Courses: October 2024
Nothing from FutureLearn - I did start one course but abandoned it after a few days as, although I would have been very interested in the subject, the presentation did absolutely nothing for me.
OpenLearn
Approaching Language, Literature and Childhood A new course, looking at children's books and how they have changed, and improved, from the rather a large number of years since my childhood. No longer are the protagonists white and from relatively well-to-do families, but now the stories are about a much more widely varied group of children and therefore far more relatable to their readers, which has to be a good thing.
Studying Mammals: A Winning Design
Studying Mammals: The Insect Hunters
I'm beginning my Autumn/Winter of mammals. The series is based on the BBC David Attenborough series The Life of Mammals, made around 2002 and which I can watch on iPlayer and the book of the same name, which I bought cheap on eBay, which means there's plenty of excellent photography to look at. A Winning Design covers much the same ground as the previous mammal course I took, but served as a good revision point, and the insect hunters means I now know more about shrews, moles, anteaters and bats.
Describing Language A badged course which looks at the basic building blocks of the English language. A lot of it I already knew, some of it was new, and much of it was intuitive because it's the language I speak. There were also occasional references to other languages for comparison which was interesting.
Banning the Bomb: a global history of activism against nuclear weapons Another new course. It looks back at the history of the protests, not only in Britain, but also worldwide as well as current efforts. There is encouragement to get involved, but, while I agree with the cause, I have commitments elsewhere and there's only so much I can do.
OpenLearn
Approaching Language, Literature and Childhood A new course, looking at children's books and how they have changed, and improved, from the rather a large number of years since my childhood. No longer are the protagonists white and from relatively well-to-do families, but now the stories are about a much more widely varied group of children and therefore far more relatable to their readers, which has to be a good thing.
Studying Mammals: A Winning Design
Studying Mammals: The Insect Hunters
I'm beginning my Autumn/Winter of mammals. The series is based on the BBC David Attenborough series The Life of Mammals, made around 2002 and which I can watch on iPlayer and the book of the same name, which I bought cheap on eBay, which means there's plenty of excellent photography to look at. A Winning Design covers much the same ground as the previous mammal course I took, but served as a good revision point, and the insect hunters means I now know more about shrews, moles, anteaters and bats.
Describing Language A badged course which looks at the basic building blocks of the English language. A lot of it I already knew, some of it was new, and much of it was intuitive because it's the language I speak. There were also occasional references to other languages for comparison which was interesting.
Banning the Bomb: a global history of activism against nuclear weapons Another new course. It looks back at the history of the protests, not only in Britain, but also worldwide as well as current efforts. There is encouragement to get involved, but, while I agree with the cause, I have commitments elsewhere and there's only so much I can do.