OU Club- So what are you signed up for?

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Seems to be a few OU students here, so what are you all sudying? Are you new to it or been doing it for years?

I am on the verge of signing up for Introducing Environment (Y161) a short 10 pt course, I will have to double check the finances though.

I have also started doing one of the free units on Openlearn to get me into the swing of it and I was surprised how much I am enjoying getting the grey matter thinking again.

It sounds fantastic - I'm doing sociology, but would love to get some history under my belt as well. Would your course be doable for someone with no background in history?

Very much so Molesworth as I have no background in history either, I just really enjoy reading about it and wanted to do it in a more structured way. That's the great thing about the OU I think, the fact that you can pick and choose. I think the study skills that you need for Sociology would transfer well to this course. I kind of went in at the deep end, as I already have a degree, albeit a 20-year-old one, I skipped the level one course and went straight into this one which is level 2. So the result of this TMA will tell me if I have taken on too much or not!

Hello fellow students - just love being called a student again! I am in the middle of my second OU course - DD203 Power, Dissent, Equality: Understanding Contemporary Politics. I completed DD100 in October and finish this one in June. I then start DD201 Sociology and Society in October. I am working towards a degree in Social Sciences with politics and economics. I'd also like to do a bit of history but not sure if that's just a passing fancy.
I really enjoy studying but I am looking forward to a break over the summer months. I didn't do this last year and was tearing my hair out all summer. However, I'm also a little afraid of having so much time not studying...it does give my life that little bit of extra direction.
Does anyone else find themselves preaching to other people about taking up an OU course? I just can't help myself! Depressed? Do an OU course. Bored? Do an OU course. Frustrated at work? Do an OU course. Thinking about having another baby? I think you get the picture

Hi Lucy - yes, I do the OU Evangelizing too (bullied xh into signing up for a science foundation course recently )

I'm doing DD201 at the moment and it seems to be a love-it-or-hate-it-but-no-in-between sort of course (I'm in the love-it camp). If you enjoyed the Marx/Weber/Foucault bits of DD100 then you'll like it I reckon.

What do you think of the politics level 2?

Hmm, I did quite like the Marx/Weber bits but found Foucault rather irritating! There's a little bit of all these chaps in some parts of my current course and it's always nice to see something familiar and go 'oh yes, I know this, uh huh, easy peasy'.
DD201 sounds like a good course for me to do to cement what I have learnt before then - do you think this is right?

I am enjoying DD203 at the moment but sometimes I find it difficult to adjust to the different writers of the course texts and how they think information is best delivered and taken in. Some people suggest reading the last chapter first and then getting on with the rest, then reading it all again...arggh! However, it is not a very difficult course as such and just requires good concentration whilst reading!

The best thing about it is how you can refer everything that you are learning to current issues. For me it has opened up a whole new way of understanding political issues that are seen on a daily basis in the media and has made me much more politically aware. I now want to urge all my family and friends to participate in some form of politics and think about what really matters to them - rather than just spouting the latest thing they have read in the Daily Mail or similar.
Most people I know don't even vote and this course has made me realise how important it is to pay attention to situations and exercise the power that we have through voting. I am keeping quiet though as they will most likely think me to be a pompous arse!

203 sounds great (adds to ridiculously long wish list ...)

I think the difficult thing about DD201 is that the course team have attempted to cover such a lot (too much) in what is supposed to be an introductory course. It is structured as four blocks: the first deals with the sociology of everyday life, the second with social divisions, the third with social change and it finishes with methods and methodologies. The idea is that the focus starts on a micro level and zooms out to macro level theories of social life. There's an absolute shit-load of theory to get to grips with (unlike some other courses which use one theoretical perspective, D218 for instance is entirely based on social constructionism).

I get the impression that the people who aren't enjoying the course find it too "airy fairy". If you like the airy fairy abstract theorizing then you will enjoy it, but if you prefer something more concrete then perhaps social policy would be a better way to go than sociology. I've loved the course but I can see why others haven't, if that makes sense

Hmm, thanks Molesworth. Definitely food for thought there. I am firmly against airy-fairyness so maybe I had better duck out of DD201 - have reserved my place but not paid yet so that's OK.
Will have a look at the Social policy blurb. They never tell you enough really though do they.

D218 is on its final presentation this october so it's quite an old course, but I've heard positive reports about it, so it might be worth a look? The new level 2 social policy course (that will replace 218) is based on criminology apparently whereas 218 is more general.

Really struggling motivation-wise this week

Hi, I'm doing A211 Level 2(Philosophy & Psychology) spending the majority of my time wondering why..lol. 'Cause I haven't got enough going on

Hi there, is there anyone studing D218 if so how are you finding it? Just managing to make a start on TMA 4 due in the beginning of April having no joy with this at present. Need words of encouragement.

Hi all,

i'm doing DU301 having switched voer from udnerstanding cities in feb,

tough going so far!

This is my final year to get honours classification for my BSc.

Anyone doing poltics, economics or international relations?

Hi everyone,
Bit late coming to this, but never mind.
I did Understanding children and Studying mammals last year. GOt my result last week for studying mammals and got 83% so was very pleased.
This year I'm doing Discovering Science (S103) which is a 30 point at Level 1. Am enjoying it very much at the moment, and my 3rd TMA is due next week.

I am doing Understanding children and whilst it is going ok, I am not finding it as interesting as I though i would and so finding it hard to motivate myself to do the work.

Nutty muffins - I found the same, I felt like it was just telling me things I already knew from having my own children. I always thought that I would want to do something along the lines of working with children, but by doing that course I realised that I wanted to do something that was completly different to my every day like, iykwim?

Ahhh thats exactly it applepieandcustard. I picked it because I usually find anything to do with children interesting, ie tv programmes and stuff, but tbh I am finding this very boring and it's made me realise that it's not a direction i want to head in now, I don't think.

Am trying to do my first assignment but am really struggling to get into it at all.

hellooo OU students. anyone else doing the Y156 Understanding Children course this time round - (feels smug and slightly anxious about recently submitted eTMA)

Hello ILoveDolly - I'm not doing the same course as you but hello anyway

how are you finding it?

I am starting OU psychology degree in February. Baby due in October!

Right, I'm Bumping this thread. My course SK197 (?) Humnan Genetics offically starts today. It just an openings course but I couldn't wait unitl September when the Discovering Science course I want to do starts. I hope to get a degree in Life Sciences.

Let the studying commence!!

got 2 more tmas then i would of finishe year 1 towards psychology degree. will be starting exploring psychology in october cant wait!!

this year has been boring

I'm also now an official OU Student, doing A173 - Start writing Family History, a short 10 point course.

Im doing AZX103 - Introduction to humanities

Im signed up for A200 - Medievel to Modern

and A251 - World Archaeology

Hello OUers

I have my DD201 (Sociology) exam next Monday so am in revision lunacy mode.

i'm on A200 now and did a103 a couple of years ago!!

Anyone else finishing up DD100? I'm trying to finish the final TMA and - don't know why - I'm just banging my head against a brick wall. Not sure how anyone can help, but knowing I'm not the only one might calm me down a bit .