Free courses

Produced by The Open University, a world leader in open and distance learning, all OpenLearn courses are free to study. We offer nearly 1000 free courses across 9 different subject areas. Our courses are available to start right away.

Grid List Results: 136 items
George Orwell and Nineteen Eighty-Four free course icon level 2: intermediate icon

Society, Politics & Law

George Orwell and Nineteen Eighty-Four

This course will introduce you to the work and writings of George Orwell through a study of his novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984). By studying the book, well-known for its depiction of a totalitarian state, and the techniques, language and oppressive methods used by such states, you will gain a wider understanding of the meaning of ...

Free course
10 hrs
Travelling for culture: the Grand Tour free course icon level 1: introductory icon

History & The Arts

Travelling for culture: the Grand Tour

In the eighteenth century and into the early part of the nineteenth, considerable numbers of aristocratic men (and occasionally women) travelled across Europe in pursuit of education, social advancement and entertainment, on what was known as the Grand Tour. A central objective was to gain exposure to the cultures of classical antiquity, ...

Free course
8 hrs
An education in Religion and Worldviews free course icon level 1: introductory icon

History & The Arts

An education in Religion and Worldviews

Religious education is a statutory requirement for all school children in England. This course explores how the teaching and scholarly community is working to ensure this curriculum remains relevant for the twenty-first century. It is aimed at parents, faith and community group members and all others who might be interested in the purpose and ...

Free course
3 hrs
Exploring the boundaries between religion and culture free course icon level 1: introductory icon

History & The Arts

Exploring the boundaries between religion and culture

This free course, Exploring the boundaries between religion and culture, engages with questions about the relationship between religion and culture. Are they different things or synonyms that emphasise different ways of looking at the same phenomena? The course uses ‘either/or or both/and’ to point to those possibilities for understanding how ...

Free course
1 hr
Why not ‘World Religions’? free course icon level 1: introductory icon

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 ...

Free course
1 hr
Young people and religion: creative learning with history 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) ...

Free course
12 hrs
Historical perspectives on race free course icon level 2: intermediate icon

History & The Arts

Historical perspectives on race

Race is not biological. It is a social construction. Yet we know that in our contemporary world and in history, this construction has real consequences. From enslavement and colonisation to resistance and revolution, the stories of people of colour are often left untold in accounts of the past. This free course, Historical perspectives on race, ...

Free course
12 hrs
Getting started on ancient Greek free course icon level 1: introductory icon

History & The Arts

Getting started on ancient Greek

This free course, Getting started on ancient Greek, offers a taster of the ancient Greek world through the study of one of its most distinctive and enduring features: its language.The course approaches the language methodically, starting with the alphabet and effective ways to memorise it, before building up to complete Greek words and sentences...

Free course
16 hrs
A freelance career in the creative arts free course icon level 1: introductory icon Badge icon

History & The Arts

A freelance career in the creative arts

A freelance career in the creative arts is a free badged course which lasts 8 weeks, with approximately 3 hours’ study time each week. You can work through the course at your own pace, so if you have more time one week, there’s nothing to stop you pushing on and completing another week’s study. This course has a specific focus on the ...

Free course
24 hrs
Census stories: bringing statistics to life in Milton Keynes free course icon level 1: introductory icon

History & The Arts

Census stories: bringing statistics to life in Milton Keynes

This free course brings national census data to life by highlighting the vibrant stories of the diverse residents of Milton Keynes. This ‘new town’ with an increasingly mixed population, serves as a rich case study for understanding demographic changes in ethnicity and religion across the UK. The approach can be applied in any local context. It ...

Free course
2 hrs
The American Civil Rights Movement free course icon level 1: introductory icon

History & The Arts

The American Civil Rights Movement

In this free course, The American Civil Rights Movement, you will learn about the mass movement for racial equality in the United States that reached its zenith during the 1950s and 1960s. During this turbulent period in United States history, black Americans sought to overturn deeply entrenched systems of racial segregation and ...

Free course
3 hrs
What happens to you when you read? free course icon level 1: introductory icon

Health, Sports & Psychology

What happens to you when you read?

Ever wondered about the psychology of literature or stories? Or how a certain narrative might change our attitude or perspective?

Free course
3 hrs