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Nature & Environment
Introducing the environment: Ecology and ecosystems
What is ecology and why is it important to our understanding of the world around us? This free course, Introducing the environment: Ecology and ecosystems, looks at how we can study ecosystems to explore the effect that humans are having on the environment.
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level 2: intermediate icon
Health, Sports & Psychology
Exploring issues in women's health
This free course, Exploring issues in women's health, will introduce social model approaches to health and wellbeing, which take as their starting point not the scientific context of the body, but the social context in which women live. The focus is on women and the impact of social and cultural factors on women's health. The course touches...
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level 1: introductory icon
Nature & Environment
Environment: understanding atmospheric and ocean flows
What affects the atmospheric and ocean flows? This free course, Environment: understanding atmospheric and ocean flows, explores the mechanisms that are important; the most rapid carrier is the wind. The basic principle of global atmospheric circulation is simple: warm air rises and cold air sinks. How does this principle affect the ...
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level 1: introductory icon
Nature & Environment
Environment: treading lightly on the Earth
Environment: treading lightly on the Earth focuses on the problem of greenhouse gas emissions, especially carbon dioxide. This free course will give you an understanding of the nature and importance of carbon footprints of individuals and households. It will enable you to measure your own carbon footprint and explore what you could do to reduce ...
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level 2: intermediate icon
Society, Politics & Law
Nuclear power: friend or foe?
Are you for or against nuclear energy? The necessity to respond to climate change has put nuclear energy back on the political agenda as an alternative energy source. This is part of approaches to 'decarbonise' energy through a shift from coal to natural gas, nuclear energy and renewables. Yet, the recourse to nuclear energy is hotly debated. ...
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level 2: intermediate icon
Nature & Environment
Understanding water quality
Please note, this course was written in 2003/2004 therefore some of the information is now outdated.
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level 1: introductory icon
Nature & Environment
Sustainable Scotland
Sustainable Scotland is a free course that will appeal to anyone with an interest in a sustainable future in the context of contemporary Scottish society. It will give you a broad-based introduction to a number of different aspects of sustainability that impact on Scotland and the wider world.
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level 1: introductory icon
Science, Maths & Technology
Introducing engineering
Engineering encompasses a broad range of disciplines from design to manufacturing. This free course, Introducing engineering, introduces a number of key themes that explore how engineering is undertaken in our modern world. These themes include engineering design, rules that govern engineers, manufacturing for products and electricity ...
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Health, Sports & Psychology
Can yoga help us achieve sustainable development goals?
Shonil Bhagwat explains the yogic way of understanding how individual actions relate to global challenges.
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level 2: intermediate icon
Nature & Environment
An introduction to energy resources
Energy resources are essential for any society, be it one dependent on subsistence farming or an industrialised country. There are many different sources of energy, some well-known such as coal or petroleum, others less so, such as tides or the heat inside the Earth. Is nuclear power a salvation or a nightmare? This free course, An introduction ...
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level 3: advanced icon
Nature & Environment
Financial methods in environmental decisions
This free course, Financial methods in environmental decisions, begins by introducing some of the tools that can be used to assess the benefits of investment decisions, including ways of assessing the ‘external costs’ – the wider costs and benefits to society as a whole – of environmental decisions.
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level 2: intermediate icon
Nature & Environment
Environmental management and organisations
It is believed that environmental management requires action at all levels and by organisations of all types and sizes. However it is not always clear what we mean by environmental management and the role that organisations do and could play. This free course, explores the different interpretations and viewpoints involved by using system ...