The Open University

Kyle looking aside from the camera, smiling with floral wallpaper behind him.

‘My confidence is the best it’s ever been, thanks to the OU’

29 August 2024

Hampered by low confidence, Kyle, 36, rejected the place he was offered at a campus university, despite his lifelong dream of achieving a degree. Now studying Arts and Humanities at The Open University (OU), Kyle shares how a promise to his late nan gave him the strength to fulfil his potential and unleash an insatiable […]

A million digital ‘tourists’ descend on ancient Pompeii

10 June 2024

A digital team at The Open University are celebrating after learning their interactive online tour of Pompeii before Mount Vesuvius erupted has notched up more than a million online clicks. Designers within the OU’s Broadcast and Partnerships team were delighted when they learned of the interactive figures, just a month after the airing of the […]

The buried secrets of Pompeii reveal new truths in OU/BBC programme

11 April 2024

Two experts from The Open University help to demystify the latest findings of an archaeological excavation in volcano-hit Pompeii that features in this OU/BBC co-production. The three-part series, Pompeii: The New Dig, due to air at 9pm on Monday, 15 April, on BBC Two, reveals a grand banqueting hall featuring black walls and a white […]

Artemis is a new body suit for period pain – here’s why it’s named after a Greek goddess

9 February 2023

Helen King, Professor Emerita of Classical Studies at The Open University, shares her knowledge of the Greek goddess Artemis whose name has been adopted by the makers of the latest garment used to ease period pain. A new body suit to control period pain is in the pipeline – and it’s called Artemis. Named after […]

Remarkable ancient find of an extinct language goes on public display

26 January 2023

A 2,500-year-old stone slab found in Italy and inscribed in the ancient, extinct Etruscan language is now on show to the public for the first time. But you’ll have to venture to the Fondazione Luigi Rovati museum in Milan to see The Vicchio Stele, as it is called, which was discovered in 2015 by a […]

Ancient spells and charms for the hapless in love

14 February 2020

PhD Student at The Open University, Adam Parker writes for The Conversation about ancient love spells and charms. Valentine’s Days is not all love hearts and roses for everyone. For the hapless in love, the day can be a yearly reminder of failed romances, unrequited love and the seemingly unending search for the illusive “one”. Such […]

From the Iliad to Circe: culture’s enduring fascination with the myths of Troy

21 November 2019

Dr Jan Haywood, Staff Tutor and Lecturer in Classical Studies at The Open University writes for The Conversation about the legend of Troy. The story of the epic war fought over a woman has been told many times. It now lies at the heart of an exhibition at the British Museum opening on November 21. […]

Goop: a classicist’s take on the ‘power’ of ancient remedies

31 October 2018

Lifestyle company Goop – founded and run by actor and businessperson Gwyneth Paltrow – was fined US$145,000 (£112,000) for making unscientific claims about products on its website: specifically, that its jade and rose quartz eggs, intended to be inserted vaginally, could help to balance hormones and regulate menstrual cycles. In a recent interview with the […]

The speculum finally gets redesigned – by women

12 December 2017

The vaginal speculum – that creepy looking metal device used to examine the vagina and cervix – has remained largely unchanged since the 19th century. But a team of female designers in San Francisco is looking to give the unfriendly implement a new design. In an interview with Wired, the designers described the hazards of […]

Who cares about Batman v Superman? Wonder Woman finally steals the show

30 March 2016

Batman v Superman: The Dawn of Justice has received a frosty critical reception, to say the least. Despite this, I found myself coming away from the cinema filled with hope. Certainly not for either of the titular characters – who have never been less inspiring. Instead, the future finally seems bright for superwomen. Although Wonder […]

OU News

Category: Classics