Humanities Courses

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

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

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

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

An introduction to the study of bioethics and the application of legal and ethical reasoning.

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

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

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

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

Join the first Harvard University–affiliated continuing education course in sports cardiology and gain practical, case-based insights that empower you to deliver evidence-driven care to athletes and active individuals across every level of performance.

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

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

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

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

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.

Build a foundational understanding of AI concepts with this course from Harvard Business School (HBS) Online.

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

Lead with stories that clarify, align, and inspire action.

Prepare your student for college-level writing now.

Learn how businesses thrive and grow while simultaneously solving some of the world's biggest challenges in this course from Harvard Business School (HBS) Online.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.