The Open University

Five vital things you can’t do properly when you’re on your phone

12 October 2017

In a recent RAC survey, 26% of UK 1,700 motorists reported using a handheld mobile phone while driving, despite it being illegal. In response, road safety charity Brake, argued that society’s phone “addiction” can have very serious consequences. A quick online search throws up many articles suggesting that people are “glued” to their smartphones and […]

Explainer: what you need to know about Catalonia

9 October 2017

Expert in Spanish Politics, Dr Georgina Blakeley, who is Director of Teaching (Politics) at The Open University, explains the background to Catalonia’s calls for independence, which in recent weeks have rarely been out of the headlines, as a referendum and rallies showed the turmoil of a divided nation. About Catalonia Catalonia is a region in the […]

Seven fails by drivers on hands-free mobiles

9 October 2017

Using hand-held mobile phones in cars is illegal for drivers, and many people have turned to using hands-free mobiles as a safe option – but there’s mounting evidence this is just as dangerous, with drivers using their phones four times more likely to crash. Psychology expert Dr Gemma Briggs has been studying the distraction of […]

India in Britain – celebrating a shared heritage

26 September 2017

A major touring exhibition based on research from the OU and the University of Exeter to celebrate the long history of the Indian presence in Britain and its impact on British life has been shortlisted for an Eastern Eye Arts, Culture and Theatre Award 2018. “At the Heart of the Nation” exhibition is one of […]

Top 9 tips for saving for your pension

15 September 2017

Pensions are always the hot topic among learners on the OU’s hugely popular free OpenLearn and FutureLearn courses, Managing My Money and Managing My Investments. They are also core in our seminal undergraduate course, DB123 You and Your Money, that aims to raise students’ own financial capability. Research by senior lecturer in economics and personal […]

Brutality of British immigration detention system laid bare

5 September 2017

An exposé of an immigration removal centre has uncovered shocking levels of violence and abuse directed at detainees awaiting potential deportation from the UK. While some staff at the Brook House centre for men near Gatwick Airport, run by the company G4S, tried to control the “chaos”, others were clearly seen mocking and assaulting detainees. […]

Milton Keynes is bidding to be 2023 Capital of Culture – it should be taken seriously

1 September 2017

The British city of Milton Keynes is probably not the most obvious contender for the title of 2023 European Capital of Culture. It hasn’t exactly got a reputation for being a cultural hot spot: jokes about the blandness of Milton Keynes are entrenched in the popular imagination. In his travel notes, popular writer Bill Bryson’s […]

How vanishing debt costs helped the UK forget about a never-ending deficit

1 September 2017

When the UK government found £1 billion for Northern Ireland to secure Democratic Unionist parliamentary support, critics accused it of turning to the same “magic money tree” it had previously mocked others for believing in. But it may just be that the tree is flourishing in plain sight. UK national debt is currently issued at […]

Lesbian, gay and bisexual teenagers at much greater risk of depression

30 August 2017

Adolescence can be tough for young people, but it can be especially hard for teenagers who aren’t straight. Our latest study reveals that lesbian, gay and bisexual young people (LGB or “sexual minority youth”) have about three times the risk of being depressed compared with their heterosexual peers. Our results are based on a meta-analysis […]

An ‘epiphany’ for philosophy academic at the OU

23 August 2017

An academic from the OU has been awarded funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council to explore the impact of “epiphanies” on individuals and societies. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Professor of Philosophy, Sophie Grace Chappell, has been awarded a Leverhulme Trust Major Research Fellowship (MRF) of £142,000 to research epiphanies and author […]

OU News

Category: Arts and social sciences