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Category: Arts and social sciences

Television wasn’t the death knell for cinema – and that holds lessons for the creative industries and AI

Television wasn’t the death knell for cinema – and that holds lessons for the creative industries and AI

As television grew rapidly in popularity in the second half of the 20th century, many people assumed it would cause a knock-on crisis for the film industry. After all, it meant that viewers no longer had to leave their sofas to enjoy onscreen entertainment, says Mark Fryers, Lecturer in Film and Media. But the reality […]

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Retired sub-postmistress notches up her third degree

Retired sub-postmistress notches up her third degree

At the age of 79 former sub-post mistress Pat Wetherell has proved that age is no bar to higher education since she recently donned graduation robes to collect her hard-earned MA in History from The Open University (OU). It’s the second OU degree the mother-of-two from Eston, Middlesbrough, has notched up, and her third degree […]

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A young woman is pictured smiling with her husband and four children.

“I wanted to show my kids that there isn’t just one path to education,” says mum of four

Ellie, 34 from Somerset, studied her BA (Honours) Arts and Humanities degree at The Open University (OU) alongside her busy life as a mum of four. What started as a route to a new career became a lifeline when her family were hit with challenging times. She not only gained a qualification but also a […]

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A young blonde woman, wearing a mortar board and holding a certificate, in front of a sea-view with mountains in the distance.

‘The OU allowed me to fit my studies in a schedule that worked for me,’ says busy working mum

Rebecca, 37, from the Isle of Ulva in Scotland, always had an interest in higher education but didn’t want to leave the beloved island she calls home. It wasn’t until she was 27 and a busy working mum of two children that she discovered The Open University (OU). Through her BA (Honours) Politics, Philosophy and […]

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Westminster and the River Thames

Spring statement: defence spending boosted as further disability benefit cuts announced

Not even six months on from Labour’s first budget, and the world is a much-changed place. Geopolitical tensions and uncertainties, already high last year, have risen further, and with them the cost of the UK’s debt, while economic growth has stalled. As such, Chancellor Rachel Reeves has confronted an array of unpalatable choices – notably […]

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tower block, social housing

Why the social pain of welfare reform overshadows any economic gain

The UK government is calling it the “biggest shakeup to the welfare system in a generation” – prompted by what the Prime Minister described as the “devastating” cost of sickness and disability benefits.  Alan Shipman, Senior Lecturer in Economics, writing in The Conversation, says planned reforms to cut those costs are designed to save £5 […]

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Pot of coins. Photo: Josh Appel, Unsplash

Five things you need to know about: releasing trapped pension surpluses

In a bid to fuel-inject the economy and provide opportunity for growth, the UK Government is intending to announce plans to make it easier to tap into the surplus funds lying in corporate pension schemes. Following an earlier heads-up about this intention, we can expect the Chancellor Rachel Reeves to reveal more in the coming […]

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Five vampire books to read if you enjoyed the film Nosferatu

Five vampire books to read if you enjoyed the film Nosferatu

Oscar-nominated film Nosferatu has rekindled the love of all things spooky in this new version of the 1922 classic that manages to mix elements of Frankenstein and The Exorcist (1973), deftly demonstrating that vampire films can go in new directions. So too can these five contemporary vampire novels, which play with conventions as well as […]

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person studying. image: Unseen Studio, Unsplash.

Reducing reoffending rates: Open University awarded UK government contract to provide education in secure environments across England and Wales

OU has been awarded a contract to continue delivering transformative HE education Education is a key aspect of rehabilitation to help end cycle of reoffending Evidence highlights the correlation between education and reducing reoffending The Open University (OU) will continue to deliver life-changing education to those serving in prisons, after successfully securing a new contract […]

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red theatre chairs

Athol Fugard: the great South African playwright who captured what it means to be human

I was shocked to learn that the famous South African writer Athol Fugard had passed away. I had known his age to be 92 but somehow I never expected him to die. He was always a survivor, says Dennis Walder, Emeritus Professor of Literature at The Open University. When I think about Fugard, the first […]

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