FASS: New Curriculum Showcase

13:30

This session introduces two new modules; A112 Cultures and A113 Revolutions. Almost all Level 1 students aiming for a degree in an Arts and Humanities subject will need to take one or other of them. The question is, which one to choose? 

Richard Marsden

14:00

What substances come to mind when you think of drugs? Heroin? Cocaine? Cannabis? Did you think about sugar?  

Sugar is a perfectly legal simulant drug which releases dopamine in the brain and affects feelings of pleasure. It’s a common substance found in most homes and used widely in many products that we consume. But have you ever thought about the harms associated with the production and consumption of sugar? Or whether the law should play a role in regulating these? Or the fact that it’s a drug?    

This session introduces a new module, DD311 Crime, harm and the state. By looking at the example of sugar, you will begin to see how many activities you might take for granted in everyday life can actually involve a multitude of harms. The session also provides an overview of the assessments on this module, including an opportunity to undertake independent research.

14:20

This session will showcase the new 60-credit level 2 module D241 Exploring mental health and counselling in the School of Psychology. The module - the successor to D240 – locates the practices of counselling and psychotherapy within the broader field of mental health. The module critically examines how societal definitions and understandings of mental health issues have impacted the way that clients who seek counselling are understood and the forms of counselling and psychotherapy that they are offered. In doing so, D241 provides a comprehensive and engaging introduction to both the often controversial debates around mental health/illness and the main theories and practices in counselling.  

This session will aim to give a flavour of what studying D241 is like – the written content, the videos and podcasts and the huge range of activities designed to further understanding and foster interest in this fascinating area. 

14:40

DD226 Economics in practice is an exciting new applied economics module. Members of the module team explain how the module gives a real taste of how economics is used in workplaces across government, business and other organisations, like charities. The module will appeal to anyone who might go into a career where the techniques of economics are routinely used and also to anyone who simply wants a better understanding of how the practice of economics shapes and influences our lives. Events such as the Global Financial Crisis of 2008, climate change and now the Covid-19 pandemic show just how important it is to understand the application of economics and the way it informs and drives policy and business decisions. 

Jonquil Lowe

15:10

We are thrilled to announce the start of our first Art History degree! The OU has been teaching art history since it welcomed its first students, but this is the first time we are able to offer all the credits you need to build up your art history degree. Even better, the development of the new Level 1 arts and humanities modules has been perfectly timed to create a fresh new start to your art history journey. Meet three academics from the department who explain how the new degree builds up across Levels 1, 2 and 3, and why we are excited about the future.  

Angeliki Lymberopoulou

Susie West

Warren Carter

15:35

This is an introduction to A234 Understanding music, a module that introduces you in step-by-step fashion to those concepts in music notation and theory you need to be able to understand a wide range of music: from Western classical music by composers such as Mozart, Handel, or Beethoven to pop music by Carly Rae Jepsen, Robyn, and Duran Duran; from Hollywood film scores by John Williams to widely-known everyday songs and folk tunes. In the session we talk about the range of music the module covers, the way in which the module is studied (including its use of music notation software and equipment) and the way in which the EMA allows you to choose from a number of options, so you can play to your strengths and concentrate on understanding music that means most to you. 

15:55

This session aims to discuss what is in our exciting new BA (Hons) in Geography. This degree is very relevant to contemporary issues whether it is climate emergency, global pandemics, or migration and mobility of people across the world. How can geography help us to tackle these challenges? We will look at how this degree will equip you to think critically about the global challenges, engage with urgent issues, and make sense of the vast amount of information that is available for public consumption. We will look at how geographical concepts like place, space and scale are important when thinking critically about these issues. You will learn about our ideas of ‘blended fieldwork’ that can help you design, develop and carry out an independent research project as part of this degree. We are excited about what this degree has to offer and look forward to sharing that excitement with you! 

Gunjan Sondhi

Shonil Bhagwat

16:20

What is Development and what has it got to do with me? 

This session introduces our new module D890 Global development in practice, launching on the award winning FutureLearn platform. Global development is all about the big issues: poverty, inequality, conflict, climate change. We hear so much about these and other global challenges. It’s sometimes hard to avoid feeling like we’re in a time of crisis and it’s even harder to know what to do. This module tackles the big issues head on, unpacking key themes in global development and equipping students with the knowledge and skills they need to play an active role in bringing about change. In this session we’ll present a brief outline of the module and the exciting prospect of learning on the FutureLearn platform.  

16:45

Why thinking about global development matters more now than before? 

The session introduces you to our new postgraduate certificate DD870 Understanding global development which is a co module of our new MSc in Global Development. In this session, we explore and interrogate notions of global development and how these shape how we think about and respond to key development challenges such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).