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History & The Arts
10 things that ended in 2006 (when OpenLearn was born)
OpenLearn was born in 2006 but unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your point of view) some things ended this same year. We look back as part of our ten year anniversary celebrations.
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Society, Politics & Law
Contemporary Wales
This free course provides an accessible and lively social science account of contemporary Wales. It introduces key aspects of the economy, society, politics and culture of Wales, providing a wealth of up-to-date evidence that is organised around core social science concepts and theories, to help you make sense of a changing nation.
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Money & Business
The Eurozone: Magnet or Black Hole?
Was the EU's choice to move towards 'one market' and 'one money' a sound one? Why did they do it, what went wrong, what is the 'Euro-crisis' and what are the implications for the UK?
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level 2: intermediate icon
Society, Politics & Law
Innovation, markets and industrial change
How does a firm emerge as 'leader of the pack'? Why do most of the small firms so common in the early years of new industries disappear? This free course, Innovation, markets and industrial change, looks at how and why change occurs through the industry life cycle, at the role of innovation and at how production costs, demand and technology ...
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level 2: intermediate icon
Society, Politics & Law
Children and violence: an introductory, international and interdisciplinary approach
Children are subject to many forms of adversity, for example, poverty or ill health. However, a significant form of adversity experienced by children in many different regions of the world is violence. The form of violence against children varies widely and is hugely disparate. In this free course, Children and violence: an introductory, ...
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Society, Politics & Law
Social problems: Who makes them?
Anti-social behaviour, homelessness, drugs, mental illness: all problems in today's society. But what makes a problem social? This free course, Social problems: Who makes them?, will help you to discover how these issues are identified, defined, given meaning and acted upon. You will also look at the conflicts within social science in this area.
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level 1: introductory icon
Society, Politics & Law
Reading evidence
What is active reading? It is reading with the aim of understanding and grasping something. While studying this free course, Reading evidence, you will be focusing on the variety of methods for presenting and organising qualitative and quantitative evidence in the form of numbers and text. You will learn how to understand the ways in which ...
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level 2: intermediate icon
Society, Politics & Law
Social construction and social constructionism
Within the field of social sciences the terms 'social construction' and 'social constructionism' are frequently used, particularly in relation to social policy. This free course, Social construction and social constructionism, will enable you to achieve a greater definition and understanding of these terms.
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Society, Politics & Law
What does the head of Ofsted do?
Dr Baxter argues that a new Ofsted head should understand the culture of the English system and not simply denigrate unions.
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Society, Politics & Law
Why are today's progressive political heroes still old white men?
Is today's politics really stirred by outsiders if they are still old, white and male?
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level 1: introductory icon
Society, Politics & Law
Why maps are made
Cars have sat nav systems, mobile phones use GPS: maps are important in everyday life whether captured by aerial photography, satellite imagery or simply drawn. This free course, Why maps are made, looks at how we read and evaluate the information in maps and assesses the values embedded within them. From mental maps to public transport and ...
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level 2: intermediate icon
Society, Politics & Law
Who belongs to Glasgow?
How is your image of a place influenced and changed? Does it depend on whether you are a resident or an outsider? How do government and tourism campaigns and stories in the media affect your perception? This free course, Who belongs to Glasgow?, uses images of Glasgow to explore this multifaceted concept.