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Category: Arts and social sciences

Spooky Halloween picture

Five spooky stories that will have you dropping your paperback in horror

If you’re looking for something to send a shiver down your spine this spooky season check out the five book choices of The Open University’s Jennie Owen, Lecturer in Creative Writing. These tales include ghosts, ghouls, monsters and horror, and are guaranteed to have you checking under your bed as the nights draw in. 1. […]

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“OU study opens so many doors – just go for it,” says proud graduate Destanhy

“OU study opens so many doors – just go for it,” says proud graduate Destanhy

When Destanhy, 23, fell pregnant during sixth form, her university plans were turned upside down. Determined to forge ahead with higher education, Destanhy embarked on her first Social Sciences module with The Open University (OU) when her baby was only a few weeks old. Destanhy shares how OU study sparked a love for psychology and […]

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pound coins

Economists have urged Rachel Reeves to loosen the purse strings – here’s why it’s not that easy

Alan Shipman, Senior Lecturer in Economics at The Open University points out that Chancellor Rachel Reeves may struggle to change her stance on spending – as argued by economist. Here’s why: A group of economists has publicly urged chancellor Rachel Reeves to reverse her stance on public investment, and relax the Treasury rules that constrain […]

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Grenfell was not a state ‘failure’ – it was institutional violence

Grenfell was not a state ‘failure’ – it was institutional violence

Following the findings of the Grenfell Tower fire inquiry Victoria Cooper, Senior Lecturer in Social Policy and Criminology at The Open University and David Whyte, Professor of Climate Justice from Queen Mary University of London, examine how ‘institutional violence’ played a part. People are not used to thinking of decisions made in boardrooms or by […]

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Five disinformation tactics Russia is using to try to influence the US election

Five disinformation tactics Russia is using to try to influence the US election

Russia is using more disinformation tactics to influence the US election, says Open University academic Dr Precious Chatterje-Doody, a Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Studies. Here she lists the five methods she has researched that show this. The White House’s recent exposure of Russian attempts to influence this year’s US presidential election will come […]

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Madwoman by Chelsea Bieker: a tumultuous examination of the impact of domestic abuse on motherhood

Madwoman by Chelsea Bieker: a tumultuous examination of the impact of domestic abuse on motherhood

Sally O’Reilly is an Honorary Associate in Creating Writing at The Open University and here she gives her review of a new book just out by US writer Chelsea Bieker on Madwoman – about the long-term effect of domestic abuse on motherhood. Clove is a young woman with a seemingly good life. She has an […]

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The UK’s suspension of some arms exports to Israel was highly political – here’s how to understand it

The UK’s suspension of some arms exports to Israel was highly political – here’s how to understand it

Jamie Gaskarth, Professor of Foreign Policy and International Relations at The Open University explains the politics behind the UK’s suspension of the arms export licence. The UK government has announced it is suspending 30 arms export licences to Israel for military equipment used in operations in Gaza. The rationale for this decision was “the clear […]

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Kyle looking aside from the camera, smiling with floral wallpaper behind him.

‘My confidence is the best it’s ever been, thanks to the OU’

Hampered by low confidence, Kyle, 36, rejected the place he was offered at a campus university, despite his lifelong dream of achieving a degree. Now studying Arts and Humanities at The Open University (OU), Kyle shares how a promise to his late nan gave him the strength to fulfil his potential and unleash an insatiable […]

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A young women with long blonde hair and a flower crown, smiles at the camera.

‘Every person I have met online has been so friendly, helpful and inspiring’

At 19 years old, Izzy wanted to achieve a degree but knew ‘going away’ to university wasn’t right for her. She shares how studying flexibly from home with The Open University (OU) fit her lifestyle and career goals. Izzy, now 21, said, “I was lost on what to do, knowing I didn’t want to attend […]

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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

The Open University’s Professor of Environment and Development Shonil Bhagwat and Emmanuel Junior Zuza, Senior Lecturer, from the Royal Agricultural University, reveal their research on how the health and wealth of the world’s economy could change for the better with a more varied diet. More than 75% of the food consumed in the world today […]

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