Free Humanities Courses

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Learn how early American politics informed the U.S. Constitution and why its promise of liberty and equality has yet to be fully realized.

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

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

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

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

Explore the ethical controversies of financial markets.

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

Gain an understanding of history, museum studies, and curation by looking at, organizing, and interpreting art, artifacts, scientific curiosities, and the stuff of everyday life.

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.

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

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.

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

This introduction to moral and political philosophy is one of the most popular courses taught at Harvard College.

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

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

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

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