This free course, Introducing Union Black, aims to build your confidence as a change agent for equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging.

What is Black British Jazz? This short film explores the research carried out by The Open University research team led by Dr Jason Toynbee who has been examining the history of Black British Jazz and the stories of the artists who have performed it. This video looks at the history of jazz and how the story dates back as far as 1919, documenting how successive waves of black musicians have contributed to developing new and uniquely British sounds, as well as addressing the problematic issues surrounding race and cultural identity.

Professor Monica Grady and Philippa Smith, from the Open University's space science team, give you the lowdown on what to look for if you want to take up stargazing. From big bang to black holes; from spotting stars to identifying galaxies this collection is a beginner's guide to astronomy introducing you to the key features at each level of size whether solar, stellar, or galactic.

What is a microbe and what have they ever done for us? From Black Death to Cholera, and Syphilis to Typhoid, microbes have been responsible for some of the world’s most devastating diseases. But they have also provided the human race with the technological advances of genetic engineering and nitrogen fixation, the vision of life on Mars, the life-saving properties of antibiotics and food preservation, along with the wonderful taste of beer. Using expert commentary, animation and stylised visuals, these videos provide an engaging introduction to microbiology, by examining the impact microbes have had on humans through a historical perspective, from Egyptian times to the present day.

Thanks to cutting edge technology, scientists can peer deeper into space than ever before. The audio tracks in this album feature Dr Robert Lambourne and Dr Stephen Serjeant of The Open University's Department of Physics and Astronomy. They introduce the origin of relativistic cosmology and share the latest ideas about the structure and evolution of the universe. Einstein’s general theory of relativity predicts the existence of black holes and gravitational waves, and the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation allows cosmologists to picture the universe as it looked over 13 billion years ago. The next generation of infrared telescopes and land-based arrays heralds a new era of precision cosmology, and might shed light on one of the greatest mysteries of modern science - the dark sector. Just what is dark matter and why do we think that dark energy must exist? This album is an introduction to The Open University course S383 The relativistic Universe.

In this free course, you will develop skills to empower yourself as a leader. Guided by the Five Ps model of leadership (person, process, position, product and purpose), you will learn about the challenges and possibilities of Black leadership. Developing skills in communication, critical analysis and teamwork will promote competence in a wide variety of contexts – from formal organisations to voluntary groups and social movements. This course's learning will be informed by cutting-edge theory in materials developed by experts in leadership, and it will incorporate a mix of contemporary and historical multimedia case studies.