Culture Courses

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

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

Learn how the Manchus conquered the Qing and established the last of the imperial dynasties.

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

Explore the birth of modern China with a focus on the time between the fall of the Qing and the end of World War II.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Gain a foundational knowledge of American constitutional democracy while crafting your own civic voice and identity.

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