The Open University

Emma Roache stood outside Ely Cathedral in her graduation robes

Emma’s story: “Giving up was simply not an option”

20 September 2019

Emma Roache could have led a very different life to the one she leads now, thankfully she’s not one to let an unfortunate set of circumstances hold her back. After a difficult childhood, she found herself homeless at just sixteen and living in a residential B&B surrounded by crime and drugs. Under such bleak conditions, […]

‘It’s the reason I’m a novelist’ – award-winning children’s author talks about studying with the OU

4 September 2019

M. G. Leonard, award-winning author of bestselling children’s book series, Beetle Boy achieved a BA Degree in English Literature nearly 12 years ago. After not enjoying school and working various jobs in her 20s, the OU set Leonard on her path to becoming a writer. As we mark International Literacy Day on September 8th, Leonard […]

“Current mobile phone laws are outdated”

13 August 2019

Tougher restrictions on driving while using a mobile phone and stricter enforcement of the law could prevent deaths and serious injuries from related crashes on the roads, says new House of Commons report. In Road Safety: driving while using a mobile phone, the Transport Committee says the evidence is clear: using a mobile phone while […]

OU academic gives evidence to Parliament inquiry on coastal flooding and climate change

23 July 2019

Community engagement has a key role to play in policy and planning processes for coastal flooding and climate change, says an OU geographer giving evidence to a Government inquiry. Dr George Revill, Senior Lecturer in Geography from the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, has today given oral evidence to the coastal flooding and adaptation […]

How yoga conquered Britain: the feminist legacy of Yogini Sunita and Kalaish Puri

20 June 2019

Suzanne Newcombe, The Open University writing for The Conversation. From fairly obscure beginnings in the mid-20th century, the practice of yoga in Britain has become a massively popular pastime. It’s hard to find official figures for just how many people practise yoga regularly, but it’s thought that between 300,000 and 500,000 people regularly take part […]

Meat is masculine: how food advertising perpetuates harmful gender stereotypes

19 June 2019

Kate Stewart, Nottingham Trent University and Matthew Cole, The Open University The UK Advertising Standards Authority has introduced a new rule in its advertising code which bans adverts which feature gender stereotypes “that are likely to cause harm, or serious or widespread offence”. This is a welcome step towards challenging the everyday normality of patriarchy […]

A urinal in a Scottish pub reveals why toilets matter in international politics

6 June 2019

If you wanted to see international politics in action, where would you go? Maybe the UN headquarters in New York to see diplomats debating resolutions of global import? Or drop in on one of the world’s many financial hubs, where trading shapes international markets and determines the success or failure of nations. But you probably […]

In-car technology: are we being sold a false sense of security?

24 May 2019

From Alexa and Siri to intelligent speed assistance, there’s a lot of technology competing for our attention while driving,

How to write a novel – four fiction writers on Danielle Steel’s insane working day

15 May 2019

Sarah Corbett, Lancaster University; David Bishop, Edinburgh Napier University; Edward Hogan, The Open University, and Liam Murray Bell, University of Stirling writing for The Conversation. She might be the world’s most famous romance writer, nay the highest selling living author bar none, but there’s little room for flowers and chocolates in Danielle Steel’s writing regime. […]

Globalisation was rife in the 16th century – clues from Renaissance paintings

10 May 2019

Leah Clark, The Open University,writing for The Conversation. For many, the Renaissance was the revival or “rebirth” of Western classical antiquity, associated with great artists painting the Sistine Chapel and the invention of the printing press in Europe. These local, European phenomena seem rather parochial compared to today’s world, where a hashtag on Instagram connects […]

OU News

Category: Arts and social sciences