Careers: COURSES

Eliza Doolittle would have loved the Open University's new course Communication and Education, which includes one section on language and society, and people's attitudes towards their own speech and that of other social groups. If she had lived today the fair lady of Shaw's Pygmalion would also have found the course giving her a useful insight into the way that television and other media can influence both children and adults, through casual viewing and as part of formal learning. Communication and Education is the first OU degree level course to bring together the study of language, communications media and education, and is directed towards parents, teachers and anyone interested in how children acquire the skills of language and literacy. Particularly so as, in a media‐rich society, the influence of newspapers, television, video games and the like is a frequent source of comment and concern among parents, teachers and politicians.