What to do in August
Subject: Multidisciplinary
With this academic year almost over, here's a selection of topics you might be interested in as you kick back and relax.
The Library's e-books, online journals and platforms are accessible wherever you are, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, so you can take a look at them on your mobile or laptop, whether you're sitting on the sofa at home or waiting for a flight.
Ready to #LearnEnglish? Let's go! We've got a selection of resources lined up to help you with your English. This toolkit has exercises, mock exams, lessons, content on theory, resources produced by the UOC Centre for Modern Languages and other materials, such as a karaoke and radio programmes to make learning the language fun.
BBC documentaries
We have 112 videos ready to take you on a journey from the depths of the ocean to Antarctica and to learn about the evolution of animals and plants and the marks left on the world by ancient civilizations. Here are a few examples:
- Civilisations, co-presented by Mary Beard, holder of a UOC honorary doctorate. The series takes a look at civilizations around the world and how their artistic expression represents the human form and the natural world. Its nine episodes span 31 countries on six continents and cover more than 500 works of art.
- Eight episodes of Icons: The Greatest Person of the 20th Century, which explore the achievements of the most outstanding figures of the last century. Viewers voted for the greatest icon of them all. The winner was mathematician Alan Turing. This series features influential figures from diverse disciplines, including activists, scientists, artists and performers. Some of the best-known are Pablo Picasso, Marie Skłodowska-Curie and Virginia Woolf.
- We also have a documentary series about the oceans (Blue Planet) and another on big cats called, funnily enough (Big Cats).
- Secrets of the Human Body explains the human biological processes with the aid of innovative graphics. Each episode covers a different aspect: how we survive, how we learn and how we grow.
360º videos
Consult the Library's collection of immersive audiovisual media, giving you complete control over the viewing angle in 360° videos. In addition, some of them are available in 3D format, so you can watch them with virtual reality headsets such as Google Daydream and Google Cardboard on your mobile phone.
The Possible, for example, will transport you to a robotics laboratory at the company Boston Dynamics to observe the engineering team at work.
Music and theatre
Recordings that you can enjoy this summer include:
- A concert by Max Richter, composer of soundtracks for films such as Shutter Island and the series Black Mirror and The Leftovers.
- Operas such as Nabucco, Aida and La Bohème.
- Performances by the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC).
Pulitzer Prize winners
In the Library's news archives you can consult the print and online versions of a range of headlines of international, national and local prestige. Amongst these worthwhile pieces are those that have won at the most recent Pulitzer Prizes, which recognize the best pieces in American journalism.
Titles from Editorial UOC
Why not check out the e-books from Editorial UOC available at the Library? They are very different works have one thing in common: communication. Because, after all, isn't that what the written word is all about? One example is Historias de portada: 50 películas esenciales sobre periodismo, which takes a look at the stereotypes journalism is subject to, as well as the profession's major ethical dilemmas and milestones through films like The Cameraman (1928) or Spotlight (2015).
Furthermore, Editorial UOC has joined other cultural and educational institutions in the exchange of knowledge, for the first time opening up to the public some twenty e-books on social sciences.
We also have a series of advanced guides to help you gain in-depth knowledge of your chosen subject, thanks to a careful selection of content by our faculty experts and Library staff. Amongst the latest publications is an introductory guide that provides an overview of speech therapy, a guide to understanding personal income tax (IRPF) and another to better understand the global refugee crisis.
