Discover courses that start conversation

In this blog post discover courses to help you ditch the boring small talk and find interesting new subjects.

Ask “have you seen the moonwalking bear?” with Forensic Psychology

Most of us like to think our powers of memory are fairly good, but in reality giving an accurate witness statement is very difficult. There are a whole host of factors that affect recalling a situation perfectly, including what psychologists refer to as ‘inattentional blindness’ – the inability to attend to something fairly significant that happens right in front of you. For instance, not seeing the moonwalking bear in this video.

Discover more about the power of observation, and find out how psychology can help obtain evidence from eyewitnesses in police investigations and prevent miscarriages of justice. Join the course Forensic Psychology by The Open University.

Shout “¡Bailemos la rumba!” with Spanish Across the Americas: Beginners

Did you know that Spanish is spoken by 575 million people around the world, as a mother tongue or foreign language? And that more than 80% of all Spanish speakers live across the Americas? You know the Americas – the two continents made up of rich cultures and heritages. Put simply – isn’t it time you learnt some Spanish?  

Go on a journey across the Americas and learn the basics of the Spanish language as you discover Latin American culture. Join Spanish Across the Americas by Universidad Nacional de Córdoba.

Whisper “the eagle has left the nest” with World of Spies: Keeping Secrets

Disclaimer: you will probably learn far better coded messages than “the eagle has left the nest” on the World of Spies course. In fact you will test your logic abilities as you explore encryption and code-making and breaking, and find out whether you’re cut out to be a spy.

Get a taste of spy training, and learn how you can keep your secrets safe with a course designed especially for 13-18 year olds. Join World of Spies: Keeping Secrets by Purdue University.

Explain how there’s “Lots of stratus and cumulonimbus today, even some katabatic drainage!” with Learn About Weather

Talking about the weather is almost a national sport in the UK. But what if you could actually explain why the weather is so hot? Or why that cloud looks a bit like a hippo? What if you could tell your nimbus from your stratus? Or explain why only some places get freezing rain? You could take weather small talk to the next level.

Explore all things weather – from storms to climate – with a course that looks at the basic processes behind the weather. Join Learn About Weather by the University of Exeter, Met Office and Royal Meteorological Society.

Order “gravlaks all round” with Introduction to Norwegian

Norwegian has three extra letters than the English alphabet. It also has plenty of interesting sounds to master (including plenty of rolled ‘rrrs’), making it a challenging but rewarding language to get your tongue around. Luckily we’ve got the experts from the University of Oslo to help you. As they say in Norway you’re… “Å være midt i smørøyet”, literally translated “To be in the middle of the butters eye”, not-literally translated “right in the best spot”.

Learn to speak, write and understand basic Norwegian. Join Introduction to Norwegian by the University of Oslo.

Tell people “I’m lobbying my MP” with Introduction to UK Parliament

Parliament can often seem far removed from daily life, and shrouded in mystery (and wood-panelling), but it’s here that changes to UK life are forged. Did you know that “lobbying” is regularly done by groups and individuals to get politicians interested in a certain issue or support a certain campaign?

Demystify the work of Parliament and find out how it’s evolving (and maybe even become a lobbyist yourself). Join the course Introduction to the UK Parliament by the Houses of Parliament.

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