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History & The Arts
Islam in the West
This course is designed to stimulate informed debate about the role of Islam in western societies. Issues explored include the diversity of western Muslim populations and leaders; the role of the media; Muslim education and social and political engagement; and the politics of multiculturalism. Controversial Muslim intellectual, Tariq Ramadan ...
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History & The Arts
Religion Today
Religion is a powerful force in today’s world, as almost any newspaper or news broadcast will make clear. Inextricably linked with nationalism, popular culture, social norms and the lives of individuals, it touches almost every area of public and private life. This course examines many of the most exciting and controversial issues in religion ...
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History & The Arts
Take away Science
From robot surgery to nation-wide hunts for stripy snails via Michael Faraday, The Open University's new podcast series caters to all tastes.
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History & The Arts
Textiles in Ghana
In Ghana, types of cloth and the design of textiles are about more than just fashion. Woven Kente cloth is a great status symbol, marking wealth and, in the past, office - something to be worn on important occasions and by important people. Adinkra is a printed fabric, hand-made and worn mainly for funerals, which are very important celebrations...
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History & The Arts
Inuit Throat Singing
In many cultures, song is perhaps one of the most important traditions. What is extraordinary about the Inuit musical tradition is the way they create their songs - with notes originating from their throats. The song isn't interrupted even when a breath has to be taken. The 6 tracks in this album focus on Tanya Tagaq, who describes the amazing...
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History & The Arts
In conversation with Terry Waite
How was Terry Waite able to build rapport with an Islamic extremist group? After being held captive for nearly four years, the former hostage has spent his life reconciling for peace. He talks to Open University Professor John Wolffe about how his incarceration in Beirut profoundly influenced his view that conflict resolution is rooted in ...
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History & The Arts
Heritage, whose heritage?
How should Stonehenge be conserved for the future? The modernisation of the Visitors' Centre at Stonehenge has been a battleground, exposing conflicting interests, and revealing the challenges that can lie behind the preservation of heritage sites. This album explores how different values and perceptions of heritage affect how the past is ...
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History & The Arts
The Arts Past and Present: Diva
How do you get to be one of the great operatic divas? Catherine Rogers might just have what it takes to be a famous opera singer, but she still has lots of work to do. This album gives us an insight into the immense effort it requires to become a musical performer. As well as singing, acting, language, and stage skills all need to be honed. ...
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History & The Arts
Thought and Experience
This album contains fascinating and engrossing interviews with several leading philosophers concerning, primarily, the exploration of four topics: emotion; thought and language; imagination and creativity; consciousness. The interviews contain lively debates from differing philosophical viewpoints, discussions about theoretical thought ...
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History & The Arts
The Italian Cantastorie
Italians are world renowned as passionate people, and their passion feeds through to their music and story telling. This album explores the tradition of the Cantastorie - the Italian Storyteller. Cantastorie Mauro Geraci explains the intricacies of the music, the paintings, the instruments and the drama of the performance. This material is ...
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History & The Arts
Voice of Indian Song
Traditional Indian singing is intoxicating - but what is it about singing, and listening to others sing, that makes it so significant? In this album, Sudokshina Chatterjee breaks down the unique Indian style, and explains the emotions and meaning behind the songs of her culture. This material is drawn from The Open University course AA317 Words ...
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History & The Arts
Indian Raga Music
The music of North India is mesmerising, and shrouded in tradition and culture. There, raga is the art of life - it is the music of the mind. The tracks in this album focus on three instruments - the tabla, the alap and the voice - all central to the existence of Raga. Each instrument is broken down into the individual sounds that make up the ...