Open University Course Books for Sale - SOLD

I am selling my Open University Course Books. They're all in good condition, though I have made notes and underlined sections.  I'll sell them by course.  Get in touch if you would like to buy them and let me know what you would like to offer - classygenes@rocketmail.com
Thanks
Karen

PLEASE NOTE THESE HAVE NOW BEEN SOLD

AA100 The Arts Past and Present 

Book 1: Reputations

Book 2: Tradition and Dissent

Book 3: Cultural Encounters

Book 4: Place and Leisure

Course Companion

Illustration Book 1

Illustration Book 2

Assignment Booklet (Oct 2008)

Online Applications CD-Rom

Reputations DVD/CDs (5/6)

Tradition and Dissent DVD/CDs (4/4)

Cultural Encounters DVD/CDs (4/4)

Place and Leisure DVD/CDs (4/6)

A200 Exploring history: medieval to modern 1400-1900

Block 1: France, England and Burgundy in the fifteenth century

Block 2: The European Reformation

Block 3: The Wars of the Three Kingdoms

Block 4: Slavery and Freedom

Block 5: Creating Nations

Block 6: Nations and Imperialism

Course Guide

Media Book

Visual Sources Book

TMA Booklet (2009)

DVDs 1-3

CD Rom

CD Audio

Also set book: Exploring History 1400 – 1900 (Rachel C Gibbons)

A330 Myth in the Greek and Roman worlds

Introduction

Block 1:The myth of Hippolytus and Phaedra

Block 2:Myth in Rome: power, life and afterlife

Block 3:Ovid and the reception of myth

Block 4:Myth and reason

Textual Sources 1

Textual Sources 2

Visual Sources

Assessment Booklet 2010

A326 Empire: 1492-1975

Block 1: What are Empires?

Block 2: How do Empires begin?

Block 3: How do Empires work?

Block 4: How were Empires experienced?

Block 5: How do Empires end?

Block 6: Conclusions and Legacies

Empire DVD

Empire CD

Assessment Booklet

Course Guide

Website Guide

DVD Transcript

Visual Sources Book

Assessment Booklet (2011)

A219 Exploring the Classical World

Block 1: Homer and the Greek 'Dark Age'

Block 2: Classical Athens

Block 3: The Roman Republic

Block 4: Rome – City and People

Experiencing the Classical World

Block 5: Revision and Retrospection

Readings Book 1

Readings Book 2

Illustrations Book

Course Introduction

Audio- visual Notes 1

Audio – visual Notes 2

Assignment Book

Specimen Examination Paper

CDs 1 – 6

Lysistrata (2 Cds)

DVDs 1 – 4

AA309 - Culture, identity and power in the Roman empire

Block 1: Emperor and Empire

Block 2: Rome, Italy and the Empire

Block 3: Roman Greece and Asia Minor

Block 4: Roman Britain

Block 5: Roman North Africa

Block 6: So what was the Roman Empire?

Supplementary Texts

Offprints Book

Colour Plates

Illustrations Book

Specimen Exam Paper

Assignments (2010)

Chronology

Course Guide and Glossary

Plan of Ostia

Plan of Pompeii

Cds 1 – 6 and DVDs 1 - 2

Love For Sale at the Belfast Book Festival

Last week was a busy week...
Work, The All Ireland Performing Arts Conference, the kids, Castleton Lanterns, a wee genealogy project and co-producing The Break Musical at Pick N Mix. Somehow I managed to find time to go and see Love For Sale at the Grand Opera House (part of the Belfast Book Festival).  


Adapted from a short story 'Love for Sale $17.50' by Charles Bukowski, Black Egg presented this odd and slightly unnerving story of a man who falls in love with a mannequin.  I'm sure it was a difficult sell, but I like weird things, so off I went, dragging along the lovely Drew Dillon to accompany me.

James Doran tells the story of Robert, (Michael Liebmann) who has always had a thing for dolls. He limits his desires to his sexual fantasies until by chance he meets Stella, standing in the window of a junk shop... 
He offers the owner a price and he brings her home.  This relationship is obviously quite odd, and the audience is slightly unnerved as Robert stands he in the middle of his living room, talking to her and touching her as if she is not an inanimate object.  There is some nervous laughter in the audience and a few baffled looks.  With interruptions from his friend (Ciaran Nolan) and female lover (Jo Donnelly), he hides Stella away so they can't see.  He turns down drinks in the pub and does not want his girlfriend to stay over.  

“...there were advantages – he didn’t have to take her to dinner, to parties, to dull movies; all those mundane things that meant so much to the average woman. And there were arguments. There would always be arguments, even with a mannequin.”

He falls more in love, he dresses Stella up, talks to her, makes love to her. Eventually he realises that he shouldn't be ashamed of her and decides to tell his girlfriend, when all hell breaks loose.  The really lovely thing about the play is the direction by Fionnuala Kennedy and Paul Caddell, which subtly leads the audience's emotions in the opposite direction from where they started.  At the beginning of the play, we are disgusted by Robert's obsession, by the end we are rooting for him.  In the fight with his girlfriend, it's her that appears unhinged, not Robert, even though if this happened in real life, we would all react in the same way she does.  

We were all wondering if, in fact, we all wouldn't like a Stella in our lives? 

Karen


http://twitter.com/classygenes

Can't Forget About You at the Lyric Theatre Review

It was with some trepidation that I reserved my ticket for Can't Forget About You at the Lyric Theatre. With an 18 certificate, a statement advising of 'scenes of a sexual nature' and half naked photos of Declan Rodgers plastered all over Facebook, it was a show I had to carefully choose a companion to go with.

David Ireland developed this script in his year as Artist in Residence at the Lyric.  My top two shows since the Lyric reopened 2 years ago are 'Brendan at the Chelsea' and 'Molly Wobbly's Tit Factory', both of which opened on the Naughton Studio stage, so Can't Forget About You had a lot to live up to.

In the first few scenes my heart sank as the Troubles were referred to and the stereotypical Ulster mother appeared.  I'm not a lover of 'troubles plays', but I don't think we should rewrite history either.  A story which ignores our troubled society is as misguided as one which showcases it.  With this play however, David Ireland shines a light on just enough of our cultural differences to provide a believable backdrop to his modern day love story.

Declan Rodgers does a fine job of portraying Stevie, a young man of Protestant upbringing who has broken up with his Catholic girlfriend much to the delight of his religious mother (Carol Moore) and bigoted Ulster-Scots loving sister (Abigail McGibbon).  When Stevie finds a new female companion in Martha (Karen Dunbar), his sister is delighted as Martha's background, perceived religion and heritage seem a perfect fit.  That is until she finds out what age she is...

While his God-fearing mother believes in traditional ideas such as marriage before children and staying with your husband no matter what, Stevie is concerned with more relaxed ideas.  Religion is not important, after all he defines himself as Buddhist; you don't have to be in a relationship to have sex, never mind married; and being unemployed is as good a job as any. Stevie doesn't want the traditional way of doing things and his family don't want to consider more modern ideas about relationships and religious tolerance.  But of course his family eventually accept Stevie's choice and he finally realises that he wants the traditional way of living after all.  

This is what the play does best. Yes the script is really very funny, there is partial nudity and bad language and it's lovely to see an audience leave the theatre with huge grins on their faces, but to say that's all this play is about is to do it a disservice.  The tension between traditional and more modern ways of thinking is reflective of contemporary society in NI.   While one section of our community looks forward to a future of tolerance and a less judgemental society, another section looks back to our troubled past and wonders how we can ever move on.

The idea that tradition may in fact have something to offer is served up in a witty way by David Ireland, as is the idea that tradition is not everything. We are so busy fighting for what we think we believe in that maybe we need to realise that we all need a little of what the other side believes in after all.  With a strong cast of fine actors, a well put together script and an enthusiastic audience, Can't Forget About You finds it's place as the highlight of the Lyric's 'Tales of The City' programme of events.

Oh and Wonder Woman makes an appearance...if that's not a reason for booking a ticket, then what is?        

Can't Forget About You runs until 16th June at the Lyric Theatre, Belfast. Click here to book tickets.

Karen

http://twitter.com/classygenes

Inventors at the Balmoral Show

I am devastated that I can't make this event.  It looks fabulous.

Cutting-edge theatre company Kabosh, in partnership with Ulster Bank, presents ‘Inventors’, a hilarious series of performances celebrating the history of invention in Ulster.

Need to find a way of stopping amorous cows crashing over fields to get to your bull because 

he’s so blooming attractive? 

Wonder why we love our tea so thick you could stand a stick in it?

Are your cows all moo and no milk?

From Harry Ferguson’s three-point linkage system to Samuel Davidson’s tea-drying machine to Marconi’s radio telegraph – visit the Balmoral show and hear tales of history’s innovators and revolutionaries.

Join Kabosh as they transport you back to the music hall era of the early 1900s, where the city’s most awe-inspiring entrepreneurs are pitching their visions to change the world as we know it.

Written by Carlo Gébler, Vincent Higgins, Seth Linder & Jimmy McAleavey
Live original music created and performed by Ursula Burns
Directed by Paula McFetridge, Artistic Director of Kabosh

There are regular performances from 11.30am - 4.30pm on 15th 16th and 17th May 2013 in the pop-up barn at The Balmoral Show. The pop-up barn is located by the cattle marquee and cattle rings.

Click here to find out more.

Love, Billy at the Lyric Belfast Review

Love, Billy is part of the Lyric Theatre's Belfast season, Graham Reid bringing back Belfast’s most famous family for a fifth installment in the now legendary series of Billy plays.

"Love, Billy sees Billy Martin returning to Belfast after 25 years away. He left without warning or informing anyone and now all of the Martin family are awaiting Billy’s arrival to celebrate their father Norman’s 74th birthday. They haven’t seen Billy in all that time and still have no inkling of why he left. There are family grudges to be resolved and Billy’s story to be revealed, at the heart of which is a man struggling to adapt to a family and city he knew so well but hardly recognises any more."

There are some fine performances, especially from Joe McGann and George Shane who inhibit their characters with confidence.  It was great to hear mention of a relation of mine, Buck Alec and his toothless lion (also mentioned in Brassneck's latest production The Sweety Bottle).  I thought there were some really nice moments of wit, particularly from Ciarán Nolan as Ernie Greer, and from George Shane as Norman Martin, Billy's father.

But in the end, I have to be honest, I found this show difficult to enjoy.  While it did have some nice moments, overall the production is bland.  Some of the words seem unnatural in the characters' mouths, the script could be edited into an hour long show without losing anything and nothing of importance or interest happens.  While the set looked nice, it's angle made it very difficult to hear, as at times the actor's voices were not projected out into the auditorium (I was six rows from the front).  Cutting out the pointless set changes and paring down the repetitive script may have allowed the actors to build up a bit more energy.

At curtain call the actors were clearly expecting a standing ovation when the audience applauded politely instead.  It seems it was a night of disappointment for both them and me.

Love, Billy runs till 25th May at the Lyric Belfast.  Click here to book tickets. I'd love to know what your thoughts are.



Karen

http://twitter.com/classygenes




          

Iron Man Three - My Review

I don't rate Robert Downey Junior and I hate Tony Stark.  I've never liked Iron Man and I never understood why everyone likes him.

But it seems that (shock horror) I was wrong.  Iron Man Three is a great film, on a par with the Avengers. Tony Stark has lost a bit, but not all of his annoying pretentiousness. The humanity he shows in this film unbinds Tony Stark from not only his over-inflated ego, but also his suit for most of the film.  This is what makes the film better than the rest. It seems that Tony Stark is indeed a real person, one who can be vulnerable and loving, protective and 'normal'.  The panic attacks he suffers in this film make him endearing and his not being in a suit for most of the film allows RDJ to show off his acting ability.  

And, James Badge Dale as Eric Savin!  Wow, I love him.  I have followed James Badge Dale's career for a while and I think he's a great actor.  His intense stare makes for a great baddie. Guy Pearce is strong as Killian and I think that Gwyneth Paltrow's Pepper Potts had her best film yet.

Ben Kingsley as the Mandarin was great, until the twist, then he wasn't.

The suits are cool, the destruction of Stark's home is stunning and I loved how Stark's suit was killing people before he even got into it. Some pretty amazing special effects really set this film up with the better superhero films. Special mention for Paul Bettany as Jarvis. We love Jarvis.

I hope they don't make another one. Time for RDJ to hang up his suits and go out on a high.
    

Political Drama, What Drama?

Now you’re an expert on Danish coalition politics to add to your knowledge of how a filibuster works in the Senate - how come you don’t know how Stormont works, who works there and why? 

Political drama on these islands has been in short supply. We tend to concentrate on comedy, satire and just plain poking fun at politicians and the political process. Why have our devolved Parliament and Assemblies not inspired writers and producers to tell us about the drama on the Hill, in the Bay and at Holyrood? Is it because we don’t find our own politics interesting enough or are we too cynical even to watch politicians?

Join the discussion with panel members to include Simon Heath, executive producer of the BBC2 series Party Animals (2007) which looked at young, ambitious people close to political power and starred Andrea Riseborough and Matt Smith. He is currently working on Line of Duty 2, soon to start filming in Northern Ireland.

Lesley Riddoch, broadcaster and commentator, thinks Scotland has gone a bit bonkers over Borgen. Having spent her pre-teens in Belfast she is always happy to come back and she has just started a PhD comparing Norway and Scotland.

Matt Qvortrup lectures in Comparative Politics at Cranfield University and is an expert on referendums; beng from Copenhagen he might be able to tell us if the Danes have gone bonkers over Borgen too. Having worked as a journalist at the Danish Parliament and published an official history of Danish Prime Ministers he can offer an insider’s perspective.

Tim Loane is a screenwriter, playwright and director. He has written award-winning political satires for the stage and his screenwriting includes being creator and lead writer of Channel 4’s Teachers, the political thriller Proof for RTE and the Channel 5 re-boot of Minder.

Neil McKay is the writer of numerous dramas including the BAFTA-awarding winning Mo with Julie Walters and Appropriate Adult and See No Evil: The Moors Murders. He also recently adapted Kate Summerscale’s best-selling crime story The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher for ITV.

The discussion will be chaired by Quintin Oliver, Stratagem, Northern Ireland’s first dedicated public affairs company celebrating 15 years in the lobbying business.

This event will take place at the MAC and is part of the Belfast Film Festival.

Click here to book tickets.