New OU Course on gender identity

[Macareaux]

Run by Edward Lord's partner, Meg-John Barker.

It's only 2 hours and £25 and if I wasn't already knee deep in study I'd sign up to see what they are peddling In case it turns out to be a complete misrepresentation of current laws and full of circular definitions.

oupsychology.wordpress.com/2018/09/04/new-course-on-gender-identity/amp/?__twitter_impression=true

Tempting, isn't it? I used to be an OU tutor and then there was a pride in academic rigour. I wonder if it is still the same.

What are the OU playing at? Haven't they read the papers?

Will they being using course material from the BACP manual?

I thought gender identity was unique to everyone? What could possibly be in a course about gender identity? I’m guessing there must be some sort of geography involved.

I thought it would take more than 2 hours just to list the eleventy billion genders

We should crowd fund and draw straws.

How pissed off would they be if we got full marks on the test?

We should crowd fund and draw straws.

Short straw gets to go?

I think we'd better delegate this to a northerner as MJB can't complain if she's strong and angry. Or at least a transnortherner.

Short straw gets to go?

It is the traditional way

If we all take it, does that mean we'd get a qualification in gender identity schlubbins? Surely that would be a real feather in the cap for these discussions?

"Yus, as a person of the female persuasion, I understand gender identity to be an artificial construct based on faulty definitions and to be thoroughly rejected by all free thinking individuals. I have a Pretty hardcore Diploma (PhD) in this, yer know"

Are there any "right" or "wrong" answers in this course or does it boil down to "whatever each person feels is what is right and true"? And, either way, does it matter if everyone who does the course identifies as having achieved full marks?

Meg John identifies as non-binary if that gives any clues to the possible content...
And is one of the authors of my next OU module (forensic psychology).

Blimey I'm a transnorthener please don't make me go

That's interesting. Most of the Future Learn courses are free. It looks like some have started to charge. It seems odd to me that one would be charging given that it is so short and doesn't lead to any academic credentials. Are they charging to limit who will access it or to give it an air of being more 'official' and academic than it is...

I identify as having paid the fee already to do the course, where do I sign in?

What do you mean there's no money gone into the bank - don't be so phobic, I feel like someone who's paid, that makes me one!

Someone does need to do it and post all the training materials so we can see what ‘facts’ the OU is teaching.

Seeing as BCAP are having to revise the guidance Meg-John wrote, her other work does need to be scrutinised now, and held to account if these teaching materials are just as barking.

One question - do I have to wear a flat cap?

The urge to want to do this is overshadowed by the nauseating gratification he would get from people taking his course, I would hate for the OU to take it as a sign of popularity and assign him more courses. I really think they've lost the plot, what happen OU? Is this a cry for help?

I quite often take FutureLearn courses. They're free and you only pay if you want a certificate or to extend access after the course close date.

This might be their new payment model for the new academic year I suppose?

bitheby - I tried to sign up for the course by signing into my usual FL login and it definitely wanted payment upfront. If you look at the course listings many still state 'join course for free'

Do they refer students directly to a gender therapist if they fail to demonstrate sufficient adherence to stereotypes?

If genderists could stop trying to brainwash the general public and indulge their kink for 1950s style gender roles in private that would be lovely.

Maybe it's to identify the GC'ers 🤔

The urge to want to do this is overshadowed by the nauseating gratification he would get from people taking his course, I would hate for the OU to take it as a sign of popularity and assign him more courses. I really think they've lost the plot, what happen OU? Is this a cry for help?

I think you've accidentally misgendered - I believe the course leader is a non binary 'they/them'.

Hopefully you've seen the thread on the Alice Thomson piece in The Times today which is about the definitions of 'woman' and 'man' dreamed up by this woman person who presumably thinks their sexist junk only applies to other boring people not 'themselves'

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/gender-obsessives-are-old-fashioned-sexists-5xrnhknhn?shareToken=809e8c299ad1f6d40e72791671739518

I fall under 'angry northerner' ("it's fucking coooooooold!" - I'm still laughing at peachy yoghurt's you tube video) and could do with a laugh.

You know this GI is a trans 'education' charity, right?