Courses

An exploration of the haunting figure at the heart of one of William Shakespeare’s most famous plays.

Explore acts of storytelling in Shakespeare’s Othello alongside world-class artists who interpret Othello’s story in new forms and contexts today.

Join Harvard faculty in this online course to discover the physical history of the Jewish bible.

Develop skills in digital research and visualization techniques across subjects and fields within the humanities.

Combine literary research with data science to find answers in unexpected ways. Learn basic coding tools to help save time and draw insights from thousands of digital documents at once.

An exploration of the magnetic and ambivalent character of Shylock in William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice.

Learn about Claudio Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo, one of the first operas ever written.

Explore the underlying structures of everyday arguments and develop the tools to communicate effectively.

Led by Harvard Instructors and historians, you will discover China’s return to power through political, social, and economic growth in relation to other countries.

Why should we care about Confucius? Explore ancient Chinese philosophy, ethics, and political theory to challenge your assumptions of what it means to be happy, live a meaningful life, and change the world.

Build a viable, valuable tech venture that can profitably scale in this course from Harvard Business School (HBS) Online.

This course examines the Sikh scripture from a doctrinal and historical perspective by providing an overview of Sikh teachings as well as the historical context within which the scripture evolved and became canonized.

Learn about the forces in American politics that seek to influence the electorate and shift the political landscape.

Explore what makes cities energizing, amazing, challenging, and perhaps humanity’s greatest invention.

Explore the ethical controversies of financial markets.

Gain an understanding of history, museum studies, and curation by looking at, organizing, and interpreting art, artifacts, scientific curiosities, and the stuff of everyday life.

Examine how cultures of the ancient world defined themselves through literature and how their vision of literature contributes to our understanding of civilization, culture, and literature today.

Reimagine global health problems with some of the leading global health thinkers and actors through a case-based biosocial framework.

Explore the Maoist period of China, from the Communist Party to the death of Mao and the reopening of China.

Learn how to better understand the rich and complex ways that religions function in historic and contemporary contexts.

Learn about the rich diversity of Hindu sacred texts – hymns, narratives, philosophical thought – and their interpretations.

Learn about the rich and diverse beliefs and practices of Buddhists across time and place. Experience Buddhism through its scriptures, both relationally as well as academically.

An overview of divination systems, ranging from ancient Chinese bone burning to modern astrology.

Learn how early American politics informed the U.S. Constitution and why its promise of liberty and equality has yet to be fully realized.

Explore the impact of the conquest dynasties and the world of the Ming.

Explore Chinese history and culture from the perspective of the individual through philosophical texts, literary works, and art.

Learn about China’s origins, its integral early thinkers, and competing states and schools of thought.

Learn about Christianity through a study of its sacred scriptures. We will explore how diverse Christians have interpreted these writings and practiced their teachings over a 2000 year, global history.

Study Japanese scroll art as text and as "little movies" that immerse the viewer through visual narration. 

Explore the archaeology, history, art, and hieroglyphs surrounding the famous Egyptian Pyramids at Giza. Learn about Old Kingdom pharaohs and elites, tombs, temples, the Sphinx, and how new technology is unlocking their secrets.