Kropotkin, anarchism and geography: A discussion

Is it possible to manage the risks presented by nature, such as too much rain at the wrong time of the year and very harsh frosts?

Carol Brown-Leonardi investigates how Britain’s exit from the European Union has affected the perceptions and decision-making of mixed nationality couples to stay and live permanently in Finland or the United Kingdom.

How can ‘thinking through making’ facilitate new kinds of geographical enquiry?

Climate change will lead to sea level rises and this will lead to enhanced coastal erosion. Professor David Humphreys explores the challenges that this will pose for the Thames Gateway in south-east England. 

How should we respond to humanitarian crises in other countries? Steve Pile explores the geographies that underlay the 2016 “Convoy to Calais” protest.

What does environmental change sound like? Dr George Revill argues that sound can be a powerful way of conveying how places are transformed by climate change.

How sharing and caring is the sharing economy? Petr Jehlička takes a critical look at the booming sector and traces its hidden connections and contradictions.

This free course, From Brexit to the break-up of Britain?, sets the experience of Brexit in the context of the UK. It first analyses Brexit as a symptom of the political, economic and social geography of the UK, focusing on its uneven development in a country increasingly dominated by London and the South East of England. It then considers how ...

The idea of climate change is increasingly well-known, but it can be hard to understand its effects in human terms. Professor David Humphreys describes how he experienced Climate Change first hand when working in Bangladesh for The Open University.

Explore your opinions alongside experts and other learners, to see whether a vote to leave the EU should have taken place.

Potential NHS staff from outside of European Economic Area (EEA) will shortly find it easier to secure permission to work in the UK. Yet doctors and nurses from the EEA may no longer have the right to do so. Dr Parvati Raghuram looks at how the NHS has depended on foreign workers since its creation.

In light of a man-eating tiger being killed in The Nilgiris District, India, we need to address human-animal and human-human conflict in our forests.

A technological revolution is underway improving the lives of many who may benefit from additional assistance says human geographer, Dr Oliver Zanetti. 

This free course will help you to navigate your own path through the complex landscape of smart cities. You’ll hear from smart city innovators and entrepreneurs, city leaders, communities and business, connecting with learners from around the world to reflect on issues facing smart cities of different sizes and situations.

Integrated urban technology is less apparent when it is functioning well says, Gillian Rose, Professor of Human Geography at the University of Oxford.

What does human geography have to do with studying the environment?    

Data research may lead to more efficient, sustainable and democratic societies says Gillian Rose, Professor of Human Geography at the University of Oxford.

What does the geography of the referendum vote tell us about the (increasingly dis-) United Kingdom? 

Cutting-edge research is enabling the development of new potentially life-changing prototypes aimed at serving those with disabilities says, Dr Oliver Zanetti.

Shonil Bhagwat explains the yogic way of understanding how individual actions relate to global challenges.

Does gender matter to the world's fastest growing economies? Parvati Raghuram explores how the labour driving many Rising Powers is gendered.

How do cities bring places, relationships and networks together, and what sorts of politics do they create? 

What makes a country count as a country? Andy Morris interviews geographer and broadcaster Nick Middleton about his recent book 'An Atlas of Countries that Don't Exist'.

This interactive map is a world first. It gives you the chance to explore a major international meeting on climate change as if you were there. 

The Earth in Vision project explores the BBC archives of environment themed television and radio programmes from the last 70 years, looking at the potential of these archives as a digital resource as well as to illustrate the potential of digital broadcast archives for researchers.

'Stories of Change' interviews with Roger Harrabin.

How have the films and radio programmes broadcast by the BBC shaped how we understand environmental change issues? Joe Smith shares his journey through the archives in the second part of a two part podcast series.

How have the films and radio programmes broadcast by the BBC shaped how we understand environmental change issues? Joe Smith shares his journey through the archives in a two part podcast series.

How are the civil war in Syria, the remote Norwegian island of Spitsbergen, and the future of the world’s food supplies connected? 

What ethical decisions does burying nuclear waste involve, and how are we responsible to future generations?            

Steve Pile looks at the changing geographies of sugar.

Sugar is a Contradiction - explore the cultural paradox of this ubiquitous ingredient, with Professor Steve Pile.

How do national parks manage the demands of different users, whilst still conserving natural beauty?

How do local communities respond to the risks and opportunities of nuclear power? 

Peter Wood shares his experiences researching cyclists - on both sides of the Atlantic.

Despite voters in 2014 choosing to stay in the United Kingdom, Gerry Mooney believes that in the long run, an Independent Scotland is inevitable. He explains why.

What can family photos tell us about households, gender roles and emerging technology? Professor Gillian Rose explores her research on family photography, and how this work interacts with her own experiences.

Does geography influence peoples’ sense of security and well-being?

What technological challenges are faced by communities seeking to understand environmental change at different geographical scales?

The UK government has confirmed that despite the path chosen by the US, the UK would honour the Paris Agreement. Here Shonil Bhagwat looks at the motivations and implications behind the US decision, and how international action on climate change will go on. 

The recent UK general election saw many parties pledge to ‘improve’ the environment. Vicky Johnson considers progress can be measured by more closely connecting the environment to economics.

What is a ‘smart city’, and how is smart rooted into Milton Keynes’ past and future?

Learn about MK’s unique history of transport innovation, and how The Open University has been a part of the experiment.  

Why research Milton Keynes? Professor Gillian Rose introduces a study of how cities are increasingly using digital data to improve their management and create new ways of living.

Sir David Attenborough and The Open University have had a long-standing relationship since the university's birth. David explains how that relationship came about and how it has developed over the years.

Where is Weetabix actually from? Prof. John Allen investigates.

What makes a city and why does it matter? 

Stories about migrants, asylum seekers and refugees make media headlines almost every day. John Allen asks, what's the role of borders in this movement of people?

The 'Geography Matters' initative is coming to the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.

How are Brexit and the Irish border connected? Dr Philp O'Sullivan reflects on the changing geographical relationship between the UK and Ireland.

How did a public utlity turn into a financial instrument?

How do we see the internet? Gillian Rose explores why some artists and campaigners think it's important that the internet is made more visible.

Is climate change the kale smoothie of TV schedules: unappealing but somehow fashionable and even essential to the diet? 

Trump's wall will not only have long-lasting impact on human society, but also severe ecological consequences.

Parvati Raghuram traces the links between the NHS waiting lists and health care crises elsewhere

Exploring the costs and benefits of expanding Heathrow, using a geographical analysis.

Introducing a collection of articles asking 'How can unique and distinctive regions, like the West of Ireland, retain the qualities that make them unique while continuing to modernise and interact with the wider world?'

The question of how Hungary approaches the memories of its Communist past has echoes for all cities with painful pasts.

George Revill considers the synergy between sound waves and ocean waves - how the coast of Britain has inspired the nation's musical heritage.

Johanna Wadsley from Hugging The Coast discusses her interest in environmental issues.

Fifteen years since the 7/7 bombings, we look back at unity in London after the terror attacks...

OU Researcher Pete Wood and Dr Frauke Behrendt from the University of Brighton blaze a trail through the links between bikes and new mobilities

The public have been badly served by politics and the media on climate change. The presence of a David Attenborough blockbuster on the topic in a primetime slot shows things have changed for the better in the past year or two.

‘Can we survive in freedom?’ The relationship between democracy and sustainability was framed in these terms by a prominent political scientist more than fifteen years ago.

Dr Peter Wood, a Visiting Fellow with the Geography Discipline, argues that although methodological choices are often seen as technical decisions, they can actually be key to intellectual creativity.

Humour has a part to play in getting the message about climate change across.

Joe Smith considers the environmental cost of a third runway at Heathrow airport

Are we coming to terms with nuclear power - or is a push for reactors masking a need to reduce consumption?

When it comes to the subject of climate change, do you trust the journalists or the scientists?

Joe Smith suggests that we need to think of climate change as an everyday problem - and suggests using tax as a possible solution.

As we approach the Copenhagen climate conference, Joe Smith suggests that we put too much emphasis on single events

Parvati Raghuram explains why she's uneasy at the media response to the bombings in Mumbai

The response to inequality and unfairness might be to take responsibility rather than feeling guilt, explains John Allen

In the wake of Oscar success, the film Slumdog Millionaire provokes questions of national identity.

At the beginning of the 21st century, more than half the world’s population live in cities. Issues about governance, intensification of social relationships, the impact of globalisation, and the way green spaces are utilised become ever more pressing concerns. The tracks on this album explore some of the challenges faced across the world as ...

Watch democracy at work - as the public kept voting to keep John Sergeant in Strictly Come Dancing

The Open University's Joe Smith sets the scene, in the run up to the Copenhagen climate talks.

Greenpeace’s 40th birthday is a good time to stop and ask where environmentalism is going. The OU's Joe Smith does just that in this thought-provoking article.

Gillian Rose suggests a new approach to those who die in public

Dr. Joe Smith, Senior Lecturer in Environment at The Open University discusses how we should focus on risk when looking at climate change. 

It might be useful to remind ourselves of the qualities that never come to be calculated when we take stock of our own and others’ worth to society.

Why do teachers get paid so much less than some other professionals?

Is the idea of integrated education in Northern Ireland a vehicle for social cohesion, or for perpetuating community divisions?

Read this article outlining arguements in debate held under the auspices of the Social Sciences Student Connections, Big Conversation. 

The sight of UKIP's Nigel Farage in deep water prompted Joe Smith to write a personal note with a generous offer of help.

A very British institution - but one shaped by migrant labour. Meet the doctors who shaped the NHS