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Category: Arts and social sciences

Michael wearing graduation gown and blue glasses, looking at the camera with a background of plant leaves.

‘The OU gives you the tools to embrace who you are, and how you connect with the world’

When celebrated historian and Arts and Humanities graduate Michael, 72, received an invitation from The Open University (OU) to become an honorary graduate, he was so stunned he thought it was a prank! Now a proud Doctor of the University he regards as one of the “greatest British institutions”, Michael describes what the OU means […]

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Young woman with shoulder-length hair, dressed in graduation robes

‘An OU degree is proof you can achieve if you’re brave enough to invest the time and care into yourself’

Alex, 28, from Lincolnshire, has just graduated with a BSc (Honours) in Psychology with Counselling from The Open University (OU). Having struggled at school, she never thought she would continue studying. But now, with her degree, Alex has an exciting future ahead with plans of progressing in the care industry and starting her own business. […]

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The UK government wants to shake up pensions – but it can’t guarantee that ‘megafunds’ will want to invest in Britain

The UK government wants to shake up pensions – but it can’t guarantee that ‘megafunds’ will want to invest in Britain

The UK chancellor Rachel Reeves talks a lot about achieving better growth. And the latest figure – economic expansion in the last quarter of just 0.1% – suggests plenty of room for improvement, says Jonquil Lowe, Senior Lecturer in Personal Finance at The Open University. The evening before that gloomy figure was announced, Reeves revealed […]

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Academic’s quest to help people with facial-recognition blindness

Academic’s quest to help people with facial-recognition blindness

A professor of psychology from The Open University is embarking on a quest to raise awareness of a little-known human condition that affects between 2-3 per cent of the population – facial-recognition blindness. Many people unknowingly live with the condition, also known as prosopagnosia, and shrug off the fact they can’t recognise their partner or […]

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Five books to help if you are dealing with death and bereavement

Five books to help if you are dealing with death and bereavement

CONTENT WARNING: This article contains references to death, bereavement and loss Dr Bethan Michael-Fox is a Staff Tutor in English Literature at The Open University and co-host of The Death Studies Podcast. She researches cultural representations of death, dying and loss. In advance of National Grief Awareness Week [2-8 December] Bethan gives her book recommendations […]

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Filling the shoes of the Archbishop of Canterbury – how his replacement will be found

Filling the shoes of the Archbishop of Canterbury – how his replacement will be found

Following the Archbishop of Canterbury’s resignation John Wolffe, Professor of Religious History at The Open University, sheds some light on the process of choosing Justin Welby’s replacement – the  106th since Saint Augustine was first appointed by the Pope in 597CE. When was the last surprise resignation of this office? Until the 20th century Archbishops […]

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How the gender pay gap evolves into a gender pension gap

How the gender pay gap evolves into a gender pension gap

Dr Rajiv Prabhakar is a Senior Lecturer in Personal Finance at The Open University and here he talks about not just the gender pay gap but the gender pensions gap too. Following his research on the subject, undertaken in the House of Commons Library, he noticed how the two were directly related. European Equal Pay […]

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Maria smiling and facing the camera with the ocean in the background.

‘OU study is the best decision you’ll ever make,’ says proud graduate Maria

When English Literature and Creative Writing graduate Maria, 32, realised that attending a brick university wasn’t the right fit, she thought her dreams of becoming a writer were behind her. Spurred on by her mum, Maria discovered supported distance learning at The Open University and never looked back. Now celebrating the degree she always yearned […]

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A more varied diet would help the world’s economy as well as its health

A more varied diet would help the world’s economy as well as its health

More than 75% of the food consumed in the world today comes from just 12 plant and five animal species, says Professor of Environment and Development at The Open University Shonil Bhagwat, and Emmanuel Junior Zuza from the Royal Agricultural University. The over-dependence on this small selection, which includes rice, maize and wheat, damages the […]

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Photo of a young woman in a flamboyant costume, preparing to dance on stage.

‘OU courses are so flexible – I studied from the middle of the ocean!’

When Charlotte, 28, from Aberdeen was looking to embark on a degree to unlock future career options, she searched for a solution that would fit around her work as a professional dancer. Now a proud BSc (Hons) Open Degree graduate with The Open University (OU), Charlotte has already taken the next step with her studies […]

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