The Open University

Handel brought to life – OU research inspires new album

17 November 2021

A new album of George Frideric Handel’s work is released this Friday 19th November, which draws inspiration from painstaking OU academic research. The album features a world-first recording of Handel’s Eight Great Harpsichord Suites, Chaconne in G major, overtures and operatic arias for the harpsichord, and will be premiered at the Foundling Museum, London, on […]

Ed Balls standing behind an elderly lady with a walker

Ed Balls lifts the lid on the care crisis in new BBC/OU co-production

8 November 2021

A new two-part programme, Inside the Care Crisis with Ed Balls airs on Monday 8 November on BBC Two at 9pm. Co-produced by the BBC and The Open University (OU), the series investigates the real-world impact of the care crisis, with presenter Ed Balls living and working from St Cecilia’s in Scarborough, a typical family-run […]

Looking at the winners and losers expected in the Autumn Budget

25 October 2021

The UK Government’s Spending Review on Wednesday October 27 will set out Parliament’s public spending on its priority areas over the next three years. It will also include an Autumn Budget. All happening as the UK continues to deal with the financial outcome of the pandemic and questions over the impact of Brexit. Dr Ayobami […]

Extensive approach to climate change education will prepare learners for the future

18 October 2021

Climate change study needs to be embedded in higher education at all levels to prepare learners for their roles in work and wider society, says a new paper co-authored by an OU Associate Lecturer. The bold, rapid action needed to tackle the climate and ecological crisis offers an unparalleled opportunity for higher education institutions, argues […]

Our sense of wellbeing has been in decline for years – here’s how to turn it around

18 October 2021

Written by Paul Anand, Professor of Economics at The Open University. People’s sense of wellbeing took a dive in the first year of the pandemic, according to new data published by the UK’s Office for National Statistics (ONS). As lockdowns took effect and people grew fearful about the future, their life satisfaction fell by an average of […]

Totem brings the messages of climate change on way to COP26

8 October 2021

A giant totem, bringing messages all the way from Mexico about climate change has been stopping off at sites en route, thanks to a collaboration with The Open University. The 4.5m high wooden structure drew onlookers’ attention in the forecourt at Milton Keynes Train Station, where it remained for four days. It made a further […]

Sarah Everard murder: the problem with the government’s plan to make women ‘feel’ safer

4 October 2021

Written by Lisa Lazard, Senior Lecturer in Psychology at The Open University, Tanya Beetham, Lecturer in Psychology, Teesside University, Emma Turley, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, CQUniversity Australia, Lois Catrin Donnelly, Associate Lecturer in Psychology, University of Worcester, and Lucy Thompson, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Michigan State University. The murder of Sarah Everard has damaged public […]

Joe Biden’s pledge of support reassures Syria’s embattled Kurds

4 October 2021

Written by Cengiz Gunes, Associate Lecturer, Faculty of Social Science at The Open University. The hasty and badly organised US withdrawal from Afghanistan in August prompted fears among Washington’s other allies about the durability of US friendship. Kurdish troops in northeastern Syria, facing multi-pronged opposition from Islamic State fighters as well as the Assad regime and the […]

Driver awareness campaigning gains researcher top impact award

21 September 2021

OU academic Dr Gemma Briggs has won a prestigious research impact award for her studies advising the national campaign to warn drivers of the dangers of hands-free phone use while on the road. The senior lecturer and head of Discipline in the School of the School of Psychology & Counselling has won an O²RB Excellence […]

Liz Truss: three areas where the new foreign secretary will have the most influence

17 September 2021

Written by Jamie Gaskarth, Professor of Foreign Policy and International Relations at The Open University. In naming her as the new foreign secretary, Boris Johnson has handed Liz Truss a bewildering array of global problems and relationships to manage. Foreign secretary is a difficult role, quite distinct from other posts in government. Many occupants are […]

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Category: Arts and social sciences