Courses

Learn about the key beliefs and practices of Judaism through an examination of its sacred texts and their interpretation.

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.

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.

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

Explore the ethical controversies of financial markets.

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

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

Use the case study method to study China from the rise of Deng Xiaoping to the present.

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

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.

Learn how American women created, confronted, and embraced change in the 20th century while exploring ten objects from Radcliffe’s Schlesinger Library.

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

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

This introduction to moral and political philosophy is one of the most popular courses taught at Harvard College.

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

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

Embark on a global journey to explore the past, present, and future of world literature.

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

Learn the fascinating history of Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, one of the most challenging and rewarding ballets ever written.

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.

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

Learn how global warming impacts human health, and the ways we can diminish those impacts.

Explore China’s imperial period, with a focus on the Song dynasty and the role of the exam system in government.

An overview of modern Chinese history, including the fall of the Qing and the end of imperial China.

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

Learn about the Quran, the central sacred text of Islam, through an exploration of the rich diversity of roles and interpretations in Muslim societies.

Explore the reunification of China under the Tang with a focus on aristocratic culture — from poetry to calligraphy to literature.

An in-depth look at the 1854 London cholera epidemic in Soho and its importance for the field of epidemiology.

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.

Learn about Beethoven’s monumental 9th Symphony and forms of orchestral music.