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Introduction!

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I thought I should probably introduce myself... My name is Laura and I am a thirty something year old from a small town in Warwickshire, England. After years of promising myself that I would go back to university and getting a degree, I finally bit the bullet and enrolled through the Open University in February 2016. After 15 months of studying part-time, working full-time, and juggling family, social, and relationship commitments I finally finished my first year of study in June 2017! I have had my ups and downs but I am so proud of myself for getting further than my 18-year-old-self did and actually finished my first year. I still have about 5 weeks to wait until I find out if I passed my exam, but I'm hopeful. I love to read and write, I enjoy taking pictures and looking at beautiful artwork. I'm happy in my own company, and love spending time with family and friends. My partner and I have a family of fur-babies and we love to travel, exploring new cou...
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OU Module 2 - A105: Voices, Texts and Material Culture

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Objects have lives... who knew?! If my first module was scary, my second was pure terror! I signed up to A105 Voices, Texts and Material Culture and began in October 2016. This is similar to AA100, but more in depth - and with the added terror of an exam at the end of the module.  A105 came with 4 textbooks, but this time around I had to print out all of the assignment booklets and other materials (boo!). There were six TMAs and one exam this time around, so be sure to take plenty of notes and have your highlighters handy for each chapter! TMA 01: Egyptian Chess Piece Part A - Using no more than 250 words, write a description of the object depicted in the two photographs. Part B - Write a short 'biography' of this object, addressing how its function, status and meaning may have changed over time. You should use no more than 750 words. TMA 02: Reflection and Art History (I was on holiday during the group word for this assignment, so was given an alternat...
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OU Module One - AA100: The Arts Past and Present

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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...
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OU Survival Guide to: First Year TMAs

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Brain Mapping Your first, shiny new box of study materials arrives from the OU and you're full of excitement and perhaps a little bit of apprehension too. Your box will vary depending on your module, but my first one (for AA100) contained: Welcome letter (with box contents) Study companion 4 OU textbooks 4 OU DVD sets 2 OU illustration books Assignment booklet First of all, make sure you have everything in the box that the letter says you should have! If anything is missing, call the number provided and they will get the missing item(s) out to you. Have a quick read through the study companion and put a tab in the section where it tells you about referencing - you WILL refer back to this a LOT, I promise! Remember, you have around a month to prepare yourself for the start of your module. If you can, try to get ahead with the reading - you'll feel much better during those weeks where getting reading time in to your normal routine feels  impos...
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