Harvard Faculty of Arts & Sciences

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

Discover Handel’s Messiah in this installment of First Nights, which will explore five masterpieces of western music.

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

Learn about Hector Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique, an iconic Romantic symphony that ushered in an era of narrative “program music.”

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

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

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