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Category: Arts and social sciences

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500 ‘diagnostic’ assessments!? Time to reflect

Let me start with a story. Many years ago, I had a student who was struggling to get specialist support to meet his learning needs. He had dyslexia and was entitled to additional support paid for by government funding. Dyslexia was a topic skirted over in one of my degrees and so, as an Associate […]

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

Historian who challenged the view of Black British history is honoured

A pioneering Black historian whose research has transformed the nation’s understanding of our Black British history has been awarded an honorary degree from The Open University and confessed he is “unashamedly woke” . A delighted Michael Ohajuru made the comments as he accepted his Doctor of the University award, for all that he has accomplished, […]

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What are the EU’s new migration rules, and why did they take so long to pass?

Simon Usherwood,  Professor of Politics & International Studies in the School of Social Sciences & Global Studies at The Open University, writes for The Conversation about the EU’s new migration rules, and why they took so long to pass. The European Parliament has passed a landmark package of laws to overhaul its rules on borders […]

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The idea that US interest rates will stay higher for longer is probably wrong

The idea that US interest rates will stay higher for longer is probably wrong

Alan Shipman, Senior Lecturer in Economics at The Open University, writes for The Conversation about the idea that US interest rates will stay higher for longer is probably wrong. The 0.4% rise in US consumer prices in March didn’t look like headline news. It was the same as the February increase, and the year-on-year rise of […]

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How conspiracy theories around George III’s madness and Queen Charlotte’s scheming took hold of the 18th-century British press

How conspiracy theories around George III’s madness and Queen Charlotte’s scheming took hold of the 18th-century British press

Natalee Garrett is a lecturer in history at The Open University and here she examines how the rumours about the mental health of George III and the supposed scheming of Queen Charlotte began in the press at that time. During the Georgian period, the British royal family had a strange habit of concealing illness, even […]

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The buried secrets of Pompeii reveal new truths in OU/BBC programme

The buried secrets of Pompeii reveal new truths in OU/BBC programme

Two experts from The Open University help to demystify the latest findings of an archaeological excavation in volcano-hit Pompeii that features in this OU/BBC co-production. The three-part series, Pompeii: The New Dig, due to air at 9pm on Monday, 15 April, on BBC Two, reveals a grand banqueting hall featuring black walls and a white […]

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judges hammer

19th century court case with all the hallmarks in today’s Post Office scandal

In a week when Mr Bates gave evidence at the ongoing inquiry into the post office scandal, here Rosalind Crone, Professor of History at The Open University, points to a 129-year old case that contains similar hallmarks: a grave miscarriage of justice; massive press attention and storytelling that made all the difference. Google the name […]

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Han Suyin – the novelist whose 1950s best seller was overtaken by history

Han Suyin – the novelist whose 1950s best seller was overtaken by history

Mention ‘Love is a Many-Splendored Thing’ and you might be mistaken for talking about a song from a forgettable 1950s film, but a bestselling novel preceded them both. An Open University academic has taken a new look at the popular romance A Many-Splendoured Thing that became a worldwide hit for its author Han Suyin. Professor Alex […]

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Popular music academic celebrates major anniversary of Dolly Parton song

Popular music academic celebrates major anniversary of Dolly Parton song

It’s 50 years since the first recording was made of Dolly Parton’s major hit I will always love you – the hit later taken to chart-topping fame through Whitney Houston’s rendition in the film The Bodyguard. And Dr Marie Thompson, who wrote an Open University six-week short course based on the work of the country […]

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Open secrets of a rigged Russian election: academic expert opinion

Open secrets of a rigged Russian election: academic expert opinion

This Friday Russia goes to the polls in a general election predicted to reinstate Vladimir Putin as leader, again. Behind the scenes will be a tried-and-tested toolkit to ensure his victory, according to Open University academic Dr Precious Chatterje-Doody – Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Studies, who specialises in Russian information manipulation. Technically, the […]

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