"There were markets we'd gone into too early, too soon"

"This year, we won't have the problem of the World Cup but we can still have the summer sale"

Kath Woodward argues that sport is not only about performance, competition, winning and losing; it is also deeply embedded in social relations

Why do Muslim women wear the hijab? How do they reconcile different approaches to veiling between generations, across different geographical regions and in different cultural and social environments? How do they negotiate diverse social and cultural influences, pressures and expectations, legal constraints, practical challenges and fashion trends? In this collection we explore the extraordinary range of different styles of Muslim dress and the emotions people can invest in them. Track 1 looks at different attitudes towards veiling in the Southern Indian city of Calicut (also known as Kozhikode), and in tracks 2, 3 and 4, Stefanie Sinclair, Open University Lecturer in Religious Studies, talks to the anthropologist Emma Tarlo, of Goldsmiths, University of London, about different attitudes among British Muslims towards veiling, fashion and the commercialisation of the hijab. This material forms part of the Open University course A332 Why is religion controversial?

Exploring the classical world introduces texts by Homer, Horace, Juvenal and others, placing them in their social and political context and assessing their value as historical sources. Readings in the original Latin or Greek and in translation illustrate the metric structures used and the challenges of effectively recreating these works in modern English. The material is drawn from The Open University course A219 Exploring the classical world

HR, Marketing, Finance, Operations and Project Management are all key functions of an organisation. These short audio perspectives give an insight into the roles in these areas and how they interact with the rest of the organisation, with examples of common problems, challenges and difficulties that are faced. This material forms part of The Open University course B716 MBA stage 1: Management: Perspectives and Practice.

What does it mean to be poor, or an immigrant? What form should Aid take? This album begins to explore the complex issues of international development in a globalised world, starting with a look at schemes which attempt to alleviate poverty. Small business owners are empowered by micro-financing in Glasgow, while in Argentina a disastrous economic collapse has led to people taking matters into their own hands by creating an alternative social exchange currency. Migrant communities, such as Greek Cypriots and Ethiopians in London, and Sierra Leonians in Liverpool, have a chance to reveal the issues they’ve faced; while we also hear from experts who are working to expand the contribution that African migrants abroad can make to Africa’s development. Finally, a Chinese “beer pioneer” and China trade experts discuss issues surrounding China’s membership of the World Trade Organisation.In the bonus material Dr Helen Yanacopulos, Senior Lecturer in International Politics and Development at The Open University, provides insight into the educational value of the audio-visual material and explains the course structure.

This material is taken from The Open University Course U213 International Development: Challenges for a World in Transition.

Do you take your access to water for granted? The Peruvian and Tanzanian communities featured in this album certainly don’t. This album examines how development agencies can empower communities to help themselves by introducing simple technologies, and facilitate the sharing of ideas through education. In the Andean mountains, scarce supplies of water and agricultural challenges give rise to conflict; but the changes engineered by development agencies can start to show a way out of poverty. Meanwhile, Tanzanian rural schoolchildren are instrumental in bringing about positive long-term change within their communities. However, development in practice is very complex and sometimes controversial. The audio tracks delve into the dilemma of how to deal with the different values systems of impoverished communities and the development agencies. They also show how development is linked to issues of identity, urbanisation, politics, economics, social relations and gender.In the bonus material Dr Helen Yanacopulos, Senior Lecturer in International Politics and Development at The Open University, provides insight into the educational value of the audio-visual material and explains the course structure.
This material is taken from The Open University Course U213 International development: challenges for a world in transition.