History & The Arts
Religious diversity: rethinking religion
Religion is not necessarily what you think it is! This free course, Religious diversity: rethinking religion, introduces you to a selection of the vast variety of religious beliefs and practices in Britain today. Having some familiarity with religion and belief is increasingly required to make sense of issues of local, national and international...
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level 3: advanced icon
History & The Arts
The Roman Empire: introducing some key terms
This free course, The Roman Empire: Introducing some key terms, will define basic concepts and terms that are essential for an understanding of the culture and identity of the Roman Empire. Terms such as 'Roman Empire' and 'imperium' will be introduced in the context of the formation and expansion of the empire, and the course will provide you ...
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History & The Arts
Jean-Paul Sartre and Existential Choice
This animation looks at existentialist ideas about the individual created by Jean Paul Sartre.
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level 1: introductory icon
History & The Arts
Picturing the family
Besides being simple mementos, family photographs can offer insights into the past. This free course, Picturing the family, looks at some of the ways photographs can reveal, and sometimes conceal, important information about the past. It teaches the skills and provides some of the knowledge needed to interpret such pictorial sources.
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level 3: advanced icon
History & The Arts
Hadrian's Rome
This free course, Hadrian's Rome, explores the city of Rome during the reign of the emperor Hadrian (117-38 CE). What impact did the emperor have on the appearance of the city? What types of structures were built and why? And how did the choices that Hadrian made relate to those of his predecessors, and also of his successors?
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History & The Arts
Business ethics
Should companies consider anything but their shareholders? What can they learn from philosophy? Discover business ethics
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level 2: intermediate icon
History & The Arts
Napoleonic paintings
In this free course, Napoleonic paintings, we will examine a range of Napoleonic imagery by David, Gros and a number of other artists, beginning with comparatively simple single-figure portraits and moving on to elaborate narrative compositions, such as Jaffa and Eylau. In so doing, we will have three main aims: to develop your skills of visual ...
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History & The Arts
How a centuries-old poem hints at Shakespeare’s herbal ‘muse’
Evidence from a poem and sonnett suggest that William Shakespeare drew at least some of his inspiration from cannabis.
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History & The Arts
Promoting equality through the Arts
Budding stars of the stage performed to highlight all people are equal and should enjoy social, political and economic rights and opportunities.
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level 1: introductory icon
History & The Arts
How do empires work?
How are empires ruled? How do military, economic, logistic and cultural constructs combine to create 'systems of empire'? This free course, How do empires work?, introduces these questions by briefly sketching in the dramatic events of the Anglo-Chinese conflict over Hong Kong from 1839 to 1842.