Postgraduate Modules

If you work in a context which makes considerable use of social or psychological research or are fascinated by social research then this module, taught entirely online, equips you with the knowledge, skills and confidence to appraise research and communicate your assessment to academic and non-academic audiences. Combining topics from criminology and psychology, it adds value to your career by providing professional development in research literacy, managing research and conceiving of new studies. Upon completion of this module you will have the professional research appraisal skills needed to support your continuing postgraduate studies in psychology, forensic psychology or crime and justice.

The module will introduce you to graduate-level philosophy, through the study of four varied and interesting areas: the beauty of nature; a classic text in Ancient Philosophy – Plato’s Meno; the nature of consciousness; and issues surrounding global justice. Your tutor will guide you through issues such as conducting independent research, and you will have ample opportunity to liaise with fellow-students online. There is also a comprehensive tutorial strategy that involves both tutors and module team authors. The module encourages independent thought and independent study using the huge range of online books and articles available via the OU Library. You can use this module to extend your studies in the subject, or to change to philosophy from another discipline.

This module is the second part of the MA in Creative Writing. You will build on skills that you have acquired in part 1, whilst at the same time being challenged to develop those skills further in your primary genre specialism. Throughout this module you will specialise in one of four writing genres: fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction or script. The module is organised into four teaching blocks and a further section of independent study where you will develop your ideas into a sustained piece of creative writing produced to a professional level.

Development managers are often called upon to undertake investigations that contribute to changes in practice and policy. The development management project, the final, compulsory element of the MSc in Development Management, provides an opportunity to learn, develop and practise the skills required for such an undertaking. The project is individually chosen, the choice determined by your own passions and priorities. The process is guided by learning from previous modules of the masters degree. And the product is a report that makes the case for change in the understanding of, and/or the practice and policy related to, a significant development management problem.

Development management engages with the multiple challenges of development. This module sets out to help you build your capacities for managing those challenges. It rests on the assumption that management is a political and ethical process, a matter of the use of power to bring about desired goals in contexts characterised by conflicts of interests, values and agendas. The module teaches a range of skills you need to manage development well, skills of strategic thinking, research, advocacy, planning, policy making and evaluation. You will find it relevant whatever sector you are in, and whether your work is local or global.

This online module explores development practice and the context in which it takes place. It asks you to think about development activities from multiple perspectives – to think ‘out of the box’ – about what development activity and theory are all about. It takes a multidisciplinary approach to development, highlighting the interconnectedness of different historical and theoretical perspectives as well as the contradictions between these and the reality on the ground. This module provides an ideal introduction to international development, facilitating the building of skills that will give you a good grasp of contemporary development theory and practice.

Conflict is found in all societies and takes a variety of forms. Any development intervention must deal with both the causes of conflict and its consequences. Additionally, some development interventions themselves generate conflict within societies. This online module addresses the multi-faceted nature of conflict: the complex causes, the diverse impacts conflicts have on development, and the range of actions that can help mitigate conflicts. By equipping development managers and others working on or in conflict situations with both analytical and practical tools, the module will help them to intervene in ways that are sensitive to these complex contexts.

This is the first of two modules which together lead to the award of the MA in History and immerse you in the craft of doing history. You'll have the opportunity to specialise in the study of Britain and Ireland during either the early modern or the modern period, and you can choose from a range of themes to explore in depth. These include the body, popular politics, interpersonal violence, immigration, the environment and institutions. Along with the digital skills you'll gain from studying, you'll develop the skills to an advanced level in locating and using primary and secondary sources and in the communication of research to various audiences.

This module requires you to produce a dissertation on a subject in Literary Studies of your own choice. The opening block guides you in drafting a detailed research proposal, and also introduces strategies for communicating your research to non-university audiences. The remainder of the module is dedicated to writing the dissertation. Working in close dialogue with your own personal tutor, you'll proceed from the initial proposal to submit drafts of the first two chapters before submitting the final dissertation.

Our MA in English Literature introduces you to studying literature ‘in the world’ across three broad themes: ‘Literature and the Popular’, ‘Literature and Revolution’ and ‘Literature and the Global’. You’ll also have a wide choice of optional texts: from early-modern manuscripts to detective fiction; and from classical tragedy to the global short story. You’ll encounter actual archives and databases and be introduced to digitised manuscripts and other original materials as you develop skills in research and analysis. You’ll also work like a professional researcher using specific approaches, following up clues, reviewing context, and making exciting discoveries about your topic.