Humanities Courses

Gain critical communication skills in writing and public speaking with this introduction to American political rhetoric.

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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 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.

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.

Traces Albert Einstein’s engagement with relativity, quantum mechanics, Nazism, nuclear weapons, philosophy, the arts, and technology.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Engage with leading experts at a two-day continuing education conference that bridges spirituality, religion, and mental health care.

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

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

Learn about the Qin and Han dynasties, and how Buddhism and ideas of self-realization influenced the medieval period.

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