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Languages
Advanced Spanish: Language in context
This free course, Advanced Spanish: Language in context, will develop your knowledge and understanding of the societies and cultures of Spain and Latin America and extend the practical skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. The course focuses on the many ways in which living languages - notably Spanish - adapt to the contexts in ...
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Languages
Advanced German: Regional landscapes
German regions and landscapes, local traditions and the notion of Heimat are at the centre of this free course, Advanced German: Regional landscapes. You will describe images, make notes from a variety of sources, and write a short piece about the three-nations region around Lake Constance.
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level 2: intermediate icon
Languages
Intermediate German: The world of work
This free course, Intermediate German: The world of work, concentrates on developing cultural knowledge and practical language skills in listening, speaking, reading, writing and interacting in a variety of situations.
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Languages
Intermediate Italian: describing people
This free course, Intermediate Italian: describing people, requires some basic knowledge of Italian. It focuses on describing both physical appearance and personality, as well as on developing listening skills and work on pronunciation.
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level 1: introductory icon
Languages
Beginners’ German: food and drink
This free course, Beginners' German: food and drink, provides materials that support the development of listening, reading, writing and speaking skills. The content focuses on food, restaurants and eating habits. The course also gives examples of how grammar, vocabulary, cultural aspects and study skills are taught by the OU in the Beginners' ...
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Languages
How to be a critical reader
In this free course you will focus on how to be a critical reader. Reading critically is an essential skill at university. It means being aware of your own purposes and opinions as you read and being able to recognise the writer's purposes and opinions in their writing.
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level 1: introductory icon
Languages
A brief history of communication: hieroglyphics to emojis
This free course, A brief history of communication: hieroglyphics to emojis, is an introduction to the history of writing, and the key role it plays in human communication. It tracks this history from the invention of writing around 5500 years ago to the mass popularity of emojis today.
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level 1: introductory icon
Languages
Beginners’ French: food and drink
Improve your language skills by learning to communicate more easily and effectively in French. In this free course, Beginners' French: food and drink, you will also gain an insight into French societies and cultures through focusing on food and drink. You will listen to French speakers in a variety of situations, and you will be provided with ...
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Languages
Advanced Spanish: Protest song
This free course, Advanced Spanish: Protest song, will develop your knowledge and understanding of the societies and cultures of Spain and Latin America and extend the practical skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. The course focuses on protest song, a musical genre that has played an important role in Hispanic society.
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level 3: advanced icon
Languages
Language in the real world
This free course, Language in the real world, explains and illustrates why a knowledge about how language works (i.e. ‘linguistics’) is helpful – some might say essential – for different aspects of our everyday lives. It provides an introduction to ideas around what language is and to the field of Applied Linguistics, which is dedicated to ...
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Languages
Intermediate Spanish: Understanding spoken Spanish
Welcome to this free course, Intermediate Spanish: Understanding spoken Spanish, which is aimed at intermediate learners of Spanish with an interest in language and culture. The six-hour course is designed to develop your understanding of spoken Spanish through six video portraits of people living in Spain. It introduces you to naturally spoken ...
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Education & Development
Introduction to Arabic
In this free course you will learn the Arabic alphabet, vowels, and also a little bit about the history of the Arabic language.