Free Humanities Courses

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

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

Examine how great modern writers capture the intricacies of our globalized world and how their works circulate within that world to find their own audiences.

Examine how great modern writers capture the intricacies of our globalized world and how their works circulate within that world to find their own audiences.

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

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 the rich and diverse beliefs and practices of Buddhists across time and place. Experience Buddhism through its scriptures, both relationally as well as academically.

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.

Learn about China’s origins, its integral early thinkers, and competing states and schools of thought.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Explore the ethical controversies of financial markets.

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

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.

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

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

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

An exploration of the dynamics of contemporary China using the tools of close reading, discussion, and analysis.

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

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

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.

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

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

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