OU Module One - AA100: The Arts Past and Present

First Year Optimism...

I started my OU journey in February 2016. The day my first box of study materials arrived was exciting and terrifying! After 13 years out of full-time education, I wondered if I had what it takes to get back into the hamster wheel of learning.

My original degree route was a BA (Hons) English Literature degree and so my first module was AA100 The Arts Past and Present. I received 4 textbooks and 4 DVDs and audio CDs, and two illustration books, plus I had to purchase the plays Doctor Faustus and The Burial at Thebes. In my pack I also received a book with the full list of assignment questions so you can read head to highlight which areas in the textbooks are most relevant (I'd recommend that you at least skim-read all of the chapters, even if they don't have assignments - you'll learn some really interesting stuff!).

In this module I had 7 Tutor Marked Assignments (TMA) and 1 End of Module Assignment (EMA). All assignments were submitted online, and my tutor was great - he called me up just before the module started and provided support throughout the whole module. TMAs were returned in about a week and feedback was always helpful.

If you're looking at signing up to this module, I'll give a summary of what my TMAs and EMA covered (baring in mind that the textbooks and study materials provide you with everything you'll need to answer the questions):

TMA 01: 2 Parts

Part A (500 words) - How does the 1963 film present the relationship between Cleopatra and Julius Caesar? How does it compare to earlier depictions of their relationship in the ancient sources you have met in the module?

Part B (500 words) - Read the following passage from Marlowe's Doctor Faustus. Discuss Marlowe's use of language in this passage and how it contributes to the characterisation of Faustus.

TMA 02: 3 Parts

This assignment is a chance to reflect on the first assignment and give you the opportunity to re-write the first TMA.

Part A (500 words) - You choose one of the two questions from TMA to re-write, using the tutor's feedback from TMA 01.

Part B (200 words) - Reflective commentary on what you learnt from TMA and how you used your tutor's feedback to re-write the assignment.

TMA 03: The Diva

To what extent is the reputation of the diva dependant of musical skill alone? Please support your answer with reference to at least two of the case studies provided in the module material.

TMA 04: English Christianity

By the end of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, how far had there been a break from tradition within English Christianity?

TMA 05: Benin

(1500 words) In what ways did cultural encounters between the people of Benin and European visitors change between the sixteenth and late nineteenth centuries.

TMA 06: The Burial at Thebes

(1500 words) What is the role of the Chorus and what does it contribute to The Burial at Thebes.

TMA 07: Critical Review

(750 words) Write a critical review of up to 750 words, examining the way in which you study and write your assignments.

EMA: Leisure

(You have a choice of assignment question this time) (2000 words)

How and why have particular places invited contest and endorsed polemics?

When I first looked at the assignment booklet I thought two things:

1) How on earth was I going to answer these questions? What the hell was I even being asked?!

2) Why was I being asked all of these things on an English Lit degree??

My recommended modules for this first year were generic Arts and Humanities modules, which I mean I studied a wide range of subjects - that I ended up very much enjoying!

I'll cover my second module, A105 in my next module... Any questions, just ask in the comments!

Laura xx