Open Learning

Mi'kmaq: First Nation people

Can heritage continue to inform the way we live today? Is it possible to balance traditional ideas with a modern life? The Mi'kmaq people have had roots in Conne River Newfoundland in Canada for generations, but it was only officially designated as a reserve in 1987. Many of its indigenous inhabitants still feel a connection with the past and in recent times there has been a revival of interest in Mi'kmaq culture. These films give insight into Mi'kmaq life and examine the renewal of traditional customs by interviewing key members of the community who discuss the benefits and difficulties in attempting to hold on to their ancestry.

This material forms part of the Open University course A332 Why is religion controversial?

Category: Religious Studies

Organisations and management accounting

Please note: this course will be closing on 11 May 2022. After this date, you will no longer be able to study the course but if you've already gained your cerficate this will continue to display in your learner profile.

This free course, Organisations and management accounting, examines the nature of organisations, specifically their objectives and structure. Organisational objectives and structure determine management functions and responsibilities within the organisation.

Category: Money & Business

Ecosystems: the carbon cycle

What is photosynthesis, and why does Sir David Attenborough describe it as 'the very basis of life?'. This album explains how the balance of sunlight, water and nutrients are fundamental to the process and how this balance acts to regulate individual ecosystems. But photosynthesis is only part of the carbon cycle. How is carbon returned to the atmosphere, how do carbon containing gases influence the Earth's climate, and what role do peat bogs play in tackling global warming? This material forms part of The Open University course S396 Ecosystems.

Category: Science, Maths & Technology

Our sense of balance

We all know that our ears play a major role in our sense of balance - but how?

Category: Biology

Fiscal Responsibility and Monetary Policy

Why do economies go into recession, and what should policymakers do? How do governments use money to influence the economy?
Over the past century governments have used a variety of strategies to avoid economic instability, and the current economic crisis has been handled very differently from the Great Depression, the last comparable global downturn. Getting the balance right - between government spending and taxation, low inflation and low unemployment, low interest rates for borrowers and rewards for savers - is difficult in practice, and the subject of ongoing debate in economic theory.

Category: Economics

Privacy Laws and the Media

With privacy and libel cases on the increase, and the recent surge in ‘no win no fee’ law suits, is it now too easy to sue for defamation? And are our privacy laws now so restrictive that we risk extinguishing debate? Gary Slapper, Professor of Law at The Open University, and Frances Gibb, Legal Editor of The Times, discuss the need to balance individual privacy with free speech, and the ability of those in the media to express an opinion without the threat of legal action.

Category: Law

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Courses tagged with "balance"