OU material available for areas in philosophy taught at AS and A2 level

We are grateful to the Higher Education Academy Subject Centre for Philosophical and Religious Studies for funding this project.

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Exploring Open Educational Resources in the Teaching of Ethics and Philosophy

There is OU material in most of the areas taught at AS and A2 level. There is an OpenLearn site, which provides access to the material, advice, and some examples of how the material has been adapted by teachers for use.

Podcasts and iTunes U

• Podcasts
• OU iTunes U (Arts & Humanities)

In the list below, material in plain text is in the right general area, while material in bold is more specifically matched to the syllabus. The ‘levels’ refer to the level at which the material was originally made: the number after each level corresponds to first, second or third year undergraduate. Where the titles are the same on ‘Podcasts’ and ‘iTunesU’, it is the same material.

The AS syllabus

Reason and Experience:

none

Why Should I Be Governed?

Podcasts: Reading Political Philosophy (Level 3) [link]
iTunesU: Reading Political Philosophy (Level 3) [link]

Why Should I Be Moral?

Podcasts: Ethics Bites (General listening) [link], Philosophy and the Human Situation (Level 2) [link]
iTunesU: Ethics Bites (General listening) [link], Ethics in Real Life (Level 1) [link], Philosophy and the Human Situation (Level 2) [link].

The Idea of God

Podcasts: Philosophy and the Human Situation: The Argument from Design (Level 2) [link].
iTunesU: Philosophy and the Human Situation: The Argument from Design (Level 2) [link].

Persons

Units: The Nature of Persons (MA level) [link]

Knowledge of the External World

None

Tolerance

Units: Introducing Philosophy (Level 2) [link]
Podcasts: Ethics Bites: Free Speech (General listening) [link], Philosophy and the Human Situation: Liberty and Offence (Level 2) [link].
iTunesU: Ethics Bites: Free Speech (General listening) [link], Philosophy and the Human Situation: Liberty and Offence (Level 2) [link]

The Value of Art

None

The A2 syllabus

Philosophy of Mind

Units: Introducing Consciousness (Level 3) [link]

Podcasts: Philosophy and the Human Situation: Artificial Intelligence, Functionalism about the Mind (Level 2) [link]. Thought and Experience: The Hard Problem of Consciousness (Level 3) [link].
iTunesU: Philosophy and the Human Situation: Artificial Intelligence, Functionalism about the Mind (Level 2) [link]. Thought and Experience: The Hard Problem of Consciousness (Level 3) [link].

Political Philosophy

Units: Introducing Philosophy (Level 2) [link]
Podcasts: Reading Political Philosophy: Machiavelli to Mill (Level 3) [link].
iTunes U: Reading Political Philosophy: Machiavelli to Mill (Level 3) [link].

Epistemology and Metaphysics

None

Moral Philosophy

Podcasts: Ethics Bites: Human Use of Animals (General) [link]. Philosophy and the Human Situation: Pro and Anti-Regan Debate; Ethics, Animals and the Environment; Wonder; Who is the Earth? (Level 2) [link].
iTunes U: Ethics Bites: Human Use of Animals (General) [link]. Philosophy and the Human Situation: Pro and Anti-Regan Debate; Ethics, Animals and the Environment; Wonder; Who is the Earth? (Level 2) [link]. Ethics in Real Life (Level 1) [link].

Philosophy of Religion

Podcasts: Philosophy and the Human Situation: Faith and Reason (Level 2) [link].
iTunes U: Philosophy and the Human Situation: Faith and Reason (Level 2) [link].