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Category: Arts and social sciences

Academic’s joy at reaching the finals in the BBC National Short Story Award

Academic’s joy at reaching the finals in the BBC National Short Story Award

Open University academic Dr Edward Hogan is riding high after learning he is one of five finalists in the BBC National Short Story Award. The Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at the OU was overjoyed when he learned that his story, ‘Little Green Man’ was shortlisted. His warm, humorous, yet tender tale is about Carrie, […]

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Jack smiling at the camera dressed in graduation gown with indoor garden to the left.

‘You’re not just improving your career prospects, you’re learning about yourself at the same time’

Working towards a degree was something Jack, 28, always assumed was in his future. After leaving school, Jack set off for a campus university but with no financial support to lean on, soon found it unsustainable. When a housemate told him about The Open University’s flexible courses, Jack couldn’t wait to dive in. Now a […]

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Does a partner need to know our sexual fantasies?

Does a partner need to know our sexual fantasies?

The actor of the X-Files series, Gillian Anderson, has just released a book about sexual fantasies. The book titled Want summarizes the various sexual fantasies of women from all over the world. Anderson is not the first author to explore the topic, says Samuel Jones, Lecturer in Applied Cognitive Psychology, The Open University. In 1973, American author Nancy […]

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Rethinking our national and international issues

Rethinking our national and international issues

The fourth series of the BBC/Open University radio show Rethink has begun which discusses issues from politics to technology, economics and beyond and poses how we might approach them differently in the future. This latest series, airs at 4pm on Thursdays, beginning 4 September, on Radio 4 and runs for five episodes, and is available […]

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Who was Jane Austen’s best heroine? These experts think they know

Who was Jane Austen’s best heroine? These experts think they know

To mark the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth, we’re pitting her much-loved heroines against each other in a battle of wit, charm and sass. Seven leading Austen experts have made their case for her ultimate heroine, but the winner is down to you. Cast your vote in the poll at the end of the article, and […]

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JAke standing in front of an Open University banner, smiling, wearing graduation cap and gown.

‘My OU qualification landed me my most recent role’

Even before Jake, 26 from Gosport, had completed his degree in BSc (Honours) Psychology, he was already making an impact in the probation service and progressing his career. Studying with The Open University (OU) meant he could gain a qualification while earning an income and valuable experience. Jake shares how online study has helped him […]

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What’s the secret to fixing the UK’s public finances? Here’s what our panel of experts would do

What’s the secret to fixing the UK’s public finances? Here’s what our panel of experts would do

Unexpected growth in the UK economy isn’t enough to detract from the gaping hole in the country’s public finances. Speculation is ramping up about what steps the chancellor of the exchequer, Rachel Reeves, might take to plug the gap come the budget in autumn – and there are no shortage of ideas. The trouble is, […]

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Family farmers say their way of life is an impossible dream when ‘the bread of life is worth less than rusty metal’

Family farmers say their way of life is an impossible dream when ‘the bread of life is worth less than rusty metal’

The Pearces have been farming the Fens of eastern England for generations – a region where more than a third of the country’s vegetables are grown, packed and processed. Andy and Rebecca Pearce lease a small family farm in south Lincolnshire with Andy’s parents and brother, on which they grow potatoes, wheat, pulses and sugar beet. […]

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‘Then the city started to burn, the fires were chasing me’ – 80 years on, Hiroshima survivors describe how the atomic blast echoed down generations

‘Then the city started to burn, the fires were chasing me’ – 80 years on, Hiroshima survivors describe how the atomic blast echoed down generations

I’m not sure if it was the effect of the atomic bomb, but I have always had a weak body, and when I was born, the doctor said I wouldn’t last more than three days. These are the words of Kazumi Kuwahara, a third-generation hibakusha – a survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki […]

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Male pensioner holding his hands together

Speculation of state-pension retirement at 74? OU expert gives us the truth

With recent reports suggesting that the state-pension age could be raised to 74 for future generations we asked Jonquil Lowe, Senior Lecturer in Personal Finance at The Open University, to tell us how this news came about and where the truth lies. “Alarmist headline-grabbing” is the verdict from Jonquil as she says the press zoned […]

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