If The Sound of Life has made you curious to take your interest to a new level, there are some Open University courses which might be of interest.

Short CourseS182 - Studying Mammals - Learn more about how mammals differ biologically from other animals, about the social habits of different mammals, their modes of feeding and reproduction, and to what extent their survival is threatened by human interference and exploitation. The mammals studied range from the familiar – such as cats, dogs and foxes – to the rare, exotic and spectacular – tigers, whales and polar bears. Particular attention is paid to the approaches that scientists use to find out more information about mammals, including how mammals have evolved over the 200 million years or so since the earliest types appeared on Earth.

Longer Courses
TA212 - The Technology of Music - This joint technology/arts course starts with an introduction to music theory and notation and the technological techniques needed in a study of music technology. The principles of sound and acoustics are studied and the course relates musical terms and fundamentals to their physical equivalents. You'll study the operation and characteristics of various musical instruments, how music can be represented and stored, the fundamentals of recording, manipulation and transmission of sound, MIDI, current developments and some associated legal/commercial issues.

T210 - Environmental Control and Public Health - This course explores many aspects of the environment, and its impact on public health. Block five focuses on the ability of noise and sound to destroy an environment just as effectively as physical pollutants.

T308 - Environmental Monitoring, Modelling and Control - Waste management and disposal, noise control, water supply, and air quality are the main themes of this course. You should have already studied Environmental Control and Public Health and you’ll need good knowledge of numeracy and chemistry. You must also be able to use home computing for modelling, simulation, analysis and financial appraisal of pollution control techniques and performance specifications. You’ll consider the management and disposal of domestic and hazardous wastes; noise prediction schemes and sound insulation; issues of demand and quality in water supply, as well as treatment processes and waste water treatment systems. You’ll also look at pollution dispersal, modelling and control processes, and vehicle emissions in air quality.

SD226 - Biological Psychology - This course presents an integrated, interdisciplinary approach to the brain, behavioural and psychological sciences. It concentrates on human examples, and so also considers the implications of our knowledge of behaviour and the nervous system for human health. It asks such questions as: What do biologists and psychologists understand by the concepts of brain and consciousness? How do we study the brain? What is its structure and composition? How does it develop? What is schizophrenia? Observation and experiment are emphasized, and you will carry out some investigations yourself.

S204 - Biology: Uniformity and Diversity - Introducing a variety of topics across the whole field of modern biology, Uniformity and Diversity emphasises that biology is a science firmly grounded in observation and experiment. It looks at the common features underlying the enormous diversity of life forms and applies these principles to plants, microbes and animals.

S324 - Animal Physiology - This course examines how ‘whole animals’ work; explaining how vertebrate body systems interact, how coordination is achieved and how the physiology of animals is related to their environment. Topics include how animals cope with extreme temperature and shortage of oxygen; gamete formation, conception, gestation, birth; the physiological basis of growth and the implications of body size for physiological processes and animal function; the structure and function of muscle, bone, joints and tendons; and their role in animal movement on land, in swimming and in flight.

SD329 - Signals and Perceptions: The Science of The Senses - Explore how we interact with our environment through our senses – sight, hearing, balance, smell, taste, and the somatic sensory system, which includes touch and pain. The course presents the latest advances in the science of the senses in a way that fits with many different types of scientific studies. It explores the ways in which exciting ideas and findings at the forefront of biochemistry, biophysics and molecular biology have transformed our understanding of how we experience the world through our senses.

Content last updated: 16/07/2004

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