Resources

Open Thanatology produces a range for resources to support education and engagement with death, dying, bereavement, grief and loss. Below are some examples of what we have created. You can find more free online educational resources in our OpenLearn Open Thanatology Hub and you can access recordings of seminars and events, as well as reports in our Open Thanatology repository.

Free online courses and interactives

We produce a wide range of free online educational resources, most of which are hosted on our Open Thanatology Hub on OpenLearn. Here are a few examples:

An introduction to death, dying and grief – This 7 hour course will introduce you to different perspectives on death; ethical issues related to dying and end-of-life care; as well as expressions of grief.
Life or Death Decisions Interactive Would you be able to help your friends and family get the care they want if they were too unwell to make their own decisions?
Beyond Belief: talking to the dead This interactive delves into spiritual healing and your views on life after death
Could you work in end of life care? Try this interactive to find out.
Walk the walk: encountering death and dying spaces in hospital This interactive lets you explore how clinical environments can be improved.

OU-BBC co-productions

As part of the longstanding partnership between The OU and the BBC, we provide academic consultants on a range of programmes, including:

Better off Dead Liz Carr, the disability rights activist delves into the complex and often controversial realm of assisted dying
Stacey Dooley: Inside the Undertakers Go behind the scenes at a century old funeral directors
Dealing with Lonely Bereavement segment on BBC Morning Live
Should everyone have an end of life plan? BBC Ideas film
Will the NHS Care for me? Panorama and Tommy Jessop investigate healthcare quality for people with a learning disability.
Should human kidneys be bought and sold? BBC Ideas film
AIDS: The Unheard Tapes the story of the British AIDS crisis as it’s never been told before.
The Big C and Me follows the lives of people living with cancer
A Time to Live features stories from people who have found a way to celebrate life and make the most of the time they have left
How to Die: Simon’s Choice is the story of one man facing a heart wrenching decision of whether to end his life at a suicide clinic

Podcasts and audios

Open Thanatology Talks podcast series including episodes on good death and community care.
At a Loss on iTunes audio providing accounts from women and parents on stillbirth and neonatal death.

Animations and videos

We have a growing collection of videos and animations, see our Open Thanatology Hub for more.

Death around the world explore some of the different rituals around death
A gift of life at the end of life Sharing donor families’ lived experiences
Learning from palliative care Hear about palliative care and how it is part of end of life care
Narratives of Covid Hear authors share their experiences of loss
Life after Death explore what happens to us after death.