Free Humanities Courses

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

Explore the ethical controversies of financial markets.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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