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History & The Arts
Introducing music research
Introducing music research provides you with insights into the wide variety of possibilities for studying music at postgraduate level. In this free course you will explore diverse musical topics through four themes: inclusions and exclusions, practice, technology, and community. You will encounter music from different times, places and genres ...
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Health, Sports & Psychology
Crime fiction: past, present and future – a discussion between Bill Alder and Simon Brett OBE
Crime fiction is the most popular literary genre in Europe today. Watch a discussion between The Open University’s Bill Alder and distinguished crime fiction author Simon Brett OBE on the past, present and future of crime fiction.
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Languages
How are social workers portrayed in the media?
Academic research shows how social work is misrepresented in newspapers and on TV. Maria Leedham explains more.
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History & The Arts
A reader's guide to Ulysses
When is Bloomsday? Where does Bloomsday start? Celebrate the iconic novel, and the city it's set in, with OpenLearn's interactive map.
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History & The Arts
Antigone: List of Characters
Confused about who’s who in Sophocles’ 'Antigone'? Dr Jessica Hughes has put together a handy cast list of the characters.
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History & The Arts
Antigone
Discover the Ancient Greek tragedy 'Antigone' in our two minute animation voiced by Helen Skelton, then find out more about the characters in the classical Sophocles' play.
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Health, Sports & Psychology
Heroes and villains: the presentation of the outlaw in early twentieth-century American folk music
This article will consider how the figure of the outlaw is presented in early twentieth-century American folk music. What is constant, and what changes? What lies behind these strands of imitation and innovation?
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OpenLearn Ireland
Hardboiled Blues: Rory Gallagher’s Blues Lyrics Revisited
How are blues lyrics similar to crime fiction? Which books influenced musician Rory Gallagher’s music? Follow Dr Lauren O’Hagan’s investigation. Then see if you can tell blues lyrics apart from detective stories!
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Languages
Commemorating Lord Byron on the streets of London
On the 200th anniversary of Lord Byron’s death, we explore the history of his commemoration, and how this sheds light on our understanding of English heritage.
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level 1: introductory icon
History & The Arts
Herodotus and the invention of history
With the information explosion online, how can you tell fake news from the real thing, or be more sensitive to how information can be weaponised? In the fifth-century BCE, a Greek by the name of Herodotus faced a similar challenge when he set out to examine why his people, the Greeks, and the Persians went to war with each other. Chief among his...
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History & The Arts
The July Crisis: A chronology
A diplomatic crisis among major European powers in 1914 led to the First World War. What happened when?
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History & The Arts
Eid al-Fitr
Eid al-Fitr is a major Islamic holiday, marking the end of Ramadan. Find out more about the ‘lesser Eid’ in this article.