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The term mammal encompasses a huge variety of animals, including humans. But what makes a mammal a mammal? This unit explores some of the features, such as reproduction, lactation and thermoregulation methods, that mammals ha...

The fascinating phenomenon of superconductivity and its potential applications have attracted the attention of scientists, engineers and businessmen. Intense research has taken place to discover new superconductors, to unders...

This unit looks at how telescopes and spectrographs are designed to improve our ability to observe the universe. You will examine how different technologies have been developed over the last four hundred years to enable us to...

Ever wondered why rats, mice and squirrels seem to reproduce at such an alarming rate? Rodents are among the most successful of all the mammal groups. In this unit you will learn more about some of the evolutionary features t...

The Musée du Louvre houses 35,000 works of art, including the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo, but how were they brought together as a collection? This unit examines the importance of art through history and the impact of per...

Access to healthcare is important to all of us. Did the arrival of state medicine in the twentieth century mean that everyone had access to good medical services? If you fell sick in 1930 where could you get treatment – from...

From the mouse-deer to the elephant, plant eaters come in all shapes and sizes. But how do they manage to flourish on a salad diet? In this unit we will examine the special features that allow them to extract their nutrients...

Fossils are a glimpse into the distant past and fascinate young and old alike. This unit will introduce you to the explosion of evolution that took place during the Palaeozoic era. You will look at the many different types of...

Pictures speak louder than words. But how can you use diagrams to help you? This unit looks at how diagrams can be used to represent information and ideas about complex situations. You will learn how to read, draw and present...

This unit examines the philosophical questions surrounding the mind. You will examine how beliefs have changed over the centuries and be able to contrast the views of Descartes with more modern ideas. This study unit is just...

Whether you're a professional musician, play music with your friends on the weekends or just like to listen to CDs, music technology affects your life. In this unit, you will learn some of the basics of music technology, star...

This unit explores how engaging in voluntary work can enhance your employment opportunities This study unit is just one of many that can be found on LearningSpace, part of OpenLearn, a collection of open educational resources...

Climate change is a key issue on today’s social and political agenda. This unit explores the basic science that underpins climate change and global warming. This study unit is just one of many that can be found on LearningSpa...

Here you will explore how different families have different ideas about how work in the home should be divided. You will also investigate the diversity of families. We will see how any discussion of the division of labour has...

What is imagination and can philosophy define it in any meaningful way? This unit will introduce you to some of the possible answers to these questions and will examine why philosophy has sometimes found it difficult to appro...

The field of active galaxies is recognised as one of increasing importance. But how do we know there are different kinds of galaxy? What are active galaxies? How are they powered? This unit examines the different types of act...

What is consciousness? How does the brain generate consciousness and how can a science of the mind describe and explain it adequately? This unit will introduce you to the slippery phenomenon that is consciousness, as well as...

Do you find fundraising difficult? Are others around you making your role as a fundraiser more difficult than it need be? This unit will help you to understand your role by analysing a variety of issues about the fundraising...

Human communication is vastly more complex than that of any other species we know about. It is so complex that linguists are only just beginning to identify the processes in the brain that are related to understanding languag...

Gantt charts, critical path analysis, SMART objectives and estimation skills are just some of the topics covered in this unit to help you understand how to plan for a project. You will gain an appreciation of the range of pla...

This unit is based upon a case study scenario – it simulates the experience of moving around an organisation, talking to people, and looking at organisational documents. Many managers find that they are required to manage pro...

Businesses are increasingly making explicit their committment to dealing with ethical concerns. This unit explores the business case for an ethical approach to human resources management and examines whether a more 'human-cen...

Debt has now become a part of everyday life, with personal debt in the UK topping £1.1 trillion in 2005. In this unit, you will explore the different types of debt and loans and some of the associated concepts, arming yoursel...

James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879) is arguably the father of electromagnetism, and unarguably one of the greatest physicists ever. Einstein called Maxwell's equations 'the most important event in physics since Newton's time, not...

The words ‘refugee’ and ‘asylum seeker’ have a wide variety of connotations in Britain, many of them negative. This unit explores how changing social policy and terminology help to shape, and are shaped by, the experiences of...