27 Short courses offered by the university

Advanced Creative Writing from The Open University UK develops your writing ability by widening your generic range and developing your knowledge of style. 

As part of our Beginners Italian series, this Beginners Italian 3 online course at The Open University UK continues your journey learning Italian and exploring Italian society and culture. You’ll focus on topics including making travel arrangements, giving directions, making a complaint, and talking about what you are doing now. 

Throughout this An Introduction to Intercultural Competence in the Workplace course from The Open University UK, you’ll look at your own experiences and case studies from employees and employers around the world to analyse the critical role language use, identity claims, and culture can play in interactions you may have with others in a range of professional settings. 

The AI Language Technology in the Workplace course from the The Open University UK explores the rapidly rising forms of Artificial Intelligence (AI) such as language technologies that use human language to carry out daily activities, communicate with people and control systems and devices. 

By taking the Introducing the Social Sciences programme offered by The Open University UK, you’ll explore a wide range of topics which shape the nature of contemporary UK society; from questions of identity, inequalities and differences to consumerism and environment, and issues of social order, disorder and governance. 

Do you want to know more about how people have expressed themselves through the ages and around the world? If so, this Discovering the Arts and Humanities module from The Open University UK is for you.

What makes a revolution? Why does the world suddenly change, and what are the consequences? In this module in Revolutions at The Open University  you'll examine four periods of swift and radical change: the Reformation, the French Revolution, the aftermath of World War I, and the 1960s.

Have you always loved the sound and musicality of the Italian language? Are you fascinated by Italian culture and lifestyle, its cuisine, historic cities, art and beautiful landscapes? Then the Beginners Italian 1 course at The Open University UK is perfect for you.

This Spanish Studies 3 - Language And Culture Of The Spanish-speaking World module at The Open University UK follows on from an OU Level 2 Spanish module. It further develops your knowledge and understanding of Spanish-speaking societies and extends your language competence.

The Key Questions in Philosophy programme offered by The Open University UK  investigates five different topics in philosophy: truth in fiction, the justice of war, reason and action, life and death, knowledge and reason. 

This Beginners Spanish 1 course at The Open University UK offers you an excellent start to your learning journey. Starting with simple greetings and saying your name, you’ll progress unit by unit towards being able to hold longer conversations and to understand more language in different situations. 

In this Greek and Roman myth - stories and histories module from The Open University UK you’ll develop an understanding of the key features of Greek and Roman myth by exploring art, literature and objects that take Greek and Roman myth as their subject matter. 

The Elementary Chinese 1 course from The Open University takes you further on your Chinese-learning journey. The course builds on previous basic knowledge of Chinese that you might have gained from our Beginners Chinese short courses. You will work with audio and interactive text-based materials and have access to a dedicated website, forum and learning advisers. 

In the Elementary German 1 sprechen und verstehen course from The Open University, you will learn to express your opinions and to master everyday situations of mounting complexity.

This Creative Writing module from The Open University UK takes a student-centred approach to creative writing, offering a range of strategies to help you develop as a writer. 

The Exploring the Classical World programme delivered by The Open University UK is for anyone interested in ancient Greece and Rome.  

With this Introducing English language studies from The Open University UK you’ll study a series of contemporary topics that investigate how people use language in everyday life, focusing on the role of English in a connected and diverse world.

Have you always wanted to learn how to speak Mandarin Chinese? Are you fascinated by the sound, the script and this ancient civilisation? If so, this Beginners Chinese 1 course from The Open University UK can give you a solid introduction to the language

In this English literature from Shakespeare to Austen module from The Open University UK you'll focus on two globally recognised writers in English: the playwright William Shakespeare and the novelist, Jane Austen. 

This Literature In Transition - From 1800 To The Present module at The Open University UK draws you into the main currents of literature from 1800 to the present day. You'll engage with some of the most stimulating literary works ever written, and track the seismic historical transitions and transformations relevant to them – with an eye on our present and the future.