Arts and humanities
Arts and humanities
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Why study arts and humanities?
Study something you are really interested in and it can advance or change your career.
OU Arts and humanities students work in a wide variety of industries and roles, drawing on skills which studying OU courses help them develop. They work in places such as:
- government
- civil service
- social services
- health care
- education
- community and voluntary organisations
- the police and armed forces
- advertising, marketing and public relations
- journalism and publishing
- information management
- law
- retail
- human resources
- private enterprise
- the arts sector
As well as gaining knowledge of specific subjects, studying arts and humanities develops an adaptable set of skills suitable for diverse job opportunities as well as personal development. Highly valued by employers in all areas, these transferrable and work-related skills and abilities include:
- understanding complex information and problem solving
- analysing data and presenting logical conclusions
- effective communication (oral and written)
- forming reasoned arguments and questioning assumptions
- thinking creatively and critically
- using ICT effectively and interpreting data
- effective team working
- reflective practice - helping you evaluate your own performance
Arts and humanities courses can help you to enhance your professional practice, encouraging you to make considered judgments, understand ethical dilemmas and interpret unfamiliar points of view. They will help you to understand religious diversity and beliefs and build an appreciation of how they impact on everyday situations. You will also develop a range of skills that will help you to evaluate and reflect on your own practice, identifying the causes of conflict and effectively managing misunderstanding. You will develop your communication and analysis skills and learn how to build a constructive argument and present evidence. You can also develop your understanding of ICT and online resources and will be introduced to a variety of different media taken from different musical genres and artistic styles.
What can I study?
Whatever your motivation, the Faculty of Arts will help you to get the most from your studies. There are many areas to explore your interests including English language, literature and creative writing, history, history of art, science, technology and medicine, music, philosophy and religious studies.
To find out more about any of the featured courses shown below, just click on the link which will take you to our main study at the OU website.
Openings
You could start with the Openings course Making sense of the arts, Y180 - explore poetry, history and art history.
Short, online courses
Our short online courses link directly to the workplace and can be studied at any time. You might like to consider:
Ethics at work: professional ethics in the 21st century (GA028)
Respecting religious diversity at work (GA063)
Level 1 courses
We have a range of other level 1 courses you may be interested in, including:
Heritage, whose heritage? (A180)
Start listening to music (A179)
The arts past and present (AA100)
Qualifications
You can even combine your areas of interest to gain a qualification as you study and progress including:
Certificate of Higher Education in Humanities (C98)
Diploma of Higher Education in Humanities (E64)
To view the full range of courses and awards the OU has to offer please visit the Arts and humanities pages of study at the OU.