The populism of Bolsonaro and Trump examines previous populist leaders through the decades, whilst migration is also a topic which has a very long history which is explored in Immigrants to Medieval England. There are a range of other courses on this complex topic, including Understanding Refugee Resettlement and Asylum and the Intercultural School, delivered in partnership with the Education Authority.

A new international online course with Hyderabad University will look at contrasting images of ageing in Indian and Irish literature, and there are a number of one-day courses in creative writing with local writers: Beat the Blank Page with David Tierney; How to Write for Profit and Pleasure with Alf McCreary and Starting to Write with Louise McIvor.

Fresh insights are offered on well-known characters and events including Tudor history through the angle of the women who ‘scandalised’ the Court, while beauty myths across time and space are examined, looking at how different cultures decide what makes for beauty and how this reflects a deeper set of beliefs and values.

Speaking about programme of courses on offer, Professor Tess Maginess, Director of Open Learning at Queen’s said: “This year there are many courses with a very local focus, including The History of the Belfast Central Line, The Social History of Belfast and its Residents, and courses on archaeology in Ulster, especially timely given the recent finds at Navan Fort in Armagh. And, taking a more cosmic perspective, we have also Our Place in the Universe, which will explore astronomy from ancient beliefs to today’s latest exoplanet discoveries, space missions and the Big Bang theory.

“All of our courses are thoughtfully designed to welcome everyone into a world of learning and intellectual exploration.”

The Open Learning Programme offers a comprehensive range of language courses, where participants can learn about other cultures, enjoy travel more, increase their brain power and memory.  The new programme has courses in French, German, Italian, Irish, and Spanish from beginners’ through to advanced, as well as beginners’ Japanese and more advanced classical Greek.

There are also lots of practical courses, for example in first aid as well as personal development and finance.

The courses, commencing at the end of September 2023 and January 2024, are open to the public with no prior qualifications required to join, and there are concession rates for people on benefits.

For more information and to enrol online, please visit www.qub.ac.uk/ol 

Media

Media enquiries to Zara McBrearty at Queen's University Communications Office on email: z.mcbrearty@qub.ac.uk